Peer Reviewed

A research team implemented a study based on a program that encouraged elderly patients at care homes in Adachi Ward, Tokyo to participate in activities such as park cleaning, gardening, and shopping. Their results revealed a surprising behavioral change.

Undergraduate students explore a more efficient way to measure protein-containing vessels released by cells

Lithium ion batteries use liquid electrolytes that have several drawbacks, which can be overcome by all-solid-state lithium secondary batteries (ASSBs). However, it is important to find efficient electrode materials for ASSBs. A research team from Japan has recently developed a novel electrode material for ASSBs by combining lithium sulfate and lithium ruthenate, which results in improved performance. The scientists hope that their novel approach will guide future research and the eventual commercialization of such high-capacity batteries.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis enables high-resolution separation of proteins extracted from biological samples, but it requires more than one day of pretreatment to recover the separated proteins trapped inside the gel for detection by mass spectrometry. BAC-DROP, our novel electrophoresis technology, uses a dissolvable form of polyacrylamide gel, which allows sample pretreatment to be completed in about 5 hours. The developed technology will enable the rapid diagnosis of viruses and disease protein markers.

Researchers from DGIST have now found a way to keep living, wet cells viable in an ultra-high-vacuum environment, using graphene, allowing—like never before—accurate high-resolution visualization of the undistorted molecular structure and distribution of lipids in cell membranes. This could enhance our bioimaging abilities considerably, improving our understanding of mechanisms underlying complex diseases such as cancers and Alzheimer’s

Our universe is dominated by a mysterious matter known as dark matter. Its name comes from the fact that dark matter does not absorb, reflect or emit electromagnetic radiation, making it difficult to detect.

Holger F. Hofmann, professor in the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, published a method to experimentally demonstrate the precision of quantum measurements on Feb. 3 in Physical Review Research. His work has implications for our fundamental understanding of physics at the level of individual quantum objects.

Osaka City University paves way for liver health by discovering the use of cytoglobin in anti-fibrotic therapy.

Molecular interactions within gels and rubbers can be controlled to fabricate stronger and more elastic materials.

A brain enzyme activates dormant neural stem cells, revealing how defects in its gene could lead to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Researchers at The University of Tokyo discover a new law about how the complex network of phase-separated structures grows with time, which may lead to more efficient batteries and industrial catalysts

A research group has created a device that measures how our bodies metabolize fat via our breath, allowing for the development of efficient fat burning exercises.

In a study published in Gastroenterology – Researchers at Osaka City University and The Institute for Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, in collaboration with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, report the intestinal bacterial and viral metagenome information from the fecal samples of patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI). This comprehensive analysis reveals the bacteria and phages involved in pathogenesis in rCDI, and their remarkable pathways important for the recovery of intestinal flora function.

Scientists have found catalysts that improve an important industrial reaction and make it more eco-friendly.

Tissue stem cells can self-renew and differentiate, supplying cells necessary for tissues at various developmental stages. However, detailed analysis in vivo is difficult, so the molecular mechanisms underlying the stemness of gastric tissue stem cells have remained a mystery. Here, by using organoids that mimic tissue structure and function in vivo and GeCKO screening to inactivate arbitrary genes, Alk, Bclaf3 and Prkra have been identified as genes regulating stemness.

Researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) have jointly developed the Spermine Risk Score which, coupled with the use of a urine test, provides a non-invasive and more reliable method for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. In a study conducted by the researchers, about 37% of the patients, who were ultimately found to have no prostate cancer, can avoid undergoing a prostate biopsy procedure.

Cells replicate their genetic material and divide into two identical clones to perpetuate life. Some cells pause in the process with a single, undivided nucleus. When the cell resumes division after such a pause, the nucleus can become caught in the fissure, splitting violently, and killing both cells. But that is not always the case. Researchers from Hiroshima University in Japan are starting to understand how active nuclear displacement rescues cell death.

Researchers from the School of Chinese Medicine (SCM) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have developed a Chinese medicine formula named NeuroDefend that offers a potential novel treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Mouse model experiment results showed that the formula reduces the levels of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and insoluble hyperphosphorylated-tau protein, which are the major hallmarks of AD, in mice brains. It also improves cognitive function and memory in mice.

Hokkaido University scientists show that under laboratory conditions, ultraviolet light reacts with nitrophenol to produce smog-generating nitrous acid.

It’s not only climate change impacting bird reproduction.

Although genome sequencing has come leaps and bounds over the past 20 years, there did not exist a reference genome specific to the Japanese. That is until now. Researchers at Tohoku University have completed and released the first Japanese reference genome by analyzing the genomes of three Japanese individuals using high coverage, long-read next-generation sequencing technologies.

A tick saliva study reveals immune responses that could lead to better protection for cattle.

Researchers from The University of Tokyo have designed a new type of system using listening devices to detect and track deer positions in the wild

The Shikoku pilgrimage (in Japanese, Shikoku Henro) is a large, circular route approximately 1,400 kilometers in length around the island of Shikoku that has eighty-eight sacred sites related to the Buddhist priest, Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi). The original form of the pilgrimage originated in the severe ascetic practices of Kūkai more than 1,200 years ago, and it has evolved over its long history to become a living culture of Shikoku that still attracts many people to the island welcoming them with a unique hospitality. Academic research on the Shikoku henro has been conducted in a variety of fields, including history, folklore, religion, sociology, and literature, and dramatic progress has been made in the past twenty years. The Research Center for the Shikoku Henro and Pilgrimages Around the World at Ehime University, which plays a central role in this research, has published Shikoku Henro no Sekai (The World of the Shikoku Pilgrimage), an introductory book based on the latest research. through the publisher Chikuma Shinsho

COVID-19 has led to psychological distress among one in three adults, large-scale meta-analysis by researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, reveals.

Solid-state lithium batteries (SSLB), unlike their liquid lithium-ion counterparts, are dry and do not need extra cooling, rendering them safer and capable of providing more energy. A research team has recently discovered that a clean electrolyte/electrode interface can double the capacity of SSLBs, paving the way for a more sustainable future.

Materials inspired by the colour changes in a peacock’s feather could lead to anti-counterfeit and sensing applications.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Clinical Cancer Research that in the most common type of lung cancer, certain secondary mutations occurring with another gene alteration known as ALK make the efficacy of alectinib, an otherwise commonly used drug for treating lung cancer, become unfavorable. Combining alectinib with another kind of drug can overcome this adverse effect, however.

Scientists at Hokkaido University and Chiba University have developed simultaneous triploid and hexaploid varieties of Haemanthus albiflos by the application of endosperm culture, thus extending the use of this technique.

Patients with motor dysfunctions are on the rise across Japan as its population continues to age. A Tohoku University researcher has developed a new method of rehabilitation using virtual reality to increase the sense of agency over our body and aid motor skills.