Kyoto, Japan -- Around the world, we are already witnessing the detrimental effects of climate change, which we know will only become more severe. Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, tropical cyclones, and heat waves are projected to intensify, and this will negatively impact both human society and natural ecosystems.

Assessing how climate change affects extreme weather is important not only from a scientific point of view, but also from a practical perspective. It is critical that we start adapting to climate change and mitigating the effects of potential disasters.

This situation has motivated a team of researchers at Kyoto University to investigate how climate change -- in particular, rising temperatures -- affects precipitation in Japan. The team has focused on heavy rainfall patterns and what kind of atmospheric conditions influence their characteristics.

Supernatural beliefs have long shaped how people interact with nature. A study from Doshisha University used evolutionary game theory to explore whether fear of supernatural punishment can deter overexploitation of natural resources. The findings suggest that such beliefs, under the right conditions, can promote sustainable behavior and complement modern conservation efforts. These findings can guide environmental education and conservation strategies, besides encouraging policy design in culturally diverse societies.

Researchers conducted a detailed mobile observation survey of methane emissions in the Osaka metropolitan area. Researchers found overlooked sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Plant-based materials have traditionally been used to treat a variety of viral infections. Now, researchers have found that cardamom seed extract, as well as its main bioactive ingredient, 1,8-cineole, can have potent antiviral effects through its ability to enhance the production of antiviral molecules known as type I interferons via nucleic acid ‘sensors’ inside cells.

Hydrogen is a promising fuel for developing sustainable industrial processes, but its use is hindered by hydrogen embrittlement—a phenomenon that weakens metals and can cause sudden failure. Now, researchers from Japan have provided the first experimental evidence linking surface roughness to atomic-scale defects caused by hydrogen in iron. Using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, they showed that rougher surfaces result in greater accumulation of defects, offering new insights into designing hydrogen-resistant materials through precision surface engineering.

A deep blue organic light-emitting diode (OLED) developed by researchers at Science Tokyo operates on just a single 1.5 V, overcoming the high-voltage and color-purity problems that have long limited blue OLEDs. The breakthrough was achieved by introducing a new molecular dopant that prevents charge trapping, a problem that previously hampered the performance of low-voltage OLEDs. The resulting device produces sharp blue emission that meets BT.2020 standards, paving the way toward brighter, more energy-efficient displays.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are a promising, low-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries for both personal electronics and large-scale energy storage, but their adoption is limited by their poor stability in air and water. In a recent study, researchers from Japan addressed this challenge by doping the SIB cathode material Na_2/3[Fe_1/2Mn_1/2]O₂ with calcium. This simple modification greatly improved stability and performance, paving the way for more practical and sustainable battery technologies.

A research team from the Cognitive Neurotechnology Unit and the Visual Perception and Cognition Laboratory at Toyohashi University of Technology has found that approach–avoidance behavior in a virtual reality (VR) environment modulates how individuals recognize facial expressions. Notably, the study demonstrated that participants were more likely to perceive a facial expression as “angry” when they actively moved away from the face stimulus than when the face moved away from them. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the reciprocal relationship between perception and action in social contexts. The study was published online on July 31, 2025, in the International Journal of Affective Engineering. https://doi.org/10.5057/ijae.IJAE-D-24-00049

The precise placement of a single silver atom can be enough to make a huge difference. Researchers found that light-emitting properties were 77 times more efficient as a result – paving the way for better optoelectronics and sensing technologies such as OLED lights.

Research team from the Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University — including Associate Professor Keisuke Obara, Lecturer Kento Yoshioka, and Professor Yoshio Tanaka — has discovered that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a major omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, directly relaxes smooth muscle in the male reproductive tract by blocking specific calcium channels. The findings, published in Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, may help explain DHA’s broader health benefits and suggest potential new approaches to treating male infertility.