Taiwan

The equatorial Pacific plays a crucial role in regulating tropical cloud formation and regional weather extremes, earning it the nickname “the pacemaker of global warming.” Though its impact may seem subtle, this oceanic region has been a silent hero, slowing the pace of global warming. Now, climate scientists are on a quest to discover whether this protective mechanism will continue to pulsate in our favor.

How multiple DNA binding proteins compete for the DNA substrate leads to different biochemical outcomes. Using single-molecule experiments, this work demonstrates that the regulatory protein Mei5-Sae3 complex stabilizes Dmc1 recombinases on RPA-coated DNA, leading to efficient RPA displacement and Dmc1 assembly, which in turn stimulates recombination progression.

2024 Taiwan Innotech Expo takes place from October 17 to 19 at the Taipei World Trade Center. Witness cutting-edge inventions and innovations from Taiwan and around the world.

Distinguished Professor Nae-Lih Wu and his research team from NTU Chemical Engineering Department recently published a review paper- "Lithium-ion Battery Electrolyte Additives: Classification by Elements" in a top-ranked international journal: Progress in Materials Science (2023 IF: 33.6)

Altermagnetism (AM) is an emerging type of magnetism, combining advantages of both antiferromagnetism (AFM) and ferromagnetism (FM), with no net magnetization and spin-splitting Fermi surfaces. It is ideal material for spintronic applications. In our work, we studied the inverse altermagnetic spin-splitting effect (IASSE) in epitaxial RuO2 film capped by ferromagnetic insulator YIG layer. By injecting a spin current from YIG into RuO2, we observed a significant anisotropic spin to charge conversion with spin index parallel or perpendicular to the Néel vector directions, revealing the inverse altermagnetic spin-splitting effect (IASSE) in RuO2. Furthermore, we verify the ordering of the Néel vector along the [001] direction from magnetization measurements. Our study provides critical insights in the understanding of altermagnetism.

Med-DDPM, a diffusion model, generates high-resolution 3D brain MRIs from masks, addressing data scarcity and privacy concerns in medical imaging.

Ceramic-rich composite electrolytes: An overview of the paradigm shift from high-performance lithium metal batteries to solid-state electrolytes

Dr. Chung-Che Wu, a Ph.D. graduate from the Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University (NTU), along with Prof. Chuan-Chou Shen, the National Chair Professor, collaborating with an international research team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Switzerland, published a cutting-edge laser-ablation uranium-thorium dating (LA U-Th dating) technology in the prestigious journal "Analytical Chemistry" on August 6th (1) and was selected as one of the cover articles (Figure 1). This breakthrough technology improved LA U-Th dating limits to within tens of thousands of years, with the youngest geological samples dated to only a thousand years, making it the most advanced analytical technique internationally.

This study reports the first attempt to characterize the quality, defects, and strain of as-grown monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide (IMDC)-based 2D materials through exciton anisotropy. A standard ellipsometric parameter (Ψ) to observe anisotropic exciton behavior in monolayer 2D materials is used. According to the strong exciton effect from phonon-electron coupling processes, the change in the exciton in the Van Hove singularity is sensitive to lattice distortions such as defects and strain. In comparison with Raman spectroscopy, the variations in exciton anisotropy in Ψ are more sensitive for detecting slight changes in the quality and strain of monolayer MDC films. Moreover, the optical power requirement for TMDC characterization through exciton anisotropy in Ψ is ~10-5 mW·cm-2, which is significantly less than that of Raman spectroscopy (~106 mW·cm-2). The standard deviation of the signals varies with strain (defects) in Raman spectra and exciton anisotropies in Ψ are 0.700 (0.795) and 0.033 (0.073), indicating that exciton anisotropy is more sensitive to slight changes in the quality of monolayer TMDC films.

14-3-3η: A protein that helps fight RNA viruses but can also be manipulated by them. New research reveals its complex role in the immune response

Professor Hsiao-Wei Yuan from the School of Forestry and Resource Conservation at National Taiwan University (NTU) has been leading a team since 2003 dedicated to the research and protection of the endangered Chinese Crested Tern, also known as the 'Mythical Bird,' with only fewer than 100 individuals remaining. Their efforts have drawn international attention to this species, leading to conservation efforts and showcasing Taiwan's efforts in biodiversity conservation and key research achievements. After 20 years of conservation efforts, the population of Chinese Crested Terns has increased to approximately 150 individuals.

By putting theory into practice, Prof. Pi-Tai Chou’s research team has repeatedly broken the world record for NIR organic luminophores, overcoming the energy gap law. In 2017, we developed a material with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 24% at 740nm, followed by a molecule with an EQE of 10% at 800nm in 2018. In 2020 and 2022, through deuterium substitution, we successfully developed unprecedented OLEDs with an EQE of 4% at 1000nm. However, developing new cutting-edge materials is challenging. Alternatively, in terms of device engineering, we have been continuously exploring new techniques to further enhance efficiency using existing materials. This paper, published in Nature Communications (2024, 15 (1), 4664), marks the first time internationally that transfer technology has been successfully utilized to break the energy gap law through energy transfer, achieving record-breaking efficiency.

Over millions of years, Earth has experienced cycles of ice ages and warm periods. Today, we find ourselves in a warm period heavily influenced by human activities. As greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere rise, global warming intensifies, causing ice sheets to melt rapidly, sea levels to rise, and posing severe threats to global ecosystems and human societies. Understanding the mechanisms behind these warming periods by studying past extreme warm periods is a crucial task for modern scientists.

Pathogens hijack host cell functions by expressing or secreting effector proteins, creating environments conducive to their survival and reproduction. These pathogenic microorganisms—including eukaryotic parasites, prokaryotic bacteria, and viruses—express effector proteins that function as their "ammunition depot". These proteins are crucial for pathogen survival and dissemination, enhancing the efficiency of invasion, suppressing the host's immune system, or initiating pathogen replication. For instance, viruses may interfere with host signaling pathways, pushing cells into states that favor viral replication. Similarly, certain bacteria secrete toxins that disrupt the host cell cytoskeleton, facilitating pathogen invasion and spread. Additionally, pathogens can evade immune surveillance by suppressing the host's immune response, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful infection.

A newly discovered mechanism of fear memory formation in mouse brains may help reduce the negative impact of fear and provide new treatment methods for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the future , according to a study published on August 5th in the open-access journal Cell Reports by Wen-Hsien Hou (侯文賢) from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan, and colleagues.

On July 18, the British Academy announced its list of 84 newly elected Fellows for 2024, including 30 International Fellows. Academia Sinica Academician David Der-wei Wang and Distinguished Research Fellow Dr. Joseph Cho Wai Chan were honored as International Fellows, recognizing their significant research contributions.

During embryonic development, cells proliferate rapidly and differentiate to form tissues and organs of multicellular organisms. Paradoxically, since the 19th century, scientists have discovered that these processes that foster the creation of life is often accompanied by large-scale cell death. Why? This is a century-old mystery. Dr. Sheng-hong Chen and his team from the Institute of Molecular Biology's Lab for Cell Dynamics discovered that large-scale cell death occurs through Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-mediated ferroptosis trigger waves, published online in Nature in July 2024.

Species living in 17 mountains around the world are facing the risk of extinction due to the rapid rate of warming attributed to climate change. However, the establishment of additional meteorological monitoring stations in mountainous areas globally is essential for a deeper understanding of the extent of these threats.

Attended by President Ing-wen Tsai, Academia Sinica launched Taiwan's first self-developed 5-qubit superconducting full-stack quantum computer at its quantum computer progress presentation today. During the event, AS President James Liao presented the research team’s self-developed 4-inch quantum wafer to President Tsai. The event was also attended by Chia-Lung Lin, Secretary-­General to the President; Tsung-Tsong Wu, Chairman of the National Science and Technology Council and Chuan-Neng Lin, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs. It marks an important milestone in the development of Taiwan's quantum technology.

Taiwan: Researchers from National Chung-Hsing University, Taiwan, have made a discovery in the fight against Zika virus. Their study, published in the journal “Communication Biology,” reveals that people who have previously been exposed to dengue virus and Japanese encephalitis virus may have acquired immunity against Zika virus. This finding may shed new light on vaccine strategies in countries where these viruses are common.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN──For the first time, it is possible to follow, step-by-step and with atomic resolution, what happens when the enzyme DNA photolyase repairs ultraviolet light-induced DNA damage. An international team of researchers led by Academia Sinica, Taiwan, has taken snapshots of the repair process with extremely high time resolution and combined them into a film sequence. The research was published in the scientific journal Science on December 1, 2023.

To reach the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, on November 14, Academia Sinica and the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) held a technology conference on Methane Pyrolysis to Power (MPTP) power generation at the Taiwan Power Research Institute (TPRI). Emerging from the laboratories of Academia Sinica, methane pyrolysis technology has recently been successfully applied in Taipower’s small-scale power generation units! President Ing-Wen Tsai attended the conference to deliver a speech, and together with Academia Sinica President Liao and other dignitaries, witnessed the significant milestone of net-zero emissions.

Researchers are working to overcome challenges in order to bring wearable, electric, wound-healing devices to clinical practice.

It’s Asia’s biggest biotech industry event of the year! Early bird discount ends June 22nd.