Cryopreservation is not a new technology, but there is still much to explore and perfect in the field. Current methods use slow freezing, a method that is conducive to ice formation, cell dehydration and an increase in cryoprotective agents (CPAs). These are not ideal circumstances for achieving immaculately cryopreserved cells. Researchers from the University of Tokyo use vitrification, a process that transforms a substance into a noncrystalline solid by rapid cooling. This cooling yields favorable outcomes in biological samples, even those that are typically difficult to freeze and thaw successfully. Despite challenges within this method, the future of regenerative medicine research may be greatly, and positively, impacted by the use of vitrification for cell cryopreservation.

A newly developed 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi receiver from Science Tokyo can survive radiation levels found inside nuclear reactors. With a radiation tolerance of up to 500 kGy, the chip allows robots used in nuclear plant decommissioning to be controlled wirelessly. Such receivers reduce the need for wired connections and can improve worker protection during decommissioning and cleanup operations at contaminated sites such as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

In a paper published on aBIOTECH, the authors developed a method termed TnpB-GMRE, which integrates a generative protein model for TnpB with a virtual screening pipeline based on the minimum recovery rate and energy minimization, to obtain a TnpB-TD mutant with enhanced editing activity.

Kyoto, Japan -- In April 2021 the United States hosted the Leaders Summit on Climate, where many of the world's most powerful countries -- and largest carbon emitters -- committed to net-zero emissions targets. Many also made pledges to divest from fossil fuels and invest in green finance. Since then, the capacity for renewable energy and sales of electric vehicles have increased. Yet progress toward system-level transformations is still moving at a snail's pace.

Meeting these targets will depend on commitments from more than just the wealthiest nations. Given the size of their populations, economies, and greenhouse gas emissions, developing economies in Southeast Asia will also play essential roles in the transition to net-zero.

In a new book, a collaborative team of researchers including Akihisa Mori from Kyoto University, focuses on the net-zero transition in Southeast Asia, applying the lessons from the Leaders Summit on Climate to these countries. The researchers wanted to understand whether financial pledges, such as fossil fuel divestment and green finance, can help financial systems overcome the tradeoff between net-zero transitions and sustainable development in emerging markets and developing economies.

Mapping light fields and local density of optical states (LDOS) around nanostructured materials with very high spatial resolution is instrumental for advancing nano-optics, nanomaterial science, and quantum technologies, yet has remained a longstanding challenge. Recently, scientists from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in China, demonstrated an imaging modality, called scanning-exciton optical nanoscopy (SEON), to simultaneously and robustly map the light fields and LDOS around plasmonic nanostructures and photonic-crystal nanocavities with few-nanometer resolution.