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Press releases on Asia Research News' Newsroom are provided by our partner Institutions keen to connect with  journalists and the public.

Lingnan University achieved multiple “Hong Kong SAR First” and “Hong Kong SAR Only” distinctions in 2025.
Lingnan University
18 Feb 2026
Reflecting on 2025, Lingnan University reached new heights with a series of “No. 1 in Hong Kong SAR” and “Only in Hong Kong SAR” distinctions across major benchmarks, reaffirming its leadership in teaching and research excellence and the transformative power of its whole-person education. The following highlights showcase Lingnan’s defining achievements in 2025 that secured its “Hong Kong SAR First” and “Hong Kong SAR Only” status.
The University of Osaka
18 Feb 2026
Researchers at The University of Osaka have created highly transparent wood without plastic additives and revealed that its clarity depends on structural direction. Alkali treatment softens cellulose-based cell walls, allowing internal cavities to collapse during drying and reduce light scattering. Tangential sections become more transparent than radial ones due to anisotropic swelling and densification.
A drawing of a physical therapist helping an elderly patient
Osaka Metropolitan University
18 Feb 2026
Rehabilitation on weekends and public holidays may improve post-surgery recovery for hip fractures
Springer Nature
18 Feb 2026
Supported by Nature Portfolio’s in-house editorial expertise, Nature Progress journals will expand access to high impact publishing to more researchers. The journals in the series will be published open access.
Tohoku University
17 Feb 2026
To further the development of 6G wireless communication systems, we need to develop antennas that can dynamically adapt to ever-changing signal environments. Researchers from Tohoku University and the University of Surrey have recently developed an innovative pattern-reconfigurable Yagi–Uda antenna integrated with a magnetic gear. The new design enables precise beam scanning while avoiding many of the drawbacks that have limited conventional reconfigurable antenna technologies.
Hiroshima University
17 Feb 2026
Imagine a “smart fluid” whose internal structure can be rearranged just by changing temperature. In a new study in Matter, researchers report a way to overcome a long-standing limitation in a class of “smart fluids” called nematic liquid crystal microcolloids, allowing for reconfigurable self-assembly of micrometer-sized particles dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal host.
Tohoku University
17 Feb 2026
DNA - the blueprint of life – can also act as a reaction vessel that guides chemical reactions. This is possible using interstrand crosslinking technology developed by researchers at Tohoku University.
"Toward gender equality in scientific organizations: assessment and recommendations" report cover
13 Feb 2026
A new report released by IAP, ISC and SCGES shows that in leadership roles, governing bodies, and senior positions and awards women presence is still modest.
Kanazawa University
12 Feb 2026
An international collaborative research team, including researchers from the Faculty of Frontier Engineering at Kanazawa University, has for the first time elucidated sex differences in motor unit firing patterns in patients with Parkinson's disease.
A makeshift dining area inside a Philippine jail, where PDLs share meals–capturing how ordinary routines like mealtimes occur within sensory confinement, overcrowding, and silent resilience.
Ateneo de Manila University
12 Feb 2026
New research examines how carceral punishment in Philippine jails extends far beyond legal sentences by permeating every bodily sense.
The University of Osaka
12 Feb 2026
Research from The University of Osaka highlights a new model of a gyroscopic wave energy converter. The device was shown to be capable of absorbing up to half of incoming wave energy across a wide range of frequencies, meaning it could achieve the theoretical maximum efficiency. These results provide important design insights for more efficient and adaptable wave energy technologies.
Lingnan University and the Universidad de la República (University of the Republic, Udelar) sign a Memorandum of Understanding. The ceremony is officiated by Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu, Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost and Lam Man Tsan Chair Professor of Scientific Computing of Lingnan University (left), and Prof Héctor Cancela, President of the Udelar (right), with senior representatives of both universities attending the event.
Lingnan University
11 Feb 2026
Lingnan University and the Universidad de la República (University of the Republic, UdelaR), the largest public higher education institution in Uruguay, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 10 February 2026 on Lingnan campus, formally establishing an academic partnership. This is an important step in advancing academic cooperation between Lingnan and universities in South America.
YOKOHAMA National University
11 Feb 2026
Researchers look into how people view themselves, nature and the relationships between them to investigate how traditional worldviews and human-nature relationships can impact the health of the Earth
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (UTokyo-IIS)
10 Feb 2026
Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo track the global circulation of water molecules in time and space using isotope ensemble modeling, enabling better prediction of changing hydrological patterns and weather extremes
Hiroshima University
10 Feb 2026
A study finds that shelterbelts, trees planted as windbreaks, in Japan’s wet farmlands boost edge-dwelling bird population but cut grassland species by about 74%, with numbers rebounding roughly a kilometer away, revealing an overlooked conservation trade-off.
YNU logo
YOKOHAMA National University
10 Feb 2026
Offers a promising route for precise glass manufacturing
Tohoku University
10 Feb 2026
Specific types of malocclusion, or bite misalignment, are associated with tooth loss. A group of researchers recently investigated the effects of anterior crossbite and anterior open bite on tooth loss using one of the largest community-based cohorts, the Tohoku Medical Megabank Cohort Study (2013–2017). The study determined that anterior crossbite increases the risk of tooth and molar loss compared to adults with normal occlusion.
Tohoku University
10 Feb 2026
From the DeLorean to skyscrapers, stainless steel is known for its exceptional strength. But exposure to certain elements, such as seawater, can compromise it. Grinding the surface of stainless steel has long been known to reduce its corrosion resistance, and now researchers at Tohoku University have discovered why, potentially opening the door to new ways to mitigate the problem.
National Taiwan University
10 Feb 2026
Researchers developed a compact device that converts sunlight and waste heat into clean hydrogen fuel while simultaneously purifying water. This innovative system improves energy efficiency and offers a promising solution for sustainable energy and environmental remediation.
The Department of Marketing and International Business at Lingnan University organises The City Through My Lens: A Social Media Campaign - Video Competition 2025.
Lingnan University
09 Feb 2026
To inspire students in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA), unleash their creativity, and engage with the evolving landscape of new media, the Department of Marketing and International Business at Lingnan University organised The City Through My Lens: A Social Media Campaign - Video Competition 2025. Students were invited to form teams and create short promotional social media videos capturing the highlights of their cities.
Tohoku University
09 Feb 2026
Researchers at Tohoku University discovered an intranodal lympho-venous shunt (a sort of bypass route) that could help us unravel the complicated, intertwined network of our body’s lymphatic system.
Hiroshima University
06 Feb 2026
The approach uses 3D printing to produce WC–Co cemented carbides—ultra-hard materials used in cutting and construction tools—while reducing the waste and cost of conventional manufacturing.
Tohoku University
06 Feb 2026
Carbon-based π-electron compounds are usually a first pick for their catalyst potential, but researchers have developed a stable silicon version – a feat that has been a major challenge until now.
Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)
06 Feb 2026
- Accuracy ensured through security-verified internal data, offering visualization via infographics and slides
Tohoku University
06 Feb 2026
This research study assessing 23,000 mother-child pairs found that higher maternal depression around the period of birth may impair mother-infant bonding and increases the risk of autism in their daughters.
Comparative analysis of the brain functional connectome (FC) uniqueness
Hiroshima University
05 Feb 2026
Study highlights the uniqueness of individual brain functional connectomes as a promising approach to identify biomarkers for major depressive disorder.
International Rice Research Institute
05 Feb 2026
Rising day and night temperatures are threatening rice, wheat, and maize production by disrupting plant growth, grain filling, and grain quality, putting global food security at risk. Precision breeding and genome editing offer ways to reprogram plant clocks, optimize flowering and panicle architecture, and protect grain quality under heat stress.
Tohoku University
05 Feb 2026
Critical to hydrogen’s widespread adoption as a clean energy source is its storage. Solid-state storage, where hydrogen is absorbed into metals, offers an alternative to high-pressure tanks. Yet hydrogen storage alloys face a trade-off between storage capacity and material stability. Tohoku University researchers discovered that magnetism governs this trade-off, and that by controlling the magnetic properties of alloys, it is possible to workaround this trade-off.
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK)
05 Feb 2026
CityUHK economist together with Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences are jointly leading the early childhood research programme China REACH. The study aims to provide a practical, evidence-based framework for reducing educational disparities among rural children. To date, more than 80,000 rural children across diverse regions of China have benefited from the initiative.
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (UTokyo-IIS)
05 Feb 2026
Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have used 3D-printing technology to improve the viral titer of microneedle array patches, resulting in effective immunogenicity and protection against infection in mice