Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have precisely quantified “quantum tunneling” of hydrogen atoms in palladium at low temperatures, motion that is impossible for classical particles. Channeling nuclear reaction analysis revealed hydrogen hopping in palladium from less stable tetrahedral sites to more stable octahedral sites. The tunneling rate exhibited slight positive and negative temperature dependences, showing that phonons and electrons in palladium facilitated the tunneling process, respectively.

A joint research team from NIMS and Toyo Tanso has developed a carbon electrode that enables stable operation of a 1-Wh-class stacked lithium-air battery, achieving higher output, longer life and scalability simultaneously. The team created this electrode by combining manufacturing technology that Toyo Tanso developed for its “CNovel™” porous carbon product with proprietary technology NIMS developed to fabricate self-standing carbon membranes. This combination made it possible to scale up the battery cell size—a significant step toward practical, industrial-scale lithium-air batteries. The research was published online in Cell Reports Physical Science on September 18, 2025.

Current antibody-based treatments for Alzheimer’s disease remain costly and carry significant side effects, highlighting the need for safer alternatives. In a new study, researchers from Kindai University report that oral administration of arginine suppresses amyloid-β aggregation and related neurotoxicity in fruit fly and mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Their findings demonstrate arginine’s potential as a safe, inexpensive, and readily available repositioned drug candidate for preventing or mitigating Alzheimer’s pathology.

Excessive screen use among school-aged children has been linked to sleep disturbances and behavioral problems, but its effects on brain development have remained unclear. Now, researchers from Japan have examined data from over 11,000 children to explore the relationship between screen time, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, and brain structure. Their findings reveal that longer daily screen exposure is linked to increased ADHD symptoms and measurable changes in brain development.

Researchers have developed a new culture medium for canine iPS cells, enabling their stable differentiation into cardiomyocytes.

Selenium-based compounds play vital roles in human and animal health; however, accurately detecting their various forms has long been a challenge. Researchers from Chiba University have developed a new method that uses selenium’s unique isotopic “fingerprints” to identify its compounds with high precision. Using this approach, they discovered previously unknown selenium molecules produced by gut bacteria. This technique could contribute to the fields of biology, helping deepen our understanding of selenium’s functions in the body.

Dance is a form of cultural expression that has endured all of human history, channeling a seemingly innate response to the recognition of sound and rhythm. A team at the University of Tokyo and collaborators demonstrated distinct fMRI activity patterns in the brain related to a specific audience’s level of expertise in dance. The findings were born from recent breakthroughs in dance motion-capture datasets and AI generative models, facilitating a cross-modal study characterizing the art form’s complexity.

A geomagnetic superstorm is an extreme space weather event that occurs when the Sun releases massive amounts of energy and charged particles toward Earth. These storms are rare, occurring about once every 20-25 years. On May 10-11, 2024, the strongest superstorm in over 20 years, known as the Gannon storm or Mother’s Day storm, struck Earth.  

A study led by Dr. Atsuki Shinbori from Nagoya University's Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research has captured direct measurements of this extreme event and provided the first detailed observations of how a superstorm compresses Earth's plasmasphere—a protective layer of charged particles that encircles our planet. Published in Earth, Planets and Space, the findings show how the plasmasphere and ionosphere react during the most violent solar storms and help forecast disruptions to satellites, GPS systems, and communication networks during extreme space weather events. 

A research group led by Assistant Professor Megumi Aimoto and Professor Akira Takahara at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, revealed that pyrazole-3 (Pyr3), a selective inhibitor of the transient receptor potential canonical-3 (TRPC3) channel, a calcium-permeable channel in the heart, prevents the persistence of atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a tachyarrhythmia that occurs in the atria and is a major cause of stroke and heart failure. This study demonstrated that the TRPC3 channel is a promising new therapeutic target for atrial fibrillation. Drug therapy targeting TRPC3 channels is expected to provide a new approach for “overcoming” cardiovascular diseases associated with aging and lifestyle habits, including atrial fibrillation. These findings were published in the Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin on October 15, 2025.