Japan

COVID era survey explores care burdens young carers face

Researchers at NIMS have created Research Data Express (RDE) to automate data processing and create AI-ready datasets for materials research.

An international team from Kanazawa University (Japan), Tohoku University (Japan), LPP (France), and partners has demonstrated that chorus emissions, natural electromagnetic waves long studied in Earth’s magnetosphere, also occur in Mercury’s magnetosphere exhibiting similar chirping frequency changes. Using the Plasma Wave Investigation instrument aboard BepiColombo’s Mercury orbiter Mio, six Mercury flybys between 2021 and 2025 detected plasma waves in the audible range. Comparison with decades of GEOTAIL data confirmed identical instantaneous frequency changes. This provides the first reliable evidence of intense electron activity at Mercury, advancing understanding of auroral processes across the solar system.

Symptoms of depression are common among people with asthma, but growing evidence suggests they may arise from biological mechanisms different from those underlying major depressive disorder.

Researchers have developed technology to convert naturally derived monomers into polymers capsules

A research team at The University of Osaka revealed that the loss of heterochromatin can cause a chain reaction leading to genetic changes and the subsequent development of diseases including cancer. Using fission yeast, the study specifically found that loss of Clr4, which encodes a methyltransferase, can induce an increase in R-loop levels at pericentromeric repeats, and the later conversion of R-loops into ADR-loops can prompt gross chromosomal rearrangements.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Osaka University and the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism behind the activation of the Met receptor—a key player in tissue regeneration and cancer progression. Their findings reveal that HGF binding to the membrane-distal domain of Met promotes dimerization at the membrane-proximal domain, which subsequently triggers receptor activation.

Japanese researchers have developed a living sensor display that turns engineered skin into a biological monitor, visually indicating internal inflammation without requiring blood sampling.

Burkitt's lymphoma is a highly aggressive blood cancer that primarily affects children and young adults. It is driven by a genetic alteration involving the MYC gene. Researchers have now developed a novel treatment approach in mice that combines CAR-T cell therapy with limited doses of a SUMOylation inhibitor, which can target MYC. This combination dramatically improved cure rates, paving the way for a potential new treatment strategy for this aggressive cancer.

Scientists at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have captured real-time images showing how a key brain enzyme organizes itself to help memory formation. Their study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that the enzyme CaMKII forms mixed α/β subunit structures whose interactions stabilize learning-related signals in neurons.

A research team led by Hiroshima University and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have proposed a neuroendocrine mechanism in bony fish that signals ovulation from the ovaries to the brain, using the medaka fish as a model; the first step to elucidate the neural circuits for facilitation of sexual receptivity in female teleosts.

Researchers at The University of Osaka used a range of cellular techniques to show that the histone protein CENP-A can be deposited into centromeres by two independent pathways. By identifying that CENP-C can substitute for Mis18C in binding to the chaperone HJURP to prompt CENP-A deposition, they showed that there is redundancy in the process of specifying the location of the centromere on chromosomes, which is essential for mitosis and meiosis.

New research uncovers the mechanics behind the skillful movement of the shelled amoeba Arcella.

Findings connect Fusobacterium nucleatum with multiple sclerosis disease severity

Study suggests tooth loss, not low-protein intake, drives memory decline in aging mice, hinting that reduced chewing may influence brain health.

A research team led by Tohoku University revealed the details of a calcium-driven mechanism that could provide insight into how to prevent Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that common arguments used to encourage COVID-19 vaccination increase compliance but also intensify negative attitudes toward people with opposing views. The study highlights the need for public health communication strategies that promote vaccination while reducing social polarization.

Professor Keisuke Fujii, a leading researcher in quantum science at The University of Osaka, has been named among the Quantum 100, a major global initiative celebrating the centennial of the development of quantum mechanics in 2025, proclaimed by the United Nations and led by UNESCO.

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University developed models that classify X-ray images into specific body regions and simultaneously determine the imaging method and image orientation. Using these models, they successfully classified almost all data for use in deep-learning models.

Carbon-based batteries could become safer, more durable, and more powerful by following this new method that fundamentally redesigns how fullerene molecules are connected.

Netrin-1 blocks HBV entry by inhibiting viral attachment and internalization, offering a new therapeutic avenue for chronic hepatitis B.

Problem-solving approach created for better healthcare delivery and nursing skills

A research team at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) and the Faculty of Medicine at Kanazawa University has developed a new class of engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs) capable of inducing antigen-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs), the immune cells that play a central role in suppressing excessive immune responses. The findings, now published in Drug Delivery, may pave the way for next-generation therapies for autoimmune and allergic diseases, where unwanted immune activation must be precisely controlled.

Why are gourmets seemingly able to detect subtle nuances in taste that others miss? Researchers at Tohoku University have uncovered part of the answer by demonstrating that taste sensitivity can be enhanced through learning.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo develop an artificial intelligence framework for designing new inorganic materials with humanlike reasoning

A joint team from UOsaka has uncovered the core principles of the loss maximization in rotor-driven gas-liquid two-phase flows. Performing numerical simulations on the supercomputer "SQUID", they identified the causes as direct collisions between the rotor and the liquid surface and pressure imbalances around the rotor. The findings suggest that, in a resonant state, the enhanced fluid motion is drawn toward the front of the rotor, and the flow instability is intensified behind it. The insights from this research would open the possibility of improving energy efficiency, enhancing reliability and lifespan, and providing new design guidelines for various industrial applications.

A new regional assessment shows that Southeast Asia is a major net source of greenhouse gases, with land-use change and rising fossil fuel use overwhelming natural carbon sinks, reservoirs that store carbon-containing chemical compounds for a long period.

First visible ‘time crystal’ developed by WPI-SKCM² members, advancing the institute’s goal to engineer novel forms of matter

In a new Nature Physics study, researchers created particle-like so-called “vortex knots” inside chiral nematic liquid crystals, a twisted fluid similar to those used in LCD screens. For the first time, these knots are stable and could be reversibly switched between different knotted forms, using electric pulses to fuse and split them.

Mutated baker’s yeast at the forefront of alternative 2,3-butanediol production methods