Peer Reviewed

An international research team led by The University of Osaka has demonstrated that two-faced Janus nanoparticles can restore the effectiveness of antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria. These particles disrupt the protective outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, which normally blocks antibiotics. This allows conventional drugs to regain access and kill the once-resistant microbes. This synergistic strategy restores the effectiveness of existing antibiotics, offering a new line of defense against the growing threat of superbugs and extending the utility of our current medical arsenal.

By utilizing the GaAs substrate miscut, we can modulate the superconducting critical temperature, current, and magnetic field of wafer-scale Al nanofilms grown by molecular beam epitaxy by approximately 10%, 100%, and 1000%, respectively. Our approach points to a simple method of tailoring grain architecture and superconductivity in Al, which is a critical requirement for advancements in quantum computation and engineering.

A study by The University of Osaka reveals that people who have had COVID-19 are more likely to wear masks. This is driven not by fear, but by an increased awareness of being a potential "silent carrier." The finding suggests that public health messages based on patients' real experiences, highlighting the risk of asymptomatic spread, could be more effective in encouraging preventive behaviors in the general population for future pandemics.

A research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) recently collaborated with an international research team to publish a study revealing a correlation between global contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in globally consumed edible marine fish and associated human health risks. The study found that consumers may be exposed to elevated levels of PFAS by consuming imported fish such as salmon, tuna, swordfish and cod — even in regions with low environmental pollution — thereby increasing food‑safety risks.

What if that traffic associated with the daily commute could be put towards computing? It may sound like a stretch, but that is what researchers from Tohoku University have recently proposed, developing a new artificial intelligence framework that harnesses road traffic as a computing resource. The framework would lessen AI’s reliance on power-hungry hardware, making it more sustainable.

Hand-stencil motifs found in caves in Sulawesi, Indonesia, dating to at least 67,800 years ago, may be the oldest rock art discovered, according to a study published in Nature.

Initially stacked benzene layers increase fluorescent color change drastically when exposed to pressure, suggesting new ways to design the pressure sensors used in machinery and medical devices

Macrolide antibiotics like azithromycin rely on a complex ring structure that’s powerful but notoriously hard to control. Researchers have uncovered how bacterial enzymes shape this ring during the biosynthesis of the antibiotic pikromycin, revealing new ways to fine-tune macrolide structures. Their findings could open the door to designing improved antibiotics through smarter biosynthetic engineering.

When aluminum alloys get exposed to sodium chloride solutions, it causes a process known as pitting corrosion. Since aluminum alloys are widely used in transportation equipment, scientists are constantly looking for ways to improve the means of monitoring corrosion. Now, researchers from Tohoku University have developed a new technique to do so.

Scientists from CityUHK have recently achieved a major breakthrough in the field of photovoltaic technology, successfully developing highly efficient and durable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) suitable for outdoor environments. It is expected to contribute to the wider adoption of solar power and advance global carbon neutrality goals.

Quantum effects in Kondo lattices can determine whether a system behaves magnetically or non-magnetically, opening new avenues for designing future quantum materials and technologies

New molecular architecture enables the natural formation of built-in p/n junctions essential for efficient light-to-electricity conversion

CO2 reduction to storable fuels or valuable chemical products provides a carbon-neutral cycle that can mitigate the rapid consumption of fossil fuels and increasing CO2 emissions. Although solar-driven CO2 reduction holds great promise for sustainable energy, the role and control of atomic-level active sites in governing intermediate formation and conversion pathways remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate a capped VLS growth method employed to grow continuous ultrathin alloy films of molybdenum vanadium sulfide with sulfur vacancies, i.e., Svac-Mo1-xVxS2. The findings indicate a correlation between the density of Svac and the vanadium concentration, leading to the formation of V–Svac pairs, which serve as the active sites for CO2 reduction under solar light with water.

Duke-NUS and NUHS scientists uncover a complex web of genetic, age-related and microbial factors that increase the risk of stomach cancer.

1. Simple, scalable protection for silicon-based Li-ion batteries: A low-cost polymer–ceramic coating dramatically reduces electrode damage caused by silicon expansion. 2. Much longer battery life and improved safety: The coated electrodes last hundreds more charge cycles while maintaining high efficiency and stable operation.

COVID era survey explores care burdens young carers face

A collaborative team of four professors and several graduate students from the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemical Science and Technology at National Taiwan University, together with the Department of Applied Chemistry at National Chi Nan University, has achieved a long-sought breakthrough. By combining atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a Hadamard product–based image reconstruction algorithm, the researchers successfully visualized, for the first time, the nanoscopic dynamics of membrane rafts in live cells—making visible what had long remained invisible on the cell membrane.

Researchers at NIMS have created Research Data Express (RDE) to automate data processing and create AI-ready datasets for materials research.

An international team from Kanazawa University (Japan), Tohoku University (Japan), LPP (France), and partners has demonstrated that chorus emissions, natural electromagnetic waves long studied in Earth’s magnetosphere, also occur in Mercury’s magnetosphere exhibiting similar chirping frequency changes. Using the Plasma Wave Investigation instrument aboard BepiColombo’s Mercury orbiter Mio, six Mercury flybys between 2021 and 2025 detected plasma waves in the audible range. Comparison with decades of GEOTAIL data confirmed identical instantaneous frequency changes. This provides the first reliable evidence of intense electron activity at Mercury, advancing understanding of auroral processes across the solar system.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat early gastrointestinal cancers. However, it is a complex procedure for doctors to perform, and it carries the risk of bleeding and perforation. A new simulator created by a research team from Tohoku University however, will be able to provide doctors with as much practice as they need.

Bacteria are good at evolving to evade efforts to destroy it. But building defenses like antibiotic resistance drains limited energy resources, forcing tough survival trade-offs. A recent study has revealed how bacteria in water allocates its limited energy supply. Understanding these hidden energy choices could be key to slowing the spread of antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments.

Researchers at National Taiwan University have developed a modular platform to reprogram tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), transforming them from oncogenic messengers into safe, customizable drug delivery vehicles through precise molecular editing.

Symptoms of depression are common among people with asthma, but growing evidence suggests they may arise from biological mechanisms different from those underlying major depressive disorder.

Researchers have developed technology to convert naturally derived monomers into polymers capsules

Researchers have developed a new class of redox-switchable molecular mediators that activate halogen bonding to more efficiently and selectively drive carbon–nitrogen bond formation.

A decade-long study of Northern Taiwan's cities reveals that heat risk inequality evolves with urbanisation characteristics and the connection between green space deficit and heat risk was not a general phenomenon.

Researchers at National Taiwan University reveal that combined exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics and the preservative butylparaben, at a level considered safe on their own, can cause heritable harm, disrupting reproduction across generations through epigenetic changes.

A research team at The University of Osaka revealed that the loss of heterochromatin can cause a chain reaction leading to genetic changes and the subsequent development of diseases including cancer. Using fission yeast, the study specifically found that loss of Clr4, which encodes a methyltransferase, can induce an increase in R-loop levels at pericentromeric repeats, and the later conversion of R-loops into ADR-loops can prompt gross chromosomal rearrangements.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Osaka University and the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism behind the activation of the Met receptor—a key player in tissue regeneration and cancer progression. Their findings reveal that HGF binding to the membrane-distal domain of Met promotes dimerization at the membrane-proximal domain, which subsequently triggers receptor activation.

Japanese researchers have developed a living sensor display that turns engineered skin into a biological monitor, visually indicating internal inflammation without requiring blood sampling.