Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology developed DCA2MC, a divide-and-conquer approach for model checking linear temporal properties. The method splits large verification problems into smaller, independently checkable tasks to address state-space explosion and improve performance through parallelization. A supporting tool is implemented in Maude and provides an environment integrating with external model checkers such as Spin, while a semi-automated method helps select effective layer configurations. Case studies demonstrated improved verification of larger state spaces.

Kyoto, Japan -- When you look at someone, you usually look at their face. It serves as one of the most important sources of social information in primates, so the evolution of face perception has attracted considerable scientific attention. While an abundance of this research has centered on humans and other great apes, very little has focused on gibbons.

Gibbons were the earliest to diverge from the line leading to humans 17 million years ago, and they have developed a distinct social system characterized by small family groups and long-term pair bonding. They provide a particularly valuable model for investigating the relationship between social organization and the evolution of social cognition, motivating a team of researchers at Kyoto University to give gibbons the attention they deserve.

"Understanding the evolutionary origins of the human mind requires comparative studies across the ape lineage," says first author Makiko Uchikoshi. "Despite their evolutionary importance, gibbons remain one of the least studied ape groups in cognitive research."

A research team at The University of Tokyo has succeeded in an atomic-scale double-slit experiment that treats neighboring atoms as “two slits,” and demonstrated that it is possible to read out the vibration of atoms from the fringe pattern formed by electrons. Applying this method to research and development of semiconductor materials may make it possible to investigate, at the atomic level, regions where heat accumulates or flows inefficiently.

The brain sends signals to the body, and the body sends signals to the brain. Focusing on the latter system, researchers at Tohoku University found that stimulating the vagus nerve can promote lasting motor learning. 

Associate Professor OHNISHI Ayumi of the Graduate School of Engineering wants to make people’s lives better using wearable devices, a goal which she pursues through her research. She’s currently working to develop a device to detect fatigue in its wearer and provide support for the five senses, like vision and hearing. Ohnishi attracted attention in 2022 when she was named one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 Japan. We sat down to hear more about the current state and prospects of her research, as well as the possibilities of wearable devices.

One of the major risk factors for Glaucoma is an increase in intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure fluctuates throughout the day and is known to rise at night, but the detailed molecular mechanisms on why this happens have not been fully understood. Kyushu University researchers found that norepinephrine raises levels of RHOB in the eye’s drainage system called the trabecular meshwork, leading to the eye’s ‘cleaning function’ weakening and increased intraocular pressure.

What animal can live for up to 40 years and show remarkable resistance to cancer? The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) challenges conventional views of aging and age-related disease. At Kyushu University, Professor Kyoko Miura studies the biological mechanisms behind this unusual resilience. Over the past 16 years, she has built one of the world’s largest naked mole-rat colonies from just 30 animals. Her research may offer new insights into healthy aging and disease resistance.

Magnetic skyrmions are nanoscale spin textures that can behave like particles and move and diffuse in real space. This makes them promising information carriers for future memory and computing technologies. A new computational study in npj Spintronics shows how geometry and topology can guide asymmetric thermal diffusion of magnetic skyrmions, offering insights for unlocking unconventional computing paradigms, including future stochastic and neuromorphic computing devices for more efficient artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

Researchers from the University of Osaka have developed a fast computational framework that predicts the optical performance of quantum color centers without being restricted to a specific host material. By replacing computationally intensive calculations with simple theoretical formulas and procedures, the method enables rapid screening of promising quantum materials spanning ultraviolet to telecommunication wavelengths.

A robust method has been developed for producing human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs) from late-gestation placentas, opening a new avenue for studying pregnancy complications using patient-derived cells.