ITU’s Facts and Figures 2025 shows steady progress in connectivity, while highlighting gaps in quality and affordability

Conventional borehole backfilling suffers from various technical limitations, making infrastructure demolition and renewal difficult. In an innovative development, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology have proposed a novel circulating mixing method that pumps backfill material from the bottom of boreholes with unprecedented uniformity throughout the entire depth. This technology can revolutionize urban construction and renewal projects, and disaster prevention and mitigation.

Addressing the urgent demand for clean energy, Japanese researchers utilized a single-step solution plasma process to synthesize high-performing, cost-effective, bifunctional catalysts for metal–air batteries. Their cobalt-tin hydroxide/carbon composites rival traditional platinum- and ruthenium-based materials in both performance and long-term stability. This breakthrough significantly lowers manufacturing costs and enhances the scalability of next-generation batteries, poised to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.