Japan

Researchers at the Center for Innovative Integrated Electronic Systems (CIES) at Tohoku University have successfully observed microscopic chemical bonding states in ultrathin MgO - an important determinant in STT-MRAM performance. The observation was carried out via an angle-resolved hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-HAXPES) in collaboration with Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) at its Spring-8 Synchrotron Radiation facility.

Two known gene mutations induce pathways that enhance pancreatic cancer’s ability to invade tissues and evade the immune system. Researchers report the molecular details of this process providing insights into druggable targets for immunotherapies.

Scientists have succeeded in reducing levels of the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in cows with severe infections by combining an immune checkpoint inhibitor and an enzyme inhibitor. The finding could be utilized to control other diseases in cattle, and perhaps in humans someday.

Researchers reveal previously undiscovered hot spots on the surface of bacteria’s critical enzyme, which could guide novel approaches to antibiotic design.

The rise in temperature and precipitation levels in summer in northern Japan, has negatively affected the growth of conifers and resulted in their gradual decline, according to a 38-year-long study in which mixed forests of conifers and broad-leaved trees were monitored by a team of researchers from Hokkaido University.

Researchers have completed a successful clinical trial to detect and image radioactive tracers used in PET and in SPECT scans at the same time in a patient. It is hoped the method will enable doctors to scan patients for abnormalities in shorter times while reducing the amount of radiation patients would be exposed to.

The Turkestan cockroach (commonly known as the red runner roach or rusty red roach), which is popular as food for pet reptiles, has an interneuron extremely sensitive to sex pheromones emitted by American cockroaches.

Researchers in Japan have developed a new genome editing technology in rice.

New insight into a protein’s role in regulating tight DNA packing could have implications for combating tumor cell resistance to anti-cancer treatments.

A computer model shows that a starfish-like animal can coordinate rhythmic motion based on body structure without the brain telling them to do so. This provides insights useful for physiology and robotics.

Early snowmelt increases the risk of phenological mismatch, in which the flowering of periodic plants and pollinators fall out of sync, compromising seed production.

Researchers in Japan have identified the potential genes responsible for coral bleaching caused by temperature elevation.

Applying large enough magnetic fields usually results in the disruption of superconducting states in materials, even at drastically low temperatures.

It is believed that terrestrial planets were made from chondrites. However, geochemical observations have shown that the abundance pattern of volatile elements is inconsistent with chondrites. New high-pressure experiments suggest that F and Cl fractionation during magma ocean crystallization could explain the non-chondritic Earth's F/Cl ratio.

A team of researchers from Tohoku University, J-PARC, and Tokyo Institute of Technology conducted an in-depth study of magnetic quasiparticles called "triplons." The team conducted the study with a low-dimensional quantum magnet, Ba2CuSi2O6Cl2, using neutron inelastic scattering by AMATERAS at J-PARC.

Using a taxonomic approach, scientists have re-identified the huge birds drawn on the desert plains of Peru as hermits or pelicans.

Using holography, researchers have found that when gravity is combined with quantum mechanics, symmetry is not possible.

A research team of Tohoku University, Nissan Motor Co., Shinshu University, and Okayama University made a groundbreaking discovery in the quest to replace hydrofluorocarbons in refrigeration systems with natural refrigerants such as water and alcohol.

Researchers at Tohoku University have announced the development of a new magnetic tunnel junction, by which the team has demonstrated an extended retention time for digital information without an increase of the active power consumption.

Japanese researchers are poised to reboot the field of aromatic-fused porphyrin sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells, the most efficient solar technology available at present.

Tohoku University researchers have developed a technique using a hollow sphere to measure the electronic and optical properties of large semiconducting crystals. The approach improves on current photoluminescence spectroscopy techniques and could lead to energy savings for mass producers, and thus consumers, of power devices.

Researchers have successfully used DNA origami to make smooth-muscle-like contractions in large networks of molecular motor systems, a discovery which could be applied in molecular robotics.

The Subaru Telescope has captured images of more than 1800 exploding stars in the Universe, some located 8 billion light years from Earth.

Electrochemical imaging by researchers reveals that nitrogen and phosphorus atoms are key for enhancing holey graphene’s ability to promote the release of hydrogen during electrolysis.

Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a new cognitive training game aimed at improving road safety among elderly drivers. The game, "Cognitive Training for Car Driving" (CTCD), requires only a set top box and a TV, and for users to play it regularly.

A gassy insulating layer beneath the icy surfaces of distant celestial objects could mean there are more oceans in the universe than previously thought.

One of the most unknown phenomena in modern physics is gravity. Its measurement and laws remain somewhat of an enigma. Researchers at Tohoku University have revealed important information about a new aspect of the nature of gravity by probing the smallest mass-scale.

Researchers have designed a safer, faster and cheaper cell-based regenerative therapy approach for the treatment of one of the most common human dental diseases, namely periodontitis.

Scientists have employed a new method utilizing tsunami signals to calculate the calving magnitude of an ocean-terminating glacier in northwestern Greenland, uncovering correlations between calving flux and environmental factors such as air temperature, ice speed, and ocean tides.

Cycad plant roots release signals into the soil that triggers the transformation of bacteria into its motile form, helping them move to the plant roots and establish a symbiotic partnership.