Hiroshima University and Phenitec Semiconductor achieved the world's first SiC integrated circuit prototype production in a commercial fab. This revolutionary semiconductor technology operates at 500°C and under high radiation, enabling applications in extreme environments like Venus surface exploration and Fukushima nuclear decommissioning—expanding humanity's frontier through Japanese innovation.
Yamaguchi University researchers discovered four new rare earth-containing minerals at Gunma Prefecture's Mokurasawa Mine. Amid Japan's push to reduce China dependence, this discovery holds both scientific significance and strategic implications for resource security.
In a taxonomic twist, the Japanese sea bass (Suzuki) has been reclassified out of the Perciformes, the order named after it in Japanese. Thanks to advances in molecular phylogenetics, this massive fish order containing over 10,000 species is being dismantled. Discover how DNA analysis is rewriting what we know about fish evolution.
NIMS and University of Tokyo researchers have developed a revolutionary wafer-scale deposition technology for next-generation semiconductor material MoS2 (molybdenum disulfide). By discovering two key growth mechanisms, self-alignment and self-limiting, they achieved uniform, high-quality monolayer films across entire 2-inch wafers. This breakthrough opens the path to post-silicon semiconductors for sub-1nm node transistors.
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have developed an AI system that automatically detects whip sounds in horse racing. Using 192kHz high-fidelity audio and deep learning, the technology achieves 70% accuracy with potential for real-time detection, advancing race fairness and animal welfare.
Researchers at Juntendo and Hiroshima Universities have found that soluble ST2 (sST2), naturally maintained at high levels in the body, suppresses food allergies by blocking IL-33 signaling. The study identifies fibroblasts as the key sST2-producing cells and points toward new allergy prevention and treatment strategies.
A Kyoto University team has identified the brain's "motivation brake" behind the inability to start unpleasant tasks. The VS-VP pathway, linking the ventral striatum and ventral pallidum, suppresses action initiation under stress. The finding may inform work on avolition in depression and on burnout.
Groundbreaking research from Shinshu University and Asahimatsu Foods reveals that koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu), a traditional Japanese preserved food, contains resistant protein that promotes GLP-1 production, potentially preventing obesity and fatty liver disease. Discover why the world is turning to Japanese fermented and preserved foods for health benefits.
ATR, Kyoto University, and AIST have shown a humanoid robot slaloming on a skateboard. How its Cyborg AI works, why the task maps onto disaster response and construction sites, and where the project sits against US and Chinese rivals.
Yamagata University is building Benibana Sat, a 1U CubeSat targeting launch by fiscal 2028. Named for the prefectural flower, the project is aimed less at the satellite than at keeping the firms and people who can build one inside the prefecture.
Nagasaki University researchers solved a 160-year taxonomic mystery dating back to Siebold's era, discovering that Japan's common red stingray actually comprises multiple species. The team formally described the new species Hemitrygon ariakensis, found primarily in the Ariake Sea, resolving confusion that began when specimens were first collected in the Edo period.
The Kakeya Conjecture, proposed by Japanese mathematician Sōichi Kakeya in 1917, has finally been proven in 3D space after 108 years. The proof, by Hong Wang (NYU) and Joshua Zahl (UBC), reshapes harmonic analysis and won Wang a 2026 Fields Medal.
In 2025, French and British mathematicians proved a 40-year-old conjecture about the "spectral gap" of hyperbolic surfaces. Building on the late Maryam Mirzakhani's research, this discovery has potential applications in quantum chaos and efficient communication network design. We explain this complex mathematical world in accessible terms.
In 2025, a team of American mathematicians partially solved Hilbert's sixth problem, unresolved for 125 years. This groundbreaking achievement mathematically proves how microscopic particle motion gives rise to macroscopic fluid laws, shedding new light on the mystery of the "arrow of time."
Researchers at Japan's JAIST found that Ewingella americana, a bacterium from Japanese tree frog intestines, completely eliminated colorectal tumors in mice after a single dose, a 100% complete response rate that outperformed chemotherapy and immunotherapy in the same comparison. Here is what the preclinical study showed, and what it does not yet show.
Kagoshima University's oncolytic virus Surv.m-CRA-1 has entered a Phase 3 physician-led trial for primary malignant bone tumors, aiming at full approval. The therapy acts on cancer stem cells that conventional drugs struggle to reach, offering a possible new option for a cancer that has seen no new drug in over 30 years. Inside the mechanism, the Nippon Zoki licensing deal, the 2027 approval target, and what remains unproven.
