Physicists developed simplified formulas to quantify quantum entanglement in strongly correlated electron systems. Their approach was applied to nanoscale materials, revealing unexpected quantum behaviors and identifying key quantities for the Kondo effect. These findings advance understanding of quantum technologies.

By incorporating gadolinium into a catalyst, its efficiency in a reaction that produces hydrogen fuel increases. This could be the boost we need to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Researchers from Osaka University found that plasma cells expressing high levels of the protein integrin β7 and the transcription factor KLF2 tend to leave immune tissues and migrate to the bone marrow. There, they become long-lived plasma cells that help create durable antibody responses, which are key to vaccine effectiveness.

Energy efficiency is crucial for sustainability, yet vast amounts of low-temperature waste heat remain unused in industrial processes. Now, researchers from Japan have investigated erythritol slurry as a promising heat transfer medium for thermal storage and transport. By analyzing its flow behavior and non-Newtonian properties, they developed a predictive equation for its rheological characteristics. Their findings could help guide the design of industrial waste heat recovery systems, advancing energy efficiency and carbon neutrality.

Originally described in the context of particles drifting through liquid, Lévy walk has been found to accurately describe a very wide range of phenomena, from cold atom dynamics to swarming bacteria. And now, a new study published in Complexity has for the first time found Lévy walk in the movements of competing groups of organisms: football teams.

Medical researchers in Japan have discovered a way to predict a potentially life-threatening side effect of cancer immunotherapy before it occurs. By analyzing cerebrospinal fluid collected pre-treatment, researchers at Kyushu University identified specific proteins associated with a damaging immune response that can affect the central nervous system after therapy. Their findings could make immunotherapy cancer treatment safer by helping doctors identify high-risk patients in advance, allowing early treatment or even prevention of this condition.

The Antarctic Meteorite Collection at the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) in Japan has been recognized as a Geo-collection by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). An IUGS Geo-collection is a museum collection of global importance because of its particularly high scientific, historical, or educational relevance for geological sciences. With over 17,400 meteorites, the Antarctic Meteorite Collection offers invaluable insights into the early solar system, planetary bodies, the Moon, and Mars. Carefully classified and stored, these samples complement space mission findings, advancing global research on planetary evolution and solar system history.

It is widely believed that Earth’s atmosphere has been rich in oxygen for about 2.5 billion years due to a relatively rapid increase in microorganisms capable of performing photosynthesis. Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, provide a mechanism to explain precursor oxygenation events, or “whiffs,” which may have opened the door for this to occur. Their findings suggest volcanic activity altered conditions enough to accelerate oxygenation, and the whiffs are an indication of this taking place.

Over 120 years ago, Henry Ernest Dudeney posed the famous dissection problem of transforming a triangle into a square by cutting it into as few pieces as possible. In a new study, researchers have finally proved that the original solution, which involves only four pieces, is optimal by using a new proof technique. This technique shows for the first time that it is possible to prove the optimality of the solution to a dissection problem.

To be able to make the switch to environmentally friendly hydrogen fuels, there needs to be a catalyst…or a precatalyst, to be specific!