Peer Reviewed

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.

By fine-tuning the surroundings of single cobalt atoms, researchers reveal how tiny design changes can steer oxygen reactions toward cleaner and more efficient hydrogen peroxide production.

A new study suggests that the gut may play a surprising role in childhood migraine. Researchers found that improving gut health could help reduce headache pain and frequency in some children.

Exercise restores a key cellular balance in ageing muscles, helping them stay stronger and more resilient.

Burkitt's lymphoma is a highly aggressive blood cancer that primarily affects children and young adults. It is driven by a genetic alteration involving the MYC gene. Researchers have now developed a novel treatment approach in mice that combines CAR-T cell therapy with limited doses of a SUMOylation inhibitor, which can target MYC. This combination dramatically improved cure rates, paving the way for a potential new treatment strategy for this aggressive cancer.

Scientists at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have captured real-time images showing how a key brain enzyme organizes itself to help memory formation. Their study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that the enzyme CaMKII forms mixed α/β subunit structures whose interactions stabilize learning-related signals in neurons.

A research team led by Hiroshima University and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have proposed a neuroendocrine mechanism in bony fish that signals ovulation from the ovaries to the brain, using the medaka fish as a model; the first step to elucidate the neural circuits for facilitation of sexual receptivity in female teleosts.

Researchers at The University of Osaka used a range of cellular techniques to show that the histone protein CENP-A can be deposited into centromeres by two independent pathways. By identifying that CENP-C can substitute for Mis18C in binding to the chaperone HJURP to prompt CENP-A deposition, they showed that there is redundancy in the process of specifying the location of the centromere on chromosomes, which is essential for mitosis and meiosis.

A joint research team from National Taiwan University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and National Tsing Hua University has discovered a precise molecular engineering strategy. By adjusting the side chains of organic materials, they have achieved a power conversion efficiency of 18.13 percent.

New research uncovers the mechanics behind the skillful movement of the shelled amoeba Arcella.