Peer Reviewed

Researchers from The University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science describe a novel feature of the immune response to certain viruses such as measles

Climate change may lead to a modest net reduction in global annual energy expenditures by the end of the 21st century, according to a study published in Nature.

Direct evidence that microtubules function as mechano-sensors and regulate the intracellular transport of molecules has been reported, leading to new possibilities in the fields of biomechanics, medicine, and biosensors.

Coral reefs, comprising some of the most diverse and delicate ecosystems under water, are under immense stress. From global warming to pollution to pathogens, many of the reef-building coral species are listed as threatened or endangered. But, according to researchers in Japan, the corals may have an unlikely ally: bacteria.

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) could impact child nutrition in many countries in the tropics, a new study in Nature Communications suggests.

A long-standing hypothesis, the dual-structure model, posits that Japanese populations derive dual ancestry from indigenous Jomon hunter-gatherer-fishers and succeeding Yayoi farmers. We conduct paleogenomic analyses of people of the Jomon, Yayoi, and Kofun periods from Japanese archaeological sites. We identify a later influx of East Asian ancestry in the Kofun period and clarify that the genome of the modern Japanese population is composed of three ancestral components, proposing a tripartite model of Japanese origins.

Researchers propose quantum circuit black hole lasers to explore Hawking radiation

Researchers in Japan have found an energy-efficient way to convert the chief greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful chemicals. Using the method, CO2 is transformed into structures called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), suggesting a new and simpler route to dispose of the greenhouse gas to help tackle global warming.

Researchers are empowering the elderly in Singapore to choose their preferred treatment option when diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease.

A previously unknown virus that can infect humans and cause disease has been identified by scientists in Japan. The novel infectious virus, named Yezo virus and transmitted by tick bites, causes a disease characterized by fever and a reduction in blood platelets and leucocytes.

A quick, cost-effective approach improves the accuracy with which machine learning models can predict the properties of new materials.

A research team led by scientists at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has developed a novel cell sensor with a barcode-like micro-channel structure that enables rapid and low-cost screening of drug-resistant bacteria. The invention could potentially be used on a large-scale in resource-limited situations such as frequent safety screenings of water, food and public facilities, as well as urgent surveys of massive samples during an infectious disease outbreak, particularly in developing countries.

Researchers conducted an online survey on nutrition, dietary behavior, and body image with 32 national and international level para-athletes with physical disabilities such as spinal cord injury or limb defect/amputation. Results showed that about 40% need assistance in procuring and cooking food and that it is difficult to achieve their ideal diet on their own. Also, although para-athletes with a good body image rated their eating habits as healthy, they had a low percentage of correct answers to questions about nutrition.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Science Advances a new method for distinguishing between enantiomers, molecules that are mirror images of each other. The procedure, relevant for the pharmaceutical industry, involves the chemical reaction of target enantiomers with color indicator compounds consisting of one-handed helical polymers, leading to solutions showing different colors in specific solvents between the enantiomers.

The missing link isn’t a not-yet-discovered fossil, after all. It’s a tiny, self-replicating globule called a coacervate droplet, developed by two researchers in Japan to represent the evolution of chemistry into biology.

Energetic particles are ubiquitous across the universe but their origins are unexplained. Now, a research team has proposed that mellow black holes act as the source of high-energy cosmic particles.

An algorithm that detects events occurring across different time and geographical scales on social media could enable a more timely response to emerging events.

Single cell analyses reveal hidden turgor-associated metabolic changes and water flow across the flesh in watercored apples

Examining spouses from Japan and the Netherlands, a new study suggests that couples have a high degree of commonality in body shape, blood pressure, and even incidences of some diseases.

Genetic and epigenetic profiling of hundreds of hepatoblastoma tumors have revealed many of its secrets, long unknown to those researching and treating what is the most common type of liver tumor in children.

Twisting light that switches direction at room temperature could be the future of quantum information processing.

A research group has successfully used ultra-small testing technologies to measure the coatings on ferritic steel.

A specially designed lipid nanoparticle could deliver immune-signaling molecules into liver macrophage cells to overcome resistance to anti-tumor immunotherapy.

When it comes to cancer, clarity is key. The ability to visualize cancerous tumors and metastatic tissue three dimensionally (3D) can help clinicians diagnose the precise type and stage of cancer, while also informing the best treatment methods. To obtain an even clearer tissue for imaging, a research team based in Japan has tested the effectiveness of specialized hydrogels. Acting as a 3D molecular network, these hydrogels can rapidly remove fats from tissues, which are a factor in tissue opacification, without losing their structure. The material is used in several biomedical devices, including contact lenses.

A new approach leads to the long-awaited formation of rings made of three pyrroles, which could be used to produce compounds with a host of interesting properties, and explains why they have not been observed before.

Using the lamprey, researchers from Japan analyzed the photosensory mechanism of the pineal organ, also called the pineal gland, in non-mammalian vertebrates and discovered a novel mechanism of pineal color discrimination (two-cell system) in which two types of photoreceptor cells, each containing two different opsins, are used to detect color. This discovery may provide insight into the evolution of color detection in other animals, including color vision in humans.

Researchers at Jilin University, China, reviewed recent progress in the study of Salvinia leaves and their artificial replicas.

Researchers from The University of Tokyo assimilated satellite observations of water vapor isotopes into a weather forecasting model and found that forecast accuracy was improved by several percentage points

iCeMS scientists and colleagues have designed a molecular code that powers up cancer-fighting immune cells.

Abnormally high levels of DNA methylation have been identified in dogs exposed to high levels of lead near a mining area in Kabwe, Zambia, by a team of scientists from Japan and Zambia.