Peer Reviewed

For me, in the flood of news a headline bears special importance for Northeast Asia security. The guideline reiterated by President Hu Jintao about boosting the "cultural soft power" of China recognizes that "culture has increasingly become a major element bringing together the people and the creative power of Chinese nationality".

NIMS is collecting basic data on natural minerals produced in various regions and inorganic materials with different chemical compositions as a tool for selecting suitable materials, and will make this information available in a NIMS Materials database (MatNavi).

Latest news from Nature 12 January 2012

After a lengthy study spanning over four years, Professor Pauline Cho from the School of Optometry at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and her research team concluded that orthokeratology not only can correct refractive error, but also effective in slowing the progression of myopia.

Latest news from nature journals 9 January 2012

Experts from around the world, including two Nobel Laureates, converge at A*STAR IMRE’s M3 @ Singapore 2012 conference to present cross-disciplinary innovations for applications ranging from energy to sensors.

Researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center, collaborating with scientists from Italy, Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, have found promoters for olfactory receptor genes using nanoCAGE technology, which enables comprehensive analysis of transcription start sites (TSSs) from tiny biological samples.

A diet supplemented with a specific probiotic bacterial strain increases the lifespan of mice

A computational strategy that reveals how environmental interactions affect protein shape could steer more sophisticated approaches to drug design

Discovery of a molecular basis for type 2 diabetes reveals how fatty diets can interfere with control of blood sugar levels

The National Institute for Materials Science succeeded in realizing superconductivity in fullerene nanowhiskers, which are a nanosized carbon material that is lightweight and has a fine fibrous shape - A Giant Step toward the Birth of Lightweight, Flexible Superconducting Materials

The Nano Electronic Materials Unit, MANA, NIMS selectively grew polymer nanowires using only irradiation with a pulsed laser, in a region limited to the area of irradiation. They also succeeded in imparting diverse functionalities to the nanowires by doping with various species of nanomaterials.

Latest news from Nature 5 January 2012

The striking colors of butterfly wings or peacock feathers are examples of so-called ‘structural color’ in nature. You see these colors due to the reflection of certain wavelengths of light from the birds’ feathers.

The National Institute for Materials Science succeeded in fabricating mesoporous Prussian blue, in which an extremely large number of nanosized pores (mesoporous) are formed in the crystal structure of the material.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has partnered with Beijing Normal University's GaoZhong Shu-Li-Hua Magazine (高中數理化雜誌) to launch its Secondary School Science and Mathematics Competition (SSSMC) for mainland students across the country.

Latest news ftom Nature 25 December 2011

Latest Results of the Large Hadron Collider and the Participation by 15 Organizations in Japan, Including Waseda University and the University of Tokyo

The Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, NIMS, and Kyoto University confirmed for the first time that it is possible to achieve ultra-high speed switching in a time of 200 nanoseconds with a new piezoelectric thin film which possesses micro regions called “nanodomains.”

First Detailed Elucidation of Heat Generation Mechanism.

The Tissue Regeneration Materials Unit of the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science succeeded in developing a matrix material which can control the differentiation of stem cells for regenerative medicine.

A high-pressure growth technique creates single magneto-electric crystals useful for future generations of electronic memory

A new spectroscopy technique enables the investigation of two-dimensional electron states both at the surface and within crystals

Infectious agents released from the late blight pathogen use a sticky patch of amino acids to adhere to potato plant cells

Identification of genetic variations that increase the risk of adult asthma will lead to better understanding of this disease

Planetary science update from Nature

Novel polymers release their drug cargo in response to body temperature

Plasmonic nanocrosses that heat up when illuminated can be used to kill cancer.

Vertical silicon nanowires prove to be an excellent platform for nonvolatile memory devices without the need for doped junctions.

Bamboo and rattan plants are at the centre of major initiatives in Asia, Africa, and Latin America that are combatting global warming, fighting soil erosion, protecting forests, and enhancing communities’ access to water.