Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that charged states made of two electrons and a positively charged hole (or vice versa) on atomically thin rolls of carbon atoms have a structure-derived “handedness” in how they interact with light. While electron-hole pairs, or “excitons,” were known to keep the chirality of the underlying nanotube, the team showed that adding a charge to create “trions” does not change this property. Their work highlights new ways in which carbon nanotubes might be used in next-gen optoelectronic devices.

Researchers at Kyushu University have developed a smart packaging film that changes color and glows under UV light in response to compounds released as meat spoils. Made with milk-derived casein, modified anthocyanins, and a metal–organic framework, the film responds to volatile compounds released during spoilage. On refrigerated mutton, fluorescence appeared at around Day 6, and the optimized film also slowed spoilage, showing its potential for monitoring freshness and helping preserve food quality.

As artificial intelligence (AI) drives demand for faster data transfer, conventional silicon optical modulators face speed and energy-efficiency limitations, often requiring power-hungry electronic circuits. By designing electrical and optical structures together, researchers built signal equalization into a compact slow-light silicon modulator. The device achieved data rates of 180 Gb/s without digital signal processing equalization and 200 Gb/s using a low-complexity 11-tap digital equalizer, offering potential for high-capacity, energy-efficient optical connections in future AI data centers.

Companies increasingly market environmentally friendly products, but it remains unclear whether highlighting multiple sustainability benefits improves consumer evaluations. A new study examined responses to sustainability claims across three studies in Japan. Consumers with stronger green consumption values evaluated products more favorably when both composition and packaging were highlighted, whereas those with weaker values preferred a single focus. The findings suggest that sustainability communication may be more effective when tailored to consumers’ environmental values. 

Controlling electron spin could open new possibilities for more efficient catalysts.  By reviewing recent research, scientists explore how magnetic fields affect catalyst performance and what challenges remain before these effects can be put to practical use. 

Doctors sometimes tap your kneecap to trigger the knee-jerk reflex and test your nervous system. Robots, however, can’t react this naturally, since their movements depend on sensors and circuits. Now, scientists have tested a module that reproduces the knee-jerk reflex in a robot and generates bipedal walking. 

Tiny traces of melted rock are helping scientists uncover the Colorado Plateau's explosive past. These small clues offer a glimpse into the geological processes that took place deep beneath the Earth's surface millions of years ago. 

Making better use of valuable metals could help create more efficient catalysts. A new method allows more ruthenium to be incorporated into single-atom catalysts without compromising their stability.

Since 2023, researchers in Japan have conducted scientific and technical studies and explored possible contributions to PRIMA, a far-infrared space telescope mission designed to investigate how planets form, how galaxies and their black holes grow together, and how dust and heavy elements build up across the universe.

Deep beneath the Antarctic ice lies a telescope unlike any other—one that uses the ice itself to explore the universe in ways no conventional telescope can. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory (IceCube) is the world’s largest neutrino telescope, with 5,160 high-precision photodetectors embedded 1,450 to 2,450 meters beneath the South Pole. Since its completion in 2011, IceCube has opened a new window on the universe, detecting elusive neutrinos from some of the most energetic objects beyond our galaxy—sources that cannot be fully understood through light alone.

Now, scientists are taking the next step with IceCube-Gen2 (Gen2), a next-generation observatory designed to be more than five times as sensitive as the current detector. At the heart of this ambitious project is Professor Aya Ishihara of the Institute for Advanced Academic Research and International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, who is leading the development of high-precision photodetectors for Gen2. What can we learn by turning the Antarctic ice into a giant telescope? And what might the next generation of IceCube reveal about the high-energy universe? We spoke with Professor Ishihara about the journey so far, the challenges ahead, and what continues to drive her curiosity as a researcher.