Science

A theoretical mineral physics approach based on the ab initio methods was adopted to determine the viscosity of hexagonal, close-packed iron at the extreme pressures and temperatures corresponding to the Earth’s inner core. The results are found to deny geophysical observations of large fluctuations in the inner core rotation rate. The obtained viscosity also rules out inner core translation and provides support that the dynamics of the inner core may be governed by solid-state convection.

A research team led by Professor Amos Tai, Associate Professor of the Earth System Science Programme at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has successfully quantified and visualised the impact of Hong Kong air pollution especially ozone pollutant on plants and the environment. Although the experiment took place in a rural area and in Spring, which would usually have a lower average ozone concentration, the pollutant level still reached high enough to do significant damage to the bioindicator plant. The finding was recently published in Atmosphere.

Researchers at Kanazawa University and Tsukuba University report in Nanoscale that the physical properties of extracellular bacterial membrane vesicles are significantly diverse. The properties for a single type of bacterium as well as for different types are found to be highly heterogeneous.

Two Kavli IPMU string theorists and a condensed-matter theorist have found a quantum mechanical anomaly in the duality between the electric field and the magnetic field, which could play a role in removing an inconsistency in string theory.

A research team led by Professor Kin-ming KWAN from the School of Life Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently discovered a novel mechanism by which extrinsic signaling factors modulate the fate transition of neural progenitors to allow the generation of specific neuronal subtypes. This work provides important insight into stem cell biology and the regeneration of neuronal cells, and contributes to the development of neurological therapy for diseases like autism spectrum disorders and hereditary cerebellar ataxia. The research is published in the renowned international scientific journal Cell Reports.

New findings show that the formation of amyloid plaques drives damage and tissue loss in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease in animals, but lithium reduces the life-shortening effects of this loss.

A Communique from the InterAcademy Partnership urges countries to collaborate, use and share science-based information, and help the developing world.

A new technique allows researchers to test how the deformation of tiny train track-like cell proteins affects their function. The findings could help clarify the roles of deformed “microtubules” in traumatic brain injuries and in neurological diseases like Parkinson’s.

The remaining “bound water” on cotton surfaces cross-link single fibers of cotton, causing hardening after natural drying, according to a new study conducted by Kao Corporation and Hokkaido University. This provides new insight into unique water behaviors on material surfaces and helps us develop better cleaning technologies.

Astronomers obtained the first resolved image of disturbed gaseous clouds in a galaxy 11 billion light-years away by using ALMA.

In a recent study published in Autophagy, researchers at Kanazawa University show how abnormalities in a gene called TPR can lead to pediatric brain cancer

A new approach could lead to “cornea-on-a-chip” devices that more accurately test the effects of drugs on the human eye.

Astronomers have captured new, detailed maps of three nearby interstellar gas clouds containing regions of ongoing high-mass star formation.

Nested in the long-running Singapore Chinese Health Study, a new study by researchers in Singapore, based on data from over 60,000 middle-aged to older adults, has found that people who suffer from diabetes and who are also underweight have a much higher risk of active tuberculosis (TB) than their heavier counterparts, supporting calls for TB screening among these patients.

・A novel pathway of L-fucose metabolism was discovered in strictly anaerobic and pathogenic bacterium. ・The genetic context in bacterial genomes and the screening for potential substrates can help identify the biochemical functions of bacterial enzymes. ・No homologous pathway is found in humans or in probiotic bacteria.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has introduced a novel technology, which allows carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to be easily observed under room temperature.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has introduced a new composite catalyst that could efficiently enhance the charg-discharge performances when applied to metal-air batteries (MABs),

Two faculty members from South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have been honored with meritorious citations and awards for their outstanding research performance.

Researchers found that dust encircling a young gas giant can create a “safety zone,” which keeps a large moon from falling into the planet as the system evolves.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has developed high‐efficiency, solution‐processed, hybrid series, tandem photovoltaic devices featuring CQDs and organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) photoactive materials.

Point set registration problems, i.e. finding corresponding points between shapes represented as point sets, are important in a variety of fields, so algorithms have been developed. Here, a new algorithm is discovered for point set registration problems. This algorithm is demonstrated to solve several typical problems remarkably faster than conventional methods and with the highest accuracy. This novel algorithm will be beneficial to a wide variety of technologies including computer graphics, computer vision, authentication etc.

The International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) Asia is conducting a survey on “Science in Policy Making”.

A design team, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has been honored at the international design competition, iF Design Awards 2020.

An international team of astronomers using ALMA has captured the very moment when an old star first starts to alter its environment.

An international team of researchers, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has for the first time succeeded in demonstrating the ionization cooling of muons.

The theoretical mineral physics group of Ehime University led by Dr. Taku Tsuchiya has developed high-precision computational techniques for studying Earth and planetary materials based on quantum mechanical theory and reported several outcomes for Earth’s lower mantle minerals and high-pressure hydrous phases. Their insights and discoveries clarify the mineralogy of Earth’s lower mantle and new mineral phases stabilized at the deep mantle.

A physicist and mathematician have found a string theory link in a class of complex numbers.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has unveiled a novel catalyst (Pt1/CNT) for electrochemical chlorine generation.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has presented a new biofuel system that uses lignin found in biomass for the production of hydrogen.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has unveiled an ion concentrate electrolyte using a solvent containing fluorine atoms.