Peer Reviewed

A tiny change to the arrangement of organic molecules in nanoparticle systems can result in a massive change to material properties. By synthesizing gold nanoparticles coated with two different types of organic molecules, a research team has uncovered new insights into this phenomenon.

SUTD researchers used mobile phone GPS traces, street view imagery, and open-source spatial data to show that pedestrian route choices in a rapidly developing city are shaped far more by street conditions and context than by distance alone.

An international research team led by National Taiwan University has developed a new analytical framework based on Empirical Dynamic Modeling. This framework can quantify how response diversity varies over time using time-series data. Published in Nature Communications, the study offers the first direct empirical evidence that greater response diversity helps stabilize total community biomass. This breakthrough addresses a longstanding methodological challenge in ecology: measuring the response diversity of natural communities solely from observational data.

Researchers from The University of Osaka and collaborators developed a wastewater-based method to estimate influenza incidence by measuring viral RNA concentrations in wastewater. The approach can separately estimate influenza A and B trends and may detect epidemic changes about one week earlier than conventional patient report data. The study highlights wastewater surveillance as a promising complement to existing public health systems for earlier healthcare preparedness.

Researchers from The University of Osaka report the creation of step–terrace–ordered GaN surfaces using catalyst-referred etching (CARE). Mechanical testing on these surfaces demonstrates exceptional reproducibility across 100 measurements, achieving record-low stress scatter.

Solid electrolyte particle sizes affect ion pathways

Many secrets lie deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Researchers from Tohoku University uncovered one of them when they discovered a hidden natural lubricant inside an active fault. Their findings may explain why the Atotsugawa Fault System produces surprisingly few large earthquakes despite being located in a tectonically active region.

- DGIST Principal Researcher Kim Jaehyun’s team has developed a high-voltage, flame-retardant solid polymer electrolyte that operates even at low temperatures - Fluorine-based additives induce molecular interactions that modify the lithium-ion solvation structure, prevent polymer freezing, and improve oxidation resistance - Published in the international journal Energy Storage Materials

Cellular changes affect ability to conceive

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that the zinc finger proteins RLF and ZFP292 play redundant roles in stabilizing the CoREST corepressor complex at gene promoters in embryonic stem cells. Deleting both proteins allowed the cells to differentiate, suggesting that they could be useful targets for maintaining stem cell quality.

Researchers in Japan showed that growing Eu-doped GaN on a semipolar GaN plane selectively forms highly efficient Eu luminescent centers while suppressing inefficient Eu clusters. The approach increased room-temperature red emission by 3.6 times, reduced efficiency droop, and points to brighter, wavelength-stable red LEDs for monolithically integrated full-color micro-LED displays using the GaN materials platform.

Biologists have long puzzled over why organisms with similar numbers of protein-coding genes can differ so dramatically in nervous system complexity. New research points to a potential link between the expanding diversity of RNA-binding proteins, which shape how genetic instructions are processed, and greater brain sophistication.

Drug resistance of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia prompts need for effective alternative treatments

Development of Stevia-PVA Hydrogel-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator Technology

Researchers at National Taiwan University developed bioinspired composites that mimic bone and bamboo structures to improve strength and toughness simultaneously. Using artificial intelligence, simulations, and 3D printing, the team discovered how soft layers near cracks can prevent catastrophic failure.

Electrical-domain interference in polymer optical fibers offers a simpler route to fast sensing without conventional optical-spectrum analysis.

Polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) are known for their strong ability to absorb carbon dioxide, as well as their stability as solid materials. However, during manufacturing, they often produce inorganic salts, making it difficult to accurately measure their true efficiency. Now, a joint research group successfully purified the PILs.

Stubborn cancer tumors were completely (and safely) eliminated in a mouse model with a small but mighty treatment method using nanoparticles, controlled drug release in stages, and light from lasers.

Researchers at National Taiwan University have developed a liver-directed IL-10 gene therapy that strengthens cancer-fighting immune cells and suppresses liver tumors in mice. The treatment also generated long-lasting immune memory cells that remained in the liver after tumors disappeared.

Researchers from The University of Osaka, Kyushu University, and the University of Victoria have developed MV-SZZ, a new method that accurately identifies defect-inducing software commits. By combining detailed code tracking with a majority voting system, the approach reduces false positives and outperforms existing techniques. This improvement could help developers debug software more efficiently and build more reliable systems.

A large-scale study of more than 31,000 patients found pneumonia occurred more often after breathing tubes were removed than during ventilation. Researchers say the condition, tied to swallowing dysfunction, should be recognized as a distinct clinical entity—one that may be preventable with early intervention.

Consumer Decision-Making Varies by Levels of Spatial Processing Perception

Ethical Patient Allocation and Statistical Rigor in One Framework

Dynamic catalyst interfaces offer a smarter route for converting CO2 into formic acid.

A research team led by Professor Denver Li Danfeng of CityUHK has discovered magnetic-field-induced re-entrant superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates, where superconductivity re-emerges at high fields. The breakthrough challenges conventional understanding and opens new directions for next-generation superconducting materials.

Observations of a distant object beyond Pluto suggest that it is surrounded by a thin atmosphere, potentially fuelled by ice volcanoes or produced by the impact of a comet-like body.

Coloured micro- and nanoplastics suspended in the atmosphere may contribute to global warming at a level equivalent to 16.2% of that caused by black carbon.

Data-driven models provide precise prediction on charging-phase of desalination technology building a bridge between data-driven insights and physicochemical principle to lay a strong foundation for system parameter optimization.

A Hiroshima-University-led research team has discovered a key gene responsible for the initiation of gemma development, acting as a "master switch" to start asexual reproduction (cloning) in the model plant Marchantia polymorpha (common liverwort).

A National Taiwan University study shows that traffic particles can create sharply localized exposure hotspots near busy roads, intersections and elevated corridors. The findings suggest that targeted street-level planning may better protect children and other vulnerable groups than citywide averages alone.