Press releases

Finding lost-cost and efficient means of accelerating the oxygen evolution reaction could lead to the proliferation of water-splitting electrolyzes. Rather than adopting a time-consuming trial and error approach, an international research group has used theoretical predictions to identify and then successfully fabricate a new electrocatalyst.

Elaborately carved with female figures and floral motifs, ringstones dating to the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC are amongst the most enigmatic artefacts of Mauryan and Shunga art. Scholars continue to speculate about their use, and believe that they may have been used as amulets and ritualistic objects or designators. Discover more about these ancient artefacts through this article.

A team of researchers from universities in Thailand and Malaysia have collaborated to develop a unique kind of bioplastic sheet that is good for the environment and can decompose naturally. They made this bioplastic sheet using a byproduct of the bromelain industry which used the leftover pineapple stems from agricultural waste. This new type of bioplastic sheet has the potential to be used as single-use packaging material, as an alternative to the use of harmful plastic sheet, contributing to a more sustainable way of doing business and promoting a circular economy.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a potential answer to the question of which came first the chicken or the egg, vaginal seeding to boost baby microbiomes, and looking at remnants of the universe that used to be filled with gas.

A joint research group led by Osaka Metropolitan University has clarified how pathogenic genes in some Providencia spp., which have gained attention as causative agents of food poisoning as well as enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. O157 and Salmonella, are transferred within bacterial cells. Their findings are expected to provide new insights into the identification of infection routes of Providencia spp. and the establishment of preventive methods for food poisoning.

An international research group has engineered a new energy-generating device by combining piezoelectric composites with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), a commonly used material that is both light and strong. The new device transforms vibrations from the surrounding environment into electricity, providing an efficient and reliable means for self-powered sensors.

A physicist from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science National Institute of Physics (UPD-CS NIP) led a team of researchers in pioneering a way to make a special kind of “dark” matter that can’t be observed using standard laboratory methods.

Tam Pà Ling, a cave in northern Laos, reveals new secrets about our earliest human journeys from Africa through to Australia.

Metamagnetic shape memory alloys (MMSMA) have negated some of the common problems associated with shape memory alloys thanks to their ability to undergo phase transformation when exposed to an external magnetic field. Yet they still lose a large amount of energy when phase transforming. Now, a research group from Tohoku University has made a significant breakthrough, developing a palladium-based MMSMA that exhibits low energy loss.

Osaka Metropolitan University scientists synthesized a novel molecule by combining dynamic covalent reactions based on organic radicals and coordination reactions. They found that the two types of reactions do not inhibit each other. Their results suggest the possibility of synthesizing materials by combining different types of reactions, which is expected to lead to the construction of structures that have never existed before.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in ACS Nano how ultrathin layers of tin disulfide can be used to accelerate the chemical reduction of carbon dioxide — a finding that is highly relevant for our quest towards a carbon-neutral society.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are ice-free Arctic summers, how monkey malaria gets transmitted, and over 300 new species discovered in the lower Mekong.

Water from the Pacific Ocean flows into the Indian Ocean via the Indonesia Archipelago thanks to a vast network of currents that act as a conveyor belt, transporting warmth and nutrients. Currents can sometimes form circular motions and these are known as eddies. An international group of researchers has modeled the impacts of eddies on the currents that carry water from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean.

With the need for hardware to process large amounts of digital information ever growing, researchers are working hard to improve magnetoresistive devices. The magnetoresistance ratio indicates the efficiency of these devices, the higher the better. Most magnetoresistive devices comprise magnesium oxide and iron-based magnetic alloys. But a group of researchers from Tohoku University has unveiled a new material that also exhibits enormous magnetoresistance.

Researchers from Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo develop a nanosheet oxide semiconductor for electronic devices

A team led by researchers from Osaka University elucidated a molecular mechanism that is crucial for separating genetic material into daughter cells during cell division. A protein called CENP-C is part of a complex called the kinetochore, which supports the movement of chromosomes. Two portions of CENP-C, the CCAN-binding domain and Cupin domain, are needed for CENP-C to function. The Cupin domain repeats itself through oligomerization, which is essential for proper CENP-C function.

A stem cell therapy treatment developed by Duke-NUS Medical School researchers for heart failure has shown promising results in preclinical trials. These cells, when transplanted into an injured heart, are able to repair damaged tissue and improve heart function.

The peer-reviewed journal Letters in Applied Microbiology is recruiting its first intake of Junior Editors as part of its new drive to nurture early careers talent.

Scientists from Thailand, France and Singapore have conducted groundbreaking research using both tiny cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and long pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) to create stronger materials. They added varying amounts of CNF to epoxy and found that 1% CNF greatly increased impact strength. PALF-epoxy composites showed significant flexibility and strength improvements. Combining CNF and PALF resulted in a remarkable increase in impact strength. The findings could revolutionize stronger material development.

Ultrafast fluorescent imaging technology brings the molecular dynamics of living cells into clear view.

Researchers from Osaka University developed an in vivo CRISPR screen to analyze factors affecting Toxoplasma gondii fitness in healthy and immunodeficient mice. Mice were infected with Toxoplasma containing CRISPR libraries that targeted specific genes; genetic sequencing was then performed to identify which genes are important to fitness. The genetic screen clarified the contributions of host genetics and parasite genetics and can contribute to the development of strategies for toxoplasmosis treatment and prevention.

App leads to better birth preparation for pregnant women

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) garnered seven awards – a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, a Gold Medal and five Bronze Medals – at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. The award-winning inventions covered a wide range of areas, including green technology, healthcare, educational technology, food safety, acoustic novelty, metaverse and sport innovation.

Beginning in the fifteenth century, until the nineteenth century, artists turned to classical music for inspiration, combining painting, allegory and music to create a genre known as Ragamala painting. Ragas — melodic frameworks central to Indian classical music — date back to nearly the fifth century, and each major raga is meant to evoke a particular mood or atmosphere, a season and a time of day. Ragamala paintings are distinctive for their nuanced depiction of emotions through environmental metaphors and imagery that often includes a hero or a heroine or both.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a species of eel that is slowly losing its eyes, a new space mission to give astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station a break, and how having more muscular legs can help avoid heart failure.

Researchers at Tohoku University and Tsinghua University have introduced a next-generation model membrane electrode that promises to revolutionize fundamental electrochemical research.

Fragments of spherical ‘Buckyball’ molecules have stable electron-accepting ability with great practical potential.

Osaka Metropolitan University scientists investigated numerically the interaction between a quantized vortex and a normal-fluid. Based on the experimental results, researchers decided the most consistent of several theoretical models. They found that a model that accounts for changes in the normal-fluid and incorporates more theoretically accurate mutual friction is the most compatible with the experimental results.

SUTD researchers developed a fully knitted, circuit-embedded knee wearable for wireless sensing of joint motion in real-time. Compared to other knitted electronics, this model has fewer externally integrated components and a more sensitive sensor, making it less error-prone.

Tests could soon identify patients who will respond well to the available treatment for chronic myeloid leukaemia and those who will be resistant to it—which could improve their chances of survival.