In a recent breakthrough, researchers from Japan discovered a unique Hall effect resulting from deflection of electrons due to “in-plane magnetization” of ferromagnetic oxide films (SrRuO₃). Arising from the spontaneous coupling of spin-orbit magnetization within SrRuO₃ films, the effect overturns the century-old assumption that only out-of-plane magnetization can trigger the Hall effect. The study offers a new way to manipulate electron transport with potential applications in advanced sensors, quantum materials, and spintronic technologies.

Cell membranes in our body relies on membrane viscosity to transport membranes and carry-out cellular functions. But measuring this viscosity has been notoriously difficult, with scientists often relying on model membranes. Now, a collaborative research team has developed a new method to directly measure the viscosity of living cell membranes directly. 

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers investigated how the combined stress of cold temperatures and mental fatigue affects endurance exercise performance. 

A team of researchers, including those at the University of Tokyo, discovered that liquid water once flowed on the asteroid that spawned near-Earth asteroid Ryugu more than a billion years after it first formed. The finding, based on tiny rock fragments returned by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), overturns long-held assumptions that water activity on asteroids only occurred in the earliest moments of solar system history. This could impact models which include the formation of the Earth.

Researchers including those from the University of Tokyo have successfully grown large tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, both rich in nutrients, in tightly controlled environments where the light source was energy-efficient LEDs. Such methods were often limited by the types or sizes of plants that could thrive in such conditions. This feasibility study demonstrates the researchers’ method is suitable for urban environments, potentially even in space, and can offer food security in the face of climate change or extreme weather conditions.

Researchers Mitsuyoshi Kamba, Naoki Hara, and Kiyotaka Aikawa of the University of Tokyo have successfully demonstrated quantum squeezing of the motion of a nanoscale particle, a motion whose uncertainty is smaller than that of quantum mechanical fluctuations. As enhancing the measurement precision of sensors is vital in many modern technologies, the achievement paves the way not only for basic research in fundamental physics but also for applications such as accurate autonomous driving and navigation without a GPS signal. The findings were published in the journal Science.

A hydrogen battery that operates at just 90 °C has been developed by researchers from Japan, overcoming the high-temperature and low-capacity limits of earlier methods. The device works by moving hydride ions through a solid electrolyte, allowing magnesium hydride, which acts as the anode, to repeatedly store and release hydrogen at full capacity. This battery offers a practical way to store hydrogen fuel, paving the way for hydrogen-powered vehicles and clean energy systems.

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed an AI model for diagnosing esophageal achalasia using chest X-rays. The AI model demonstrated higher sensitivity and specificity than physicians in its diagnostic capability.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, report in ACS Nano, how proteins in cells can be controllably activated through heating, an effect that can be used to initiate programmed cell death.