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A summary of news: Japan's farms may avoid fallout legacy; Europe's chemical safety law under fire

Summaries of newsworthy papers: 16 years of regeneration for the newt lens; A new cellular role for TorsinA

Collaborative research from the Tokyo University of Science shows potential for bioengineered mature organ replacement as a next generation regenerative therapy.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is collaborating with Southwest Jiaotong University and Dalian Jiaotung University to study the use of its proprietary Advanced Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor (FBG) Systems for monitoring the structural health and safety of the nation’s fast-expanding High-Speed Rail.

Organized by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and supported by the Government’s Innovation and Technology Commission, the “Forum on Creating Synergy in Innovation and Technology – Shenzhen/Hong Kong Cooperation” was held today (8 July).

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Nature: Baked, boiled, mashed…and now sequenced; Immunology: Predicting vaccine efficacy; Neuroscience: D2 autoreceptors are rewarding; Genetics: Variants associated with prostate cancer; Geoscience: Ancient buried landscape beneath the North Atlantic Ocean and more

The world’s second X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) recently went online in Japan, hot on the heels of the first, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the US, which began operating in the hard X-ray region in 2009.

The strong coupling between electrical currents and magnetization in topological insulator materials is surprisingly unaffected by impurities

A newly identified gene variant could lead to predictive tests for a major cause of cancer-related deaths

Research suggests landfill area is not suitable for residential area development due to excessive concentration of heavy metals.

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Planetary science: Saturn’s Great White thunderstorm; Fossils: Vertebrate jaw design locked early; Comment: Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health; Geoscience: Link between Indian/African plate motions and more.

According to Thomson Reuters, the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM) now ranks 34th out of 222 journals in the category of Materials Science & Multidisciplinary worldwide, and is ranked 1st among materials science journals in Japan.

The recycling spent nickel catalysts could be both profitable and environmentally friendly

A rhodium–iron catalyst helps increase the yield of hydrogen gas in the steam reforming of ethanol

By harnessing A*STAR image-recognition technology, a Singaporean start-up company is taking information delivery and marketing to a new dimension.

A large-scale analysis of the effect of dietary salt reduction on mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults has been inconclusive, reports a review by the Cochrane Collaboration published in the American Journal of Hypertension.

Japanese scientists report on a unique ‘ubiquitous element strategy’ to overcome the ‘rare-element crisis’ that was triggered by increasing demand for such elements as lithium, used in batteries, and dysprosium for Ne-Fe-B permanent magnets.

Summary of newsworthy paper: Optical switch for quantum computing

Long term exposure to fine airborne particulate matter, such as engine exhaust, may alter neuronal morphology, mood, and impair cognition, according to research in mice published online this week in Molecular Psychiatry.

PolyU’s innovative secured retinal imaging system for diabetic care

The ratio between the second and fourth digits is linked to stretched penile length according to a study published online this week in Asian Journal of Andrology. This finding suggests that digit ratio can predict adult penile size and that the effects of prenatal testosterone may in part explain the differences in adult penile length.

Synthetic cell membranes invented at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), may improve the way we identify and develop drugs by speeding up and reducing the cost of the drug screening process.

A genome-wide study by in Japan has identified a genetic variant associated with the development of liver cancer in chronic hepatitis C virus carriers.

Highly aggregative and neurotoxic amyloid peptide Aβ43 points the way to new approaches for AD diagnosis and treatment

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Geoscience: Warmth projected for subsurface oceans; Medicine: The myelin fix; Geoscience: Metal-rich mud; Generation of dopaminergic neurons from fibroblasts

Cultures of embryonic stem cells can be coaxed to spontaneously develop into a mature, properly organized retina

A newly discovered natural product produced by a fungus prevents cancer cells from becoming malignant

Numerical simulations reveal that deliberately engineering defects into ultrathin oxide films enhances catalytic water-splitting reactions

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Cancer: Defining new subtypes of ovarian cancer ; Astronomy: Discovery of a distant luminous quasar; Immunology: The Vpx factor for HIV-1 replication; Africa Special: Population pressures; Africa Special: The battle against wheat rust and more

Researchers from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the University of Tokyo and Tohoku University suggested a possibility to control a magnet's behaviour