Japan

An experiment shows that one of the basic units of life — nucleobases — could have originated within giant gas clouds interspersed between the stars.

Dissolved oxygen in pore solution is often a controlling factor determining the rate of the corrosion process of steel bars in concrete. This study reports on the corrosion resistance and polarization properties of steel bars in a mortar specimen mixed with aerobic microorganisms. The addition of the microorganisms in mortar mixtures led to higher corrosion resistance, which was confirmed by the reduced rate of oxygen permeability, based on cathodic polarization properties.

Determination of the crystal structure of a DNA-stabilized silver nanocluster

The dinosaur, whose nearly complete skeleton was unearthed from 72 million year old marine deposits in Mukawa Town in northern Japan, belongs to a new genus and species of a herbivorous hadrosaurid dinosaur, according to the study published in Scientific Reports. The scientists named the dinosaur Kamuysaurus japonicus.

A new beaked whale species Berardius minimus, which has been long postulated by local whalers in Hokkaido, Japan, has been confirmed.

The leaf shapes of certain species of the Isodon group of flowering plants act as deterrents against a leaf-rolling weevil, according to a paper published in Nature Plants.

Variations in the depth of snow cover in the Arctic region from late winter to spring determines the summer temperature pattern in Eurasia, according to Hokkaido University researchers. In particular, deeper-than-usual snow cover in Western Russia enhanced the likelihood of summer heat waves in Europe and Northeast Asia in recent years.

A highly conducting state has been found in a molecular crystal under UV-irradiation. The state reversibly appears in accordance with UV-irradiation, but does not appear by any other method such as raising the temperature, which often induces metallic behavior in insulating molecular crystals. The UV-excited state exhibits conduction and magnetic behavior characteristic of metallic substances. The result suggests that there is an optically accessible, but thermally inaccessible, state of matter.

An international team has used AI to create a 3D simulation of the Universe.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has successfully proven the presence of invasive crayfish in almost all the small streams around Lake Akan in Japan, suggesting that eDNA analysis is an efficient and highly sensitive method to assess the distribution of aquatic organisms.

Phase H is a hydrous mineral that is considered to be an important carrier of water into deep Earth. We determined the dissociation condition of phase H by a theoretical calculation based on quantum mechanics. Phase H decomposes at approximately 60 GPa at 1000 K. This indicates that the transportation of water by phase H may be terminated at a depth of approximately 1,500 km in the middle of the lower mantle.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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

Funding opportunity for early-career science communicators

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.