Research on using Marchantia polymorpha, commonly known as liverwort, a plant closely related to moss, for food and as an ingredient in medicine and supplements is being conducted at Kobe University. Not only can liverwort be cultivated quickly and in large amounts, it’s also very nutritious, a trait which has gathered attention as the space food of the future. As its genes can be easily manipulated in experiments, liverwort also shows great potential to be used to produce various useful substances. At the center of this research is Professor ISHIZAKI Kimitsune of the Graduate School of Science. He told us more about the hidden potential of liverwort and its future industrial applications.

The term “well-being” has become widely used as a term to express favorable conditions physically, mentally and socially. However, it’s a broad concept, with a wide range of related research fields. In 2022, Kobe University created the Office for Promoting Well-being, a university-wide organization that promotes research, education and regional partnerships, and established the Advanced Research Center for Well-being, which serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research activity. What is the center aiming to achieve, and what kind of activity is being performed there? We asked Professor KATAGIRI Keiko, director of the center and expert in social gerontology and social psychology, about the current state and future prospects of this research.

Freshwater carbon — CO₂ that has been absorbed and accumulated in fresh water areas like lakes and reservoirs — is receiving attention for its potential contributions to achieving a carbon neutral society. Kobe University is a hub for freshwater carbon research, with Graduate School of Engineering Professor NAKAYAMA Keisuke, an expert in aquatic and environmental engineering, at the forefront. Relatively unexplored when compared to the “blue carbon” absorbed by the oceans, Nakayama realized the potential of freshwater carbon and has conducted surveys both in Japan and around the world. Also known for his research on the marimo algae balls in Hokkaido’s Lake Akan, Nakayama told us about the current state and results of his freshwater carbon research.

Jianjun Zhang has identified a set of novel biomarkers that could significantly improve early detection of pancreatic cancer, a disease with a five-year survival rate of just 13%, the lowest among major cancers.

Researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have unveiled a new additive manufacturing technology that uses an innovative nozzle to multiplex, or combine, multiple smaller extruders into one stream to achieve the same high output of a single large extruder.

If you were to listen to a day in the life of a veterinary ophthalmologist, you’d likely hear words and phrases you’ve never heard before.

“A tubing system will be placed under your horse’s eyelid to treat the fungal infection in the cornea.”

“We need a better look at your dog’s fundus.” 

“Practice suturing a corneal laceration on this pig eye.”

“Let’s make sure there’s appropriate husbandry at home for this chameleon with scales stuck on its eye.” 

But for veterinarians who specialize in caring for animals’ eyes, it’s just business as usual. 

Over the years, CETUP* workshop, held over four weeks during the summer in the Black Hills of South Dakota at SURF, has produced more than 209 publications and become a hallmark of scientific exchange, contributing to major experiments at SURF.

JMIR Publications invites submissions to a new section titled “Participatory Artificial Intelligence for Health” in its open access journal Journal of Participatory Medicine.

Across Africa, education reform is shaped as much by global partnerships as by classroom realities. Drawing on studies of China–Africa cooperation, teacher development, university collaboration, and student leadership, this feature explores how policy ambitions are translated into practice. Together, these perspectives frame education as a human process, where confidence, voice, and locally rooted institutions determine whether international initiatives deliver lasting, equitable change across diverse African contexts.

Associate Professor SHIMOJO Hisashi of the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies conducts research on spaces where state intervention is difficult from the perspectives of anthropology and Southeast Asian studies. His main research focus is on the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, but he aims to understand the backgrounds of how such spaces are formed regardless of the country, and the social order that people weave in these spaces. His efforts illuminate the image of the state as seen by ordinary people and challenge the understanding of society. We spoke with Shimojo about the results of his research and future prospects. In his words, “If the front side of a coin represents the state, then I study its reverse side.”