Practical utility demonstrated through three-step scale-up synthesis of the antidiabetic drug sitagliptin

Professor Akihiro Kaneko of Okayama University of Science has achieved international recognition for a second consecutive year at Kura Master, a prestigious Japanese sake competition held in France. “Aldebaran,” a red wine produced from Muscat Bailey A grapes grown in Ibara, Okayama Prefecture, under Professor Kaneko’s supervision, received a Gold Award in the Muscat Bailey A category. The award highlights ongoing efforts to preserve a historic local grape variety whose cultivation has declined in recent years. In addition, “Junmai -eme-,” a sake brewed using yeast isolated from Muscat of Alexandria grapes by Professor Kaneko and his research team, earned the competition’s highest distinction, the Platinum Award, in the Junmai Sake category. The awards demonstrate the growing international impact of research and innovation in viticulture and enology at Okayama University of Science.

A research team has uncovered a previously unknown RNA-based control system that helps tea plants regulate amino acid production, a process central to tea flavor, nutritional value, and quality. 

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used simulations to show that a newly developed, compact X-ray telescope could be used to map the chemical composition of the entire Moon surface, a vital breakthrough for understanding its geological evolution. Detailed modeling of the detector and a realistic satellite mission show that two years would be enough to map five key elements, while an array of five-by-five detectors could improve resolution and get results faster.

As the planet warms, soils may release more nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas linked to agriculture, fertilizer use, and microbial nitrogen cycling. A new study published in Biochar shows that biochar, a carbon-rich material made by heating biomass with limited oxygen, can change how strongly soil nitrous oxide emissions respond to rising temperatures. But the effect is not one-size-fits-all.

Jaspreet Singh Randhawa, a Mississippi State assistant professor of physics, has received a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to support a $700,000 research project on the nuclear reactions that power stellar explosions and other extreme cosmic events.

With Texas quickly becoming a global hub for quantum innovation, Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Jeff Prevost, PhD, executive director of UT San Antonio’s Open Cloud Institute, to the newly established Texas Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee. 

A new study provides evidence that extreme aridity in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert began approximately 45 million years ago, thus significantly earlier than previously assumed. The findings refine current models of desert formation and offer new perspectives on the long-term evolution of one of Earth’s most extreme environments.

An international team lead by the Max Born Institute has developed a new type of momentum microscopy to image magnons — the quanta of collectively excited spins — directly in two-dimensional reciprocal space using soft X-rays. Owing to its remarkable sensitivity, simplicity, and access to nanometer-scale wavelengths, this novel technique establishes a powerful and versatile platform for exploring nonlinear magnon interactions, which are promising for future computing schemes.