Researchers from The University of Osaka have developed a way to efficiently prepare the “magic states” necessary for quantum computers to be resistant to errors. Their technique, called “zero-level distillation,” involves working with qubits at the physical or zeroth level as opposed to higher, more abstract levels. The spatial and temporal overhead of quantum computers prepared from these states using this technique is around several dozen times lower than that of those prepared from conventional methods.

A team from Toho University successfully created an automated program to rapidly identify anti-glycation active compounds present in natural resources. In the future, this newly developed method is expected to be effectively utilized for the discovery of anti-glycation active compounds present in natural resources. The results of this study were published on May 3, 2025, in the academic journal Analytical Chemistry.

NIMS and its collaborators (IHI Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., Kobe Steel, Ltd., Electric Power Development Co., Ltd., the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Elix, Inc.) have developed a model designed to predict the long-term durability of a range of heat-resistant steel materials by performing machine learning while preserving the confidentiality of each organization’s data. This research was published online in Tetsu-to-Hagané on February 6, 2025.

Serendipitous discovery of djerfisherite in Ryugu grain challenges current paradigm of the nature of primitive asteroids.

In a recent study, researchers have discovered that the genes related on extracellular matrix (ECM) and the Wnt signaling pathway characterize the independently acquired lip hypertrophy in cichlids of East African Great Lakes. Through advanced omics-based experiments and comparative histological analyses, they found that hypertrophied lips of cichlids had a larger proteoglycan-rich layer. This study provides vital insights into the evolutionary biology of lip hypertrophy in cichlids of East African Great Lakes.

Three dimensional immunohistochemistry (3D-IHC) reveals spatial and molecular details of biological tissues, but current methods are slow and limited in depth. Researchers from Japan have developed a fast, high-sensitivity 3D-IHC method using nanobodies fused with peroxidase and a novel signal amplification system. Their technique labels neurons and glia in 1-mm-thick brain tissue within three days, offering a powerful new tool for neuroscience and disease research, including Alzheimer’s pathology.

Bisphenol A, a synthetic chemical used in plastic production, is known to interfere with various cell signaling pathways affecting development processes. However, its signaling mechanism, especially in brain development, remains elusive. Researchers from Japan have now investigated the effect of co-exposure of bisphenol A and retinoic acid on brain development. They observed disruption in HOX gene expression and developmental abnormalities, highlighting effects detrimental to fetal health. 

A novel time-division MIMO technology enables phased-array receivers to operate faster with exceptional area efficiency and low power, as reported by researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. The proposed system significantly reduces circuit complexity for 5G and 6G networks, including non-terrestrial nodes, by reusing signal paths through fast switching. It demonstrated a record-setting 38.4 Gbps data rate across eight streams in a 65 nm CMOS integrated circuit.

Currently, the main method of combatting CoTS outbreaks is by manually culling each starfish one-by-one, which is highly inefficient, labor-intensive, and costly. But now, a team of researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan have discovered that CoTS use their characteristic spines to ‘smell’ peptides and communicate with one another, even outside mating seasons. Building on this finding, the team has created a synthetic peptide that consistently attracts CoTS at very low concentrations and with no toxicity. The results are published in iScience. Their discovery could lead to the further development of potent pest-management peptides – dubbed Acanthaster attractins – that prompts the starfish to congregate at one spot, enabling the efficient removal of many CoTS in one sweep.