Science

From icy seas to humid forests, research collaborations between the United Kingdom and Malaysia are helping to advance our understanding of diseases, develop vaccines and antibiotics, preserve precious habitats and address the challenge of plastic waste.

A new material provides high-performance conversion of heat into electricity, offering a way to make electronic devices more efficient.

Press releases on our Newsroom reach journalists in Asia, science journalists globally, and the public. Here are selected ones that are featured in Asia Research News 2026 magazine.

Quantum effects in Kondo lattices can determine whether a system behaves magnetically or non-magnetically, opening new avenues for designing future quantum materials and technologies

New molecular architecture enables the natural formation of built-in p/n junctions essential for efficient light-to-electricity conversion

An international team from Kanazawa University (Japan), Tohoku University (Japan), LPP (France), and partners has demonstrated that chorus emissions, natural electromagnetic waves long studied in Earth’s magnetosphere, also occur in Mercury’s magnetosphere exhibiting similar chirping frequency changes. Using the Plasma Wave Investigation instrument aboard BepiColombo’s Mercury orbiter Mio, six Mercury flybys between 2021 and 2025 detected plasma waves in the audible range. Comparison with decades of GEOTAIL data confirmed identical instantaneous frequency changes. This provides the first reliable evidence of intense electron activity at Mercury, advancing understanding of auroral processes across the solar system.

Researchers have developed a new class of redox-switchable molecular mediators that activate halogen bonding to more efficiently and selectively drive carbon–nitrogen bond formation.

A research team at The University of Osaka revealed that the loss of heterochromatin can cause a chain reaction leading to genetic changes and the subsequent development of diseases including cancer. Using fission yeast, the study specifically found that loss of Clr4, which encodes a methyltransferase, can induce an increase in R-loop levels at pericentromeric repeats, and the later conversion of R-loops into ADR-loops can prompt gross chromosomal rearrangements.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Osaka University and the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism behind the activation of the Met receptor—a key player in tissue regeneration and cancer progression. Their findings reveal that HGF binding to the membrane-distal domain of Met promotes dimerization at the membrane-proximal domain, which subsequently triggers receptor activation.

Japanese researchers have developed a living sensor display that turns engineered skin into a biological monitor, visually indicating internal inflammation without requiring blood sampling.

Burkitt's lymphoma is a highly aggressive blood cancer that primarily affects children and young adults. It is driven by a genetic alteration involving the MYC gene. Researchers have now developed a novel treatment approach in mice that combines CAR-T cell therapy with limited doses of a SUMOylation inhibitor, which can target MYC. This combination dramatically improved cure rates, paving the way for a potential new treatment strategy for this aggressive cancer.

Scientists at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have captured real-time images showing how a key brain enzyme organizes itself to help memory formation. Their study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that the enzyme CaMKII forms mixed α/β subunit structures whose interactions stabilize learning-related signals in neurons.

Researchers at The University of Osaka used a range of cellular techniques to show that the histone protein CENP-A can be deposited into centromeres by two independent pathways. By identifying that CENP-C can substitute for Mis18C in binding to the chaperone HJURP to prompt CENP-A deposition, they showed that there is redundancy in the process of specifying the location of the centromere on chromosomes, which is essential for mitosis and meiosis.

New research uncovers the mechanics behind the skillful movement of the shelled amoeba Arcella.

A research team led by Tohoku University revealed the details of a calcium-driven mechanism that could provide insight into how to prevent Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Accelerating materials science R&D to solve global environmental issues.

Carbon-based batteries could become safer, more durable, and more powerful by following this new method that fundamentally redesigns how fullerene molecules are connected.

Netrin-1 blocks HBV entry by inhibiting viral attachment and internalization, offering a new therapeutic avenue for chronic hepatitis B.

The seismic ultralow velocity zones critically affect the regional thermochemical structures at both sides of the core-mantle boundary, and possibly the geomagnetic evolution of our planet.

New simulator and computational tool generate realistic “virtual tissues” and map cell-to-cell “conversations” from spatial transcriptomics data. The tools could accelerate AI-driven discoveries in cancer, brain disorders and precision medicine by revealing which genes control how cells interact.

A research team at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) and the Faculty of Medicine at Kanazawa University has developed a new class of engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs) capable of inducing antigen-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs), the immune cells that play a central role in suppressing excessive immune responses. The findings, now published in Drug Delivery, may pave the way for next-generation therapies for autoimmune and allergic diseases, where unwanted immune activation must be precisely controlled.

A new species of pitcher plant found only on Palawan Island is already at risk of extinction due to frequent severe weather conditions and human encroachment.

Why are gourmets seemingly able to detect subtle nuances in taste that others miss? Researchers at Tohoku University have uncovered part of the answer by demonstrating that taste sensitivity can be enhanced through learning.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo develop an artificial intelligence framework for designing new inorganic materials with humanlike reasoning

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown marine fungus that kills toxic algae known to pose a health risk to humans

A new regional assessment shows that Southeast Asia is a major net source of greenhouse gases, with land-use change and rising fossil fuel use overwhelming natural carbon sinks, reservoirs that store carbon-containing chemical compounds for a long period.

In a new Nature Physics study, researchers created particle-like so-called “vortex knots” inside chiral nematic liquid crystals, a twisted fluid similar to those used in LCD screens. For the first time, these knots are stable and could be reversibly switched between different knotted forms, using electric pulses to fuse and split them.

Researchers at Tohoku University found the key to taming electrochemical reactions so they don’t produce rogue byproducts instead of valuable fuels.

Researchers create a stem cell medium for canine stem cells that doesn’t contain any human components

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