Researchers at University of Tsukuba have found that Betula costata, a birch species recently discovered at several locations in central Japan, is phylogenetically indistinguishable from populations on the Asian continent. The species is thought to have been widely distributed throughout the Japanese Archipelago during the Last Glacial Maximum, with its range subsequently contracting as the climate warmed. The study also identifies clear diagnostic characteristics that distinguish B. costata from its closely related species, Betula ermanii.

Researchers have identified a simple and inexpensive chemical additive that overcomes a major hurdle in developing fluoride shuttle batteries, a high-energy alternative to conventional lithium-ion technologies.

By adding potassium tetrafluoroborate to a liquid electrolyte, the team significantly increased the availability of active fluoride ions without permanently trapping them, enabling reversible battery cycling.

This minimal and highly scalable approach provides a new design strategy for stable liquid electrolytes, paving the way for cost-effective and sustainable high-energy storage systems.

Eight units of the high-frequency bird-deterrent system Bird Sonic were installed at Narita International Airport on May 19, expanding deployment to 10 airports across Japan. Developed by T.M.WORKS and evaluated by researchers at Okayama University of Science, the system emits multiple high-frequency sound patterns to deter birds from approaching runways. The installation aims to reduce bird strike incidents and improve aviation safety at one of Japan’s busiest international airports.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have determined the molecular origin of line tension for a water nanodroplet on a surface. This tension is the force along the droplet edge where liquid, solid, and gas phases meet. Computational studies showed that at complete wetting, collapse of tetrahedral order in liquid water causes the line tension to change sign. An ice bilayer did not wet a hydrophilic surface, showing that local order can outweigh surface chemistry.

An international research team has discovered a method to precisely synthesize extremely small Iridium Nanoclusters that outperform conventional, commercially available iridium catalysts by 1.5 times in mass activity. This breakthrough could result in improved production of green hydrogen.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), an autoimmune neurodegenerative condition, has traditionally been viewed as a disease in which neurological damage occurs mainly during inflammatory relapses or ‘attacks.’ Now, an MRI study by researchers from Japan and Germany suggests that silent neurodegeneration may continue even during periods without attacks, indicating that monitoring brain atrophy and cognitive function is important even in clinically stable patients with NMOSD.

A one-off training session increased how much time fathers spent with their children and on chores by about two hours a week, reports a new study from the University of Tokyo. A team in Japan provided male employees and their managers with either information on positive office attitudes towards paternity leave or a work-life balance training session. The former corrected common misconceptions, but fathers who attended the training reported real behavioral change. This unexpectedly freed up 3.6 hours of time which mothers used for their own work. This study shows how small workplace interventions can have wider positive impacts, for families and businesses.A one-off training session increased how much time fathers spent with their children and on chores by about two hours a week, reports a new study from the University of Tokyo. A team in Japan provided male employees and their managers with either information on positive office attitudes towards paternity leave or a work-life balance training session. The former corrected common misconceptions, but fathers who attended the training reported real behavioral change. This unexpectedly freed up 3.6 hours of time which mothers used for their own work. This study shows how small workplace interventions can have wider positive impacts, for families and businesses.

A chance discovery at Nagoya University in Japan has shown a well-known brain enzyme has a hidden ability: it builds a sugar chain on itself, becomes secreted from the cell and deactivates, then switches on outside the cell once the chain is removed. The finding, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, overturns a decades-old assumption about how polysialic acid, a sugar chain critical for brain development and function, is produced and shows a new way an enzyme can regulate its own activity.    

Kanazawa University, Japan – Researchers led by Associate Prof. Md. Shahiduzzaman and Prof. Tetsuya Taima in collaboration with Prof. Katsuhiro Maeda and Prof. Hiroshi Hasegawa developed a one-step recycling method for flexible perovskite solar cells. The technology enables highly efficient recovery of toxic Pb (99.7%) and valuable metals including Au and In from end-of-life devices. This environmentally responsible approach reduces environmental risks, conserves valuable resources and supports sustainable commercialization of next-generation perovskite solar energy technologies.