Peer Reviewed

Hiroshima University researchers have demonstrated a proof of concept for the mass-production of genome-edited T cells that can be used to treat malignant tumors, using a genetic engineering technique called Platinum TALEN.

Researchers from the University of Osaka found that the human brain represents social relationships learned through drama viewing, especially antagonistic ties. Participants watched six episodes of SUITS and underwent fMRI scans before and after viewing. Brain activity patterns after viewing reflected rivalries and conflicts among characters, particularly in regions involved in social cognition. The findings suggest that negative relationships help structure the brain’s internal social maps.

Researchers at the University of Osaka have used machine learning to develop a systematic framework for structural descriptors in supercooled water. A neural network model was used to quantitatively assess the performance of 16 structural descriptors in differentiating between two states of water, a high-density liquid and a low-density liquid. The framework could be used to further our understanding of the anomalous behavior of water.

Researchers at Tohoku University have discovered a promising strategy that converts harmful carbon dioxide into valuable fuels and chemicals by precisely altering nanoclusters made of copper.

The abundance of sulfur not only makes lithium-sulfur batteries cheaper to manufacture, but they also boast superior energy-storage capacity to current lithium-ion technologies. But one problem preventing practical deployment is polysulfide shuttling—when polysulfides formed during battery cycling escape the cathode and drift into unwanted areas and cause the battery to erode. Now, a group of researchers from Tohoku University has solved this problem with a molecularly designed covalent organic framework (COF)–graphene interlayer. Like a security checkpoint that both identifies threats and efficiently streams people where they need to go, the interlayer combines chemical trapping, rapid charge transport, and sulfur-conversion promotion.

Magnets can store data – but there is a limit. To improve the data density of memory devices, researchers at Tohoku University delved into ways to exert precise control over a unique material called metallic helimagnets.

Researchers at National Taiwan University and the University of Southern Denmark show that obesity in male mice raises let-7 microRNAs in sperm, which silence the enzyme DICER1 and impair mitochondrial function in the fat tissue of their offspring. Weight loss reverses part of the effect in both mice and men.

An international team including Professor Meng GU of the Hong Kong Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (HKIAA) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has directly measured the mass of an inactive supermassive black hole in the early Universe for the first time.

A research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has recently overcome a technological bottleneck that has persisted for over a decade. They successfully “turned waste into treasure” by recycling triplet excitons and converting them into effective charge carriers for electricity generation. Using this new approach, they achieved an efficiency of 20.5% in OPV cells.

- Prof. Hyosang Lee’s research team identifies the dual role of the TWIK-1 potassium ion channel in the spinal cord and peripheral sensory neurons, suggesting the potential for the treatment of neuropathic pain - Published in the international journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

Invasive Flowerhorn cichlids threaten Lake Sampaloc’s native fish, aquaculture, and public health, Ateneo researchers warn.

A new conceptual review by researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and James Cook University, Singapore, suggests that stress, loneliness and constant comparison may be linked to a mismatch between human instincts and modern environments.

How did a large crab end up trapped inside a plastic bottle with an opening smaller than its body? Hiroshima University researchers investigated this unusual marine mystery, revealing a lesser-known impact of marine plastic pollution on crustaceans.

Oxidative addition is often carried out using transition metals and is challenging to perform at centers of more abundant main-group elements, particularly group 13 elements. Researchers at The University of Osaka, led by Takuya Kodama, achieved oxidative addition of an aryl iodide to a group 13 (gallium) center. The reaction is initiated by visible light. The reaction proceeds via a novel mechanism, photoinduced disproportionation, whereby photoexcited gallium exchanges electrons with ground-state gallium.

Researchers at the University of Osaka developed the CLiB assay, a high-throughput platform to engineer protein-based lipid-binding probes. By screening a library of protein variants, they created a highly sensitive probe for the signaling lipid PI(3,5)P2. This tool allowed the team to visualize how cells remodel their membranes to engulf damaged materials, providing a framework for developing next-generation biosensors and unlocking new insights into the dynamic landscape of biological membranes.

The end of colored plastic downgrading could be near with new approach

Base-mediated degradation of carbon−Carbon main chain polymers bearing alkoxycarbonylmethylene repeating units

Multifunctional facility associated with more frequent stays among residents

Study across five periods of the COVID-19 pandemic reveals changing long COVID patterns and the need for continued support

Black-box optimization, particularly Bayesian optimization, is a practical approach for weather-intervention design, achieving meaningful rainfall reduction even under a very limited budget of expensive weather simulations, finding effective actions with only a small number of trials.

Researchers at the University of Osaka have synergistically combined three strategies for energy dissipation to enhance the toughness of elastomers. Rotaxane molecules with sacrificial bonds are incorporated into an elastomer. Under increasing external force, three mechanisms become sequentially activated: sliding of the rotaxane molecules, force-induced bond scission in the rings to form linear chains, and entanglement of the resulting chains. A polyurethane elastomer synthesized using this strategy was five times tougher than a conventional polyurethane.

Variability, transport, and fate of riverine perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in a heavily PFOA-impacted coastal sea

A field experiment with the Japan Marrow Donor Program showed that adding one factual sentence to HLA match letters—telling potential donors that compatible registered donors are limited—raised progression to confirmatory typing by 7.3%. The intervention was low-cost and simple, while combined messages weakened the effect. The result could help reduce donor dropout and improve stem cell transplant coordination.

Researchers developed a hybrid supercapacitor electrode by anchoring two-dimensional vanadium disulfide nanosheets onto one-dimensional porous graphitic carbon nitride nanotubes. The mixed-dimensional structure improves ion transport, charge storage, and cycling stability, offering a promising strategy for fast and durable energy storage.

A research group has developed “TP-An,” a molecule that enables even low-energy, long-wavelength light to be used more effectively by solar cells and photocatalysts. The molecule can be used even at high concentrations that are difficult for traditional materials, suggesting their usefulness in technology.

Cricket mothers transmit environmental information that determines embryonic developmental timing. Researchers have demonstrated that entry into developmental arrest is controlled by an integrated program of transcriptional, epigenetic, and metabolic reprogramming. Their study uncovers a system-level mechanism linking environmental cues to embryonic fate.

Research led by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and National Taiwan University uncovers a successful postnatal gene therapy strategy that restores hearing and preserves inner ear structures in a hereditary deafness model. This breakthrough identifies vital therapeutic windows after birth, paving a clear path toward clinical translation for genetic hearing loss.

Catalysts play a vital role in the chemical reactions used to produce fertilizers, fuels, pharmaceuticals, and hydrogen, to name a few. AI-driven catalyst discovery is revolutionizing the field of materials science. But AI is only as reliable as the data it learns from. Therefore, researchers from Tohoku University have introduced an AI-powered digital catalysis platform that serves as a one-stop source for experimental data, theoretical calculations, and scientific literature.

Rice grown on the Moon? No, this is not something out of science fiction, but a future possibility thanks to a plasma technology developed by Tohoku University and JAXA. The plasma technology synthesizes gas from atmospheric air and turns it into a nitrogen-based fertilizer. Researchers also tested the fertilizer on rice seedlings planted in a lunar soil simulant, finding that the fertilizer released critical minerals from the Moon's soil while suppressing harmful ones. The technology is portable and energy-efficient, meaning it can even be used here on Earth for a more sustainable form of rice farming.

A research team from National Taiwan University and University of Oslo analyzed data on more than 1.3 million children across two countries, finding that an earlier European safety signal weakens to non-significance once underlying disease and other confounders are accounted for.