Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a non-precious metal catalyst for the efficient hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural to valuable tetrahydrofuran-based compounds under mild conditions. The catalyst, consisting of nickel carbide nanoparticles supported on alumina, achieved 90% furfural conversion under ambient hydrogen pressure. This result will help advance the development of energy-efficient, cost-effective processes for the conversion of biomass to valuable materials.

Sudden narrowing of the coronary arteries—called coronary artery spasms—can lead to chest pain (angina), heart attacks, and other serious heart problems. Now, a research group led by Dr. Kento Yoshioka, Dr. Keisuke Obara, and Professor Yoshio Tanaka from the Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, has discovered that ferulic acid, a natural compound found in rice, coffee, and certain vegetables, can help prevent these spasms in two different ways.

Researchers at Tohoku University have achieved record-breaking energy efficiency for a high-speed memory storage device, called a SOT-MRAM cell.

Scientists developed a smartphone-compatible ethanol sensor using a metal–organic framework called Cu-MOF-74. The sensor visually detects ethanol concentrations across a wide range, with no electronics or lab tools required. This technology has promising applications in environmental monitoring, healthcare, industrial processes, and alcohol breath analysis.

To better understand the circadian clock in modern-day cyanobacteria, a Japanese research team has studied ancient timekeeping systems. They examined the oscillation of the clock proteins KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC (Kai-proteins) in modern cyanobacteria, comparing it to the function of ancestral Kai proteins.

Researchers in Japan have developed an AI model that objectively evaluates atopic dermatitis (AD) severity using smartphone images shared by patients on the country’s largest online AD platform. This technology could help patients monitor their condition more precisely at home and support timely treatment decisions.

Higher maternal selenium levels during pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of streptococcal infections in children, suggesting a potential protective effect.

The information age is built on mathematics. From finding the best route between two points, over predicting the future load on a national power grid or tomorrow's weather, to identifying ideal treatment options for diseases, algorithms share a common structure: they take input data, process it through a series of calculations, and deliver an output. Powering the ongoing AI revolution are increasingly sophisticated algorithms, often composed of millions of lines of code. And the more steps a model goes through before presenting a solution, the costlier it is in the number of physical computing units, time, and energy required.

Optimizing these mathematical models is at the heart of the work of the Machine Learning and Data Science Unit (MLDS) at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). Led by Professor Makoto Yamada, the unit strives to unlock the full potential of machine learning (ML) and improve efficiency, optimizing not just data science but also education and the scholarly output within the unit through a distributed hierarchy.

A research team at The University of Osaka has identified a crucial brain region involved in motor learning during reaching movements. The parvocellular division of the red nucleus, a small but specialized structure in the midbrain, was found to generate and transmit “error signals” necessary for adapting hand movements. This discovery clarifies a long-standing question in neuroscience about how the brain detects and corrects motion inaccuracies, with potential applications in developing new rehabilitation methods. 

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan have discovered a new way to reduce obesity. Supplying the gut with extra acetate reduces fat and liver mass in both normal and obese mice, as long as bacteria of the Bacteroides species is also present. When both these conditions are met, gut bacteria can eliminate more sugars from the gut and promote the burning of fats for energy in the host. The findings were published in the scientific journal Cell Metabolism.