When trying to improve, refine, and seek more efficiency in disaster management measures, predicting the extent of disaster damage more accurately and communicating the assessments in a coherent manner become crucial elements for the task. This is why there are high hopes for the role of computational science, in particular simulations, and information technology in this endeavor. Professor OISHI Satoru, who specializes in social infrastructure and hydroengineering research at the Research Center for Urban Safety and Security, aims to help society change and enhance disaster resilience by building digital twins. We asked him what we can anticipate from the use of digital twin technology, and how it can contribute to disaster measures.

A Japanese study conducted by a team from Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine found that the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, equipped with sensors that alert diabetics when their blood sugar levels drop, can potentially make diabetic drivers safer on the road. Those who used the devices had lower incidences of low blood sugar and reported increased confidence in driving. 

Tokyo, Japan – The XRISM collaboration have discovered flows of hot gas in the core of the Centaurus Cluster. By comparing state-of-the-art X-ray measurements from the XRISM satellite with numerical simulations, they showed this is evidence for collisions between galaxy clusters, causing gas inside to “slosh”. This solves the longstanding mystery of how cluster cores stay hot, and sheds light on how our universe continues to evolve.

In an impressive breakthrough in surface science, a novel method has been developed to simulate and visualize the local dipole moments on the semiconductor surface using scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy (SNDM) paired with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This study, led by researchers Akira Sumiyoshi, Kohei Yamasue, Yasuo Cho, and Jun Nakamura, not only enhances the understanding of surface dielectric properties but also holds promising implications for future semiconductor device engineering and material science applications.

Soaking up pollutants like a sponge, porous organic polymers (POPs) may be the key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to researchers at Tohoku University.

An Osaka Metropolitan University researcher succeeded developing highly accurate biometric authentication based on images of the palms of hands taken with a hyperspectral camera.

Assistant professor SAGA Tatsuya of the Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, who is captivated by hornets and is advancing the understanding of their ecology, has an unusual career path, having taught at public high schools for 10 years. After completing a master’s program, he became a high school teacher, took a leave of absence to pursue a doctoral program, and returned to high school teaching after completing his doctorate. During this time, he continued his research independently, and in his mid-30s, he made a fresh start by joining Kobe University to devote himself to research. It has been over two years since he relocated his research base to Kobe. We asked him about the research on hornet ecology he has conducted, the outcomes of this research, and the insights derived on fostering a better relationship between humans and nature.

A collaborative research team from Toho University, the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Nihon University, the Global Environmental Forum, and the Museum Park Ibaraki Nature Museum has revealed that a newly introduced parasite is infecting native fish in the Tone River system. Their study also confirms that the golden mussel, an invasive species, acts as the infection source, while non-native fish such as bluegill and channel catfish help sustain the parasite’s life cycle.

Scientists at YOKOHAMA National University, in collaboration with RIKEN and other institutions in Japan and Korea, have made an important discovery about how electrons move and behave in molecules. This discovery could potentially lead to advances in electronics, energy transfer, and chemical reactions. Published in the Journal, Science, their study reveals a new way to control the distribution of electrons in molecules using very fast phase-controlled pulses of light in the terahertz range.

A new study by researchers including those at the University of Tokyo revealed that atmospheric gravity waves play a crucial role in driving latitudinal air currents on Mars, particularly at high altitudes. The findings, based on long-term atmospheric data, offer a fresh perspective on the behaviors of Mars' middle atmosphere, highlighting fundamental differences from Earth’s. The study applied methods developed to explore Earth’s atmosphere to quantitatively estimate the influence of gravity waves on Mars’ planetary circulation.