Japan

Researchers at Kanazawa University discover how the microenvironment fuels double-negative castration-resistant prostate cancer (DNPC) and demonstrate the therapeutic potential of pan-KRAS inhibitors.

An international research collaboration, including OMU, IJS, NIST and AUT, has unveiled a robust metallic state in the molecular material ytterbium cesium fulleride (Yb₂CsC₆₀) that directly tests conventional theories of electron behavior. Normally, strong interactions between electrons are expected to suppress their movement and turn materials into insulators through a process called a Mott transition. However, Yb₂CsC₆₀ represents a case where metallicity survived, suggesting that the material’s electrons were continuing to move collectively, stabilized by a different mechanism. The discovery is of relevance to future research in fields such as superconductivity, quantum matter, and next-generation electronic technologies.

Researchers from The University of Osaka developed a computational imaging method that combines coded-aperture optics with diffusion-model-based artificial intelligence to recover both depth and sharp color images from a single photograph. The approach improves robustness across imaging conditions while reducing reconstruction errors commonly seen in existing methods.

A nationwide study tracking Japanese adults before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic found that health-related quality of life steadily declined over seven years and did not rebound after the public health emergency ended. Researchers say the decline may reflect the cumulative impact of pandemic-related changes in physical activity, mental well-being, and social interaction among working-age adults across Japan.

Researchers innovated artificial photosynthesis technology by optimizing the electrolyzer part of the system. This tweak enables the continuous production of solar fuel, even with fluctuations in sunlight intensity.

Physician-scientists at Kanazawa University have demonstrated, for the first time worldwide, the clinical efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy in patients with ultra-rare urachal cancer. Furthermore, their reverse translational research elucidated the mechanism by which the addition of immunotherapy enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy.

New “GMBU” procedure reveals band structures in finite, curved nanomaterials, linking nano‑ARPES and theory for next‑generation device design.

Rhodoliths may look like small rocks on the seafloor, but they're actually living algae that create habitats for marine life and contribute to long-term carbon storage. A new study found that the deeper ‘low-light’ waters off Japan's Tanegashima Island harbor a surprisingly distinct and diverse community of these ‘living pink rocks,’ including four species completely new to science. Researchers identified at least 12 species in a small patch of seafloor 35–38 meters deep, but only three were also found in nearby shallow waters, suggesting the deeper habitat is not simply a continuation of the one near the surface.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (UTokyo-IIS) have developed a real-time data assimilation system that substantially improves streamflow and flood forecasting accuracy across Japan.

Researchers from The University of Osaka, SEC, and Juntendo University have developed quantum multi-programming auto mode, a function that automatically runs quantum programs from different users in parallel. Implemented in OQTOPUS and launched on QIQB’s quantum computer cloud service, the system reduces idle qubit resources, improves throughput, and may help ease congestion in quantum cloud computing.

Pinpointing associated factors that contribute to injury in older adults

Researchers at Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Diamond and Carbon Applications (Germany), have developed a buried-growth process for nitrogen–vacancy (NV) centers in diamond using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). By employing nitrogen-radical selective etching, which simultaneously enhances metal-mask durability through nitridation, the team enabled a continuous etching–growth sequence within a single MPCVD process. Optical measurements confirmed highly aligned NV centers selectively buried in predefined regions. This integrated approach provides a stable and scalable platform for orientation-controlled diamond qubits and future room-temperature quantum technologies.

Hiroshima University researchers say a newly proposed three-step “detour” pathway for making dolichol, a molecule cells need to properly process proteins, may be more universal than scientists realized. Experiments in yeast suggest eukaryotes may rely on overlapping biochemical pathways, including the evolutionarily conserved “detour” and evidence of a possible “backup route,” to produce a molecule essential to life.

Exciting new research at Tohoku University’s Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR) explains how to transform decades of scattered literature data into design rules for catalysts.

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed novel kirigami structures with periodic parallel inclined cuts. Stretching these materials longitudinally causes them to twist and rotate. Thus, these structures provide a mechanism for coupling tension and rotation. The mechanical deformation of these structures can be characterized in terms of a geometrical property, the chirality. Some of the developed chiral structures were auxetic, longitudinal stretching resulting in lateral expansion, instead of contraction. The findings have applications in soft robotics and soft actuators.

Scientists found that certain chemical impurities, such as hydrogen and oxygen, help amorphous carbon form graphite-like, ultralow-friction interfaces under mechanical stress. The findings reveal how impurities can enable self-forming lubricating surfaces, offering a new strategy for designing durable, energy-efficient materials.

Patients with stroke undergoing inpatient rehabilitation differ in how sedentary time accumulates and changes over one month.

Researchers from Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo analyzed Nankai Trough seafloor displacement data, detecting previously unknown variations in the locking strength between tectonic plates

A remarkable new method of distinguishing chiral (mirror-image) molecules could eventually detect distortions inside quantum and soft materials, find abnormal protein aggregates linked to disease, and more.

Researchers at The University of Osaka used a focused laser beam to make in vitro models of cytoskeletal networks that exhibit dynamic cell-like motions. This technique provides spatiotemporal control of the network structure, unlike conventional methods based on self-organization and photochemical reactions. The models could be used to determine the structure–motion relationship of cytoskeletal networks, which has applications for understanding cell division, migration, and adhesion and the creation of protein-based robots and synthetic cells.

Researchers map careers as rivers to show how independence evolves over time

Researchers at Tohoku University used state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication technologies to demonstrate how we could be ready for large-scale spintronic p-computers.

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that nanomicelle-mediated delivery of five mRNAs involved in angiogenesis, heart cell contraction, immune and hematopoietic stem cell recruitment, and immune response suppression promoted cardiac repair and increased overall survival in a mouse model of myocardial infarction–induced heart failure. These findings suggest that a multifactorial treatment approach effectively addresses the complex nature of heart failure and could aid new treatments in regenerative medicine for cardiovascular disease.

Researchers at Tohoku University look beyond the life-taking venomous stings of box jellyfish, and focus on life-creating processes in a new comprehensive study of their reproductive traits.

Researchers have developed a new way to generate realistic synthetic training data for agricultural robots by recreating tomato cultivation environments in a virtual world. The approach could help overcome one of the biggest barriers in agricultural robotics: the time and labor required to collect and manually label real-world data under challenging greenhouse conditions such as changing lighting, dense foliage, and fruit occlusion.

Diet and homocysteine may influence fatigue and motivation

Researchers from The University of Osaka created stable cobalt-based honeycomb structures inside a layered material and observed ferromagnetic-like ordering at low temperatures. By introducing a small amount of cobalt into NaSbO3, the team demonstrated a new platform to study Kitaev materials using abundant 3d transition metals, potentially supporting future cost-effective quantum technologies.

Researchers from The University of Osaka and collaborators proposed the Insect Synergy Circuit (ISC), a new concept for bio-hybrid control that uses AI to interpret internal biological signals from insects. By integrating heartbeat, neural signal features, and body movement data, the team developed a cyborg cockroach system that can estimate environment-associated internal states and guide movement while reducing unnecessary stimulation.

The study reveals that when one macrocyclic molecule captures a guest molecule, this event influences neighboring host molecules and promotes further guest capture.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have found that the rat brain differs from other mammals in the proportion of upper and deep layer neurons in the cortex. This change likely arises from differences in the timing of signaling pathways during early brain development. Importantly, this identified mechanism may have future applications in regenerative medicine for developmental and neurological disorders.