Japan

A team of researchers used a machine learning model to predict unknown chemical pathways, and bring us one step closer to efficiently storing next-generation hydrogen fuels.

A team led by Professor Masakatsu Murakami has developed a novel concept called micronozzle acceleration (MNA). By designing a microtarget with tiny nozzle-like features and irradiating it with ultraintense, ultrashort laser pulses, the team successfully demonstrated—through advanced numerical simulations—the generation of high-quality, GeV-class proton beams: a world-first achievement.

Researchers proposed a novel strategy for using a magnetic field to boost the efficiency of single-atom catalysts – thus speeding up helpful reactions used for ammonia production and wastewater treatment.

Mutant protein protects against mildew, but leaves turn yellow and age sooner

Self-assembling dye rings demonstrate photosynthetic energy and charge circulation

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a groundbreaking energy-efficient and high-precision measurement system leveraging the inherent similarity between waveforms generated by the same type of signal source. Unlike black-box approaches such as generative AI, the system is built on the explicit theoretical framework of compressed sensing. This innovative approach drastically reduces the amount of data required for accurate signal reproduction, leading to significant energy savings. Demonstrated with an electroencephalogram (EEG) measuring system, the technology achieved world-leading energy efficiency using only commercially available electronic components, consuming a mere 72μW. This breakthrough paves the way for long-term, battery-powered wearable devices and self-powered, battery-free IoT devices that can operate on minimal energy harvested from the environment, with broad applications in healthcare, disaster prevention, and environmental monitoring.

Examines how patient voices impact decision-making

Researchers from The University of Osaka have revealed that vision transformers can develop gaze patterns similar to humans, learning to prioritize faces without ever being taught what a face is. The findings suggest that self-supervised ViTs may serve as a practical tool in computer vision and a theoretical model for studying human visual processing. The research underscores the potential of biologically inspired AI systems to uncover the mechanisms of human cognition.

Analysis of tourism-accommodation intensity hotspots

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, detail how clusters of cells detach from primary tumors and penetrate blood-vessel walls to enter the bloodstream, enabling them to establish distal metastases

Researchers at The University of Tokyo develop a filter that effectively captures small particles without restricting air flow

What if we could supply 85% of Japan’s electricity needs using infrastructure that already exists? Rooftop solar panels and electric vehicle batteries are the dynamic duo proposed by a new study.

A world-first multi-sensor detection of an intense gamma-ray flash has been observed by researchers from The University of Osaka, when two lightning leaders collided. Observations across a wide radiation spectrum enabled precise measurement of the electric current produced during this extreme event, and demonstrated that the gamma-ray flash preceded the collision of the lightning leaders between the thundercloud and the ground.

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a non-precious metal catalyst for the efficient hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural to valuable tetrahydrofuran-based compounds under mild conditions. The catalyst, consisting of nickel carbide nanoparticles supported on alumina, achieved 90% furfural conversion under ambient hydrogen pressure. This result will help advance the development of energy-efficient, cost-effective processes for the conversion of biomass to valuable materials.

Portable technology offers instant, power-free ethanol detection across concentrations

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that the Wnt5a protein, secreted by inflammatory fibroblasts within cancerous tumors, inhibits angiogenesis and consequently promotes hypoxia within tumors. Hypoxic conditions help sustain the inflammatory fibroblasts, which also secrete the growth factor epiregulin, thereby promoting tumor growth. This newly proposed mechanism for tumor growth offers a promising new target for cancer therapies and possibly other conditions linked to inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Researchers at Tohoku University have achieved record-breaking energy efficiency for a high-speed memory storage device, called a SOT-MRAM cell.

Higher maternal selenium levels during pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of streptococcal infections in children, suggesting a potential protective effect.

A research team at The University of Osaka has identified a crucial brain region involved in motor learning during reaching movements. The parvocellular division of the red nucleus, a small but specialized structure in the midbrain, was found to generate and transmit “error signals” necessary for adapting hand movements. This discovery clarifies a long-standing question in neuroscience about how the brain detects and corrects motion inaccuracies, with potential applications in developing new rehabilitation methods.

Identification of plant species at high risk of extinction in climate-sensitive alpine ecosystems.

Janus heterobilayers – dual-sided materials with unique properties – may be the key to efficiently creating clean hydrogen fuels.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have discovered the mechanism for supercurrent rectification, in which current flows primarily in one direction in a superconductor. By using a specific iron-based superconductor, they were able to observe this phenomenon over a broad range of magnetic and temperature fields. This understanding paves the way for the design and construction of superconducting diodes and other ultra-low energy electronics.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have developed a new technology that allows accurate visualization of the different parts that make up a single cell

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that mass photometry can accurately distinguish full and empty rAAV particles in cell lysates and conditioned medium, without prior purification. This convenient and rapid approach is likely to improve manufacturing of rAAV-based gene therapy products by accelerating the screening steps.

A research team from The University of Osaka has made a significant breakthrough in cancer radiotherapy by identifying conditions under which carbon ion beams—delivered at ultra-high dose rates (uHDR)—can protect normal cells. This phenomenon, known as the “FLASH effect,” could revolutionize cancer treatment by reducing side effects and improving patients’ quality of life.

Using a new fluorescent mouse model with advanced imaging techniques, researchers have successfully visualized how musculoskeletal components are integrated into the functional locomotor system during embryonic development.

Researchers unveil a bio-intelligent insect system using UV light to guide movement, reducing harm while improving control.

Scientists at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University have captured real-time footage showing how a key hormone receptor activates genes, offering a clearer view into one of the most fundamental Kaprocesses in biology.

Space-saving version of Paralympic sport increases motivation, mobility among older adults

New research shows that the gum disease bacterium P. gingivalis can slip into the bloodstream and infiltrate the heart. There, it quietly drives scar tissue buildup—distorting the heart’s architecture, disrupting electrical signals, and raising the risk of atrial fibrillation.