Associate Professor GOTO Masashi of the Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration (RIEB) is conducting research on the system of “tōji,” the traditional sake brewers, and the transmission of knowledge. At the same time, “traditional brewing,” including sake, has attracted attention as it was registered as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in December 2024. We asked Goto about the current state of the sake industry as revealed by his research to date, the prospects for future research, and his vision for the future of specialized jobs that are changing with the evolution of artificial intelligence.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 prompted the government to establish a nationwide network to monitor seismic activity, and this unparalleled and sophisticated observation system is making it possible to instantaneously detect the changes occurring underground. Professor YOSHIOKA Shoichi of the Research Center for Urban Safety and Security is an expert in seismology and analyzes the data obtained from the network as he takes on the challenge of shedding light on the mechanism of major earthquakes. We asked him about his research which aims to unravel the mystery of how earthquakes occur by focusing on subsurface temperature structures and slow slip events that happen at the boundary between tectonic plates.

Over time, plants have evolved various strategies to defend against herbivores. A new study uncovers how these plant defense strategies can be linked to genetic repurposing. Instead of evolving new genes for defense, plants in the Brassica family repurpose existing genes—originally involved in gas exchange—to regulate the production of defense cells. This remarkable discovery could pave the way for advanced agricultural developments.

Climate change and unpredictable weather threaten global food security by disrupting agricultural cycles. Now, Japanese researchers have discovered devernalizers (DVRs)—small molecules that delay flowering in plants without heat treatment. These compounds reactivate a key flowering suppression gene, prolonging the nutritional quality and yield of leafy crops. This breakthrough could lead to new agricultural technologies, enabling farmers to control plant growth and adapt to changing climates more effectively.

Researchers have discovered a groundbreaking use of terahertz (THz) imaging to visualize cochlear structures in mice, offering non-invasive, high-resolution diagnostics. By creating 3D reconstructions, this technology opens new possibilities for diagnosing hearing loss and other conditions. THz imaging could lead to miniaturized devices, like THz endoscopes and otoscopes, revolutionizing diagnostics for hearing loss, cancer, and more. With the potential to enhance diagnostic speed, accuracy, and patient outcomes, THz imaging could transform medical practices.

Subalpine and boreal moorlands are two ecosystems that contribute to climate stability by reducing excess carbon as well as acting to help regulate the climate. Therefore, understanding how to maintain these communities in their natural state is imperative. However, the underlying mechanisms of community stability and how factors such as biodiversity within these communities affect their long-term stability is still not well understood. Scientists in Japan have been studying subalpine and boreal moorland plant communities over an extended area in a national monitoring project, the ‘Monitoring Site 1000’. Using this dataset researchers at YOKOHAMA National University analyzed the relationships between vascular plant species richness, species asynchrony, species stability, community compositional stability, bryophyte cover and the temporal stability of the community cover to understand what factors influence plant communities’ stability.

A team led by researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, has discovered brand new interference patterns in twisted two-dimensional tungsten ditelluride lattices. These so-called moiré patterns can be tuned to look like periodic spots or even one-dimensional bands by adjusting the twist angle between layers, and they can drastically alter the physical properties of the material.

R75W mutation in the gap junction β2 (GJB2) gene causes severe fragmentation of gap junction plaques, connecting adjacent cells and leading to syndromic hearing loss. In a new experimental study, scientists from Juntendo University in collaboration with researchers from The University of Tokyo have developed an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated genome editing approach to repair the R75W mutation. Their findings could contribute to the development of innovative gene therapies to treat hereditary hearing loss.

We created novel artificial cells by encapsulating a riboswitch-gene fusion with wheat germ extract in liposomes. These non-living cells promoted the expression of a glowing protein encoded in the gene in response to an external target at room temperature. They (precisely, a riboswitch in them) can be rationally designed for a user-defined target, allowing a cocktail of artificial cells (each group has a specific riboswitch-gene fusion) to simultaneously detect multiple targets with different glowing proteins.