Advanced Science

The joint symposium was held on November 12, 2009 at the RIKEN Wako campus and featured presentations by five visiting members of the UoL and five RIKEN researchers.

Genetic analyses help decode symbiosis in the termite gut as a model for the highly efficient conversion of plant cellulose

The plant hormone abscisic acid makes use of a surprisingly elegant and straightforward system to regulate its many essential functions

Surprising complexity underlies the seemingly simple process of chromosome pair separation during cell division

A fluorescent sensor helps scientists track specific chromosomal modifications that can alter gene activity

Visualization of stress in the cell’s protein factory, the endoplasmic reticulum, may lead to new treatments for many debilitating diseases

Astrophysicists at RIKEN lend their expertise to biologists to develop one of the world’s fastest and most sensitive cameras to observe cell behavior at the nanometer scale.

Researchers at RIKEN created a new graphite nanotube that conducts electricity when exposed to light, which could lead to efficient solar batteries based on organic materials and developed molecular devices that can respond to various types of stimuli, similar to living organisms.

Photosynthetic processes in an artificial system can be described accurately by a quantum physical theory

Press Release - A review in Science this week outlines the main theoretical and experimental aspects of quantum simulation and emphasizes some of the challenges and promises of this fast-growing field.

Radiation bursts from thunderclouds may not always be associated with lightning

Mutual controllability of electricity and magnetism in a weak magnetic material points the way to low-power electronics

To enable the identification of different varieties and prevent illegal cultivation, a broad range of research and development at the DNA level has been conducted so far.

A technique for characterizing ultrafast light pulses will lead to better optical probes for studying electron dynamics

A total of around 200 people, including 24 members of RIKEN, attended the event, which showcased cutting-edge research and technology in chemical and materials science.

‘Metamaterials’ — artificially created materials with nanostructures designed to control light — are attracting considerable attention for the development of a range of new technologies, such as very thin eyeglass lenses, optical microscopes that will allow the observation of atoms and optical fibers with no transmission loss.

A chance observation leads to potential insights into the basis for cell damage associated with disorders like Alzheimer’s disease

Research on the function of a type of RNA called ‘Gomafu’ is the primary field of study at RIKEN’s Nakagawa Initiative Research Unit.

An organic compound provides the rare opportunity to study electrons that behave as if they have no mass

A newly created yeast gene archive will enable efficient analysis of the function of bioactive compounds with potential pharmaceutical use

A two-day joint workshop organized by RIKEN and the University of Edinburgh was held at the British Embassy in Tokyo on 14–15 May, featuring presentations by leading researchers in the fields of Systems Biology, Computational Biology and Metagenomics.

This article gives an overview about research combining organic substances and base metals such as zinc to create molecules with properties equivalent to those of precious metals, or molecules that can cause completely new chemical reactions.

New phosphorescent complexes improve manufacturing of high-efficiency light sources

The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) has recently organized a group of biotechnologists and chemical engineers to conduct scientific investigations in a bid to produce ethanol from so-called 3rd generation biofuel feedstocks.

Enhancements to an experimental technique reveal novel magnetic materials

There are liquids that can climb up the walls of their container like a life form and down the other side. Superfluid helium is the only liquid that exhibits this mysterious phenomenon.

In their latest work, Tahara and a team of international and Japanese scientists have directly observed how an organic molecule named stilbene rearranges its structure.

The new Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has identified a new pulsar by detecting its gamma-ray emission

Kei Manabe, Initiative Research Scientist, has developed an innovative ‘pinpoint’ catalyst, which can drastically decrease the number of synthetic processes, thereby attempting to bring innovation to chemical synthesis.

RIKEN has had a long history of space research, and many groundbreaking discoveries are continuing to be announced.