Japan

Stubborn cancer tumors were completely (and safely) eliminated in a mouse model with a small but mighty treatment method using nanoparticles, controlled drug release in stages, and light from lasers.

Researchers from The University of Osaka, Kyushu University, and the University of Victoria have developed MV-SZZ, a new method that accurately identifies defect-inducing software commits. By combining detailed code tracking with a majority voting system, the approach reduces false positives and outperforms existing techniques. This improvement could help developers debug software more efficiently and build more reliable systems.

A large-scale study of more than 31,000 patients found pneumonia occurred more often after breathing tubes were removed than during ventilation. Researchers say the condition, tied to swallowing dysfunction, should be recognized as a distinct clinical entity—one that may be preventable with early intervention.

Observations of a distant object beyond Pluto suggest that it is surrounded by a thin atmosphere, potentially fuelled by ice volcanoes or produced by the impact of a comet-like body.

A Hiroshima-University-led research team has discovered a key gene responsible for the initiation of gemma development, acting as a "master switch" to start asexual reproduction (cloning) in the model plant Marchantia polymorpha (common liverwort).

Optimization isn’t always about maximization: researchers at Tohoku University found a subtle rule where a bit of restraint actually speeds up chemical reactions in nanoreactors.

Researchers created models to reconstruct fault movement of the 8.8 magnitude 2025 Kamchatka earthquake. This detailed analysis may help us better understand tsunami risks from giant earthquakes.

Researchers have solved a mystery in fluid dynamics regarding high-speed particle collisions on wet surfaces. They discovered that at high speeds, cavitation (the sudden formation of vapor cavities) changes the liquid shape from a "bridge" to a "dome", releasing the liquid pull-back force. This causes particles to bounce back stronger than they would at lower speeds. Such a vital discovery would drastically improve the safety, design, and durability of ultra-fast motors in the aerospace and automotive industries.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have demonstrated that a wireless electroencephalogram transmission system can operate using energy harvested from the temperature difference between the human body and the ambient air. The low-power device successfully operated outdoors at high temperatures, demonstrating stable performance without external power or airflow. This technology could enable the development of maintenance-free sensing systems for health monitoring and infrastructure applications in the future.

Researchers from The University of Osaka used large-scale simulations and turbulence theory to study how dolphins swim so effectively. The team found that large vortices created by the dolphin’s tail provide most of the propulsion, while smaller vortices contribute little. This discovery improves our mechanical understanding of fast swimming and could guide the design of energy-efficient underwater robots and technologies for controlling turbulence.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have discovered a new class of antibodies, called iTabs, that naturally suppress specific immune responses by blocking immune cell activation. These antibodies can reduce autoimmune disease severity in mice, suggesting a new way to treat conditions like multiple sclerosis without weakening the immune system overall.

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a catalyst that uses vibrational energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO), an important industrial feedstock. The work demonstrates a new piezocatalytic route for CO2 conversion at low temperature and ambient pressure, offering a potential path toward future low-energy carbon recycling technologies.

For 70 years, we have assumed that “attempt time” in nanomagnets is one nanosecond. For the first time ever, this value was measured experimentally by researchers at Tohoku University. Spoiler alert: it’s more than one nanosecond!

Engineers at NIMS develop a system that captures all the elements of trial and error in material design, enabling reliable reproduction of the reasoning processes and results

Floatable beads made from chitosan and cellulose acetate and enhanced with bentonite were engineered to effectively clean oil from water. The beads showed good oil adsorption capacity while remaining easy to collect from the water surface.

Wireless signals do not travel well through the human body, especially in high-frequency bands, such as the UWB band, making it difficult for swallowable medical devices to reliably send data outside the body. By accounting for how different frequencies behave in the body, researchers adjusted each part of the signal to match how it is absorbed and distorted by tissue, creating a stronger, clearer signal at the receiver.

A picture (of the eye) is worth a thousand words to this AI system that predicts the risk for major diseases like diabetes, based on the gap between the patient’s real age and the estimated retinal age.

For many years, designing synthetic polymer systems has been inspired by the hierarchical self-assembly of folded proteins into functional nanostructures. However, extending folding-based design principles to small synthetic molecules has remained elusive. In particular, luminescent molecules with complex three-dimensional structures were considered difficult to assemble. Now, researchers from Japan demonstrate that such molecules can undergo folding-mediated self-assembly to form highly ordered nanotubes. These structures exhibit unique multidirectional energy transport, highlighting their potential for advanced optoelectronic applications.

An Ehime University research group has discovered that antiaromatic molecules, typically unstable, can form stable dimers through π-stacking. The homoHPHAC cation, despite its positive charge, adopts a slightly offset stacked structure. This interaction induces electronic reorganization, partially attenuating antiaromaticity. The findings reveal a new mode of molecular assembly for antiaromatic molecules and provide insights for designing functional π-conjugated materials.

Researchers including Kavli IPMU's Tadayuki Takahashi have achieved the world's first direct observation of muonic molecules in resonance states using a high-resolution x-ray detector.

Seismicity decreases with depth, though it turns to increase in the mantle transition zone. It has been believed that pressure-induced phase transitions of olivine are the cause of high seismicity in the mantle transition zone. We experimentally showed that a diffusionless phase transition of olivine to poirierite triggers faulting. Our findings provide a natural explanation for the cause of high seismicity in the strongly deformed areas of ‘cold’ deep subducted slabs.

Researchers have succeeded in improving mobility efficiency by having the snake-like robot move using an “undulating motion” on uneven terrain and a “rolling motion” on level ground.

Researchers are investigating how 3D printers could achieve unprecedented levels of precision when creating batteries, opening the door for new innovations.

Researchers in Japan have developed a new LED structure that generates circularly polarized light from a single chip. The advance could support smaller and more energy-efficient optical devices for AR/VR, 3D displays, quantum communication, and optical security. By combining a semipolar InGaN light-emitting structure with a stripe-shaped silicon nitride metasurface, the team created a compact light source that reduces energy-conversion loss and operates at room temperature. This advancement could help bring ultra-compact, durable light sources closer to practical use in AR/VR, 3D displays, quantum communication, and optical security.

A team of researchers have shown torsion-balance experiments — precision instruments originally built to test the equivalence principle — could double as detectors for very light dark matter.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have shown that the MIC11 gene of Toxoplasma gondii is essential for the parasite to egress, or exit, the host cell, a key part of the lifecycle. Deletion of MIC11 caused parasites to be unable to permeabilize host cell membranes and prevented egress. This study identifies potential new therapeutic targets for human diseases caused by parasites, such as toxoplasmosis and malaria, which represent a major global health problem.

Carbohydrates affect weight gain and metabolic energy

This deep dive explains the ins and outs of a catalyst called graphitic carbon nitride that speeds up the production of hydrogen peroxide – a highly useful oxidizing agent used widely in both industrial and household settings.

Light enhances adhesion between epidermal and inner tissues in plant stems

Quasi-experimental study finds multimodal travel increases daily walking