Researchers have solved a mystery in fluid dynamics regarding high-speed particle collisions on wet surfaces. They discovered that at high speeds, cavitation (the sudden formation of vapor cavities) changes the liquid shape from a "bridge" to a "dome", releasing the liquid pull-back force. This causes particles to bounce back stronger than they would at lower speeds. Such a vital discovery would drastically improve the safety, design, and durability of ultra-fast motors in the aerospace and automotive industries.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have demonstrated that a wireless electroencephalogram transmission system can operate using energy harvested from the temperature difference between the human body and the ambient air. The low-power device successfully operated outdoors at high temperatures, demonstrating stable performance without external power or airflow. This technology could enable the development of maintenance-free sensing systems for health monitoring and infrastructure applications in the future.

Researchers from The University of Osaka used large-scale simulations and turbulence theory to study how dolphins swim so effectively. The team found that large vortices created by the dolphin’s tail provide most of the propulsion, while smaller vortices contribute little. This discovery improves our mechanical understanding of fast swimming and could guide the design of energy-efficient underwater robots and technologies for controlling turbulence.

Hole structures in advanced components are common sites of fatigue crack initiation. A new hole-strengthening method, Hertz contact rotation expansion processing (HCR-EP), improves surface integrity in Inconel 718 superalloy while avoiding the trade-offs of conventional techniques. Interrupted fatigue tests reveal that compressive residual stress relaxation is the dominant factor governing fatigue life improvement under high-temperature service conditions.

Ten high-frequency “Kuma Sonic” bear deterrent devices were installed in April 2026 in Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its gassho-style farmhouses. The initiative follows a sharp rise in bear sightings, which nearly quadrupled in one year, alongside growing tourism. Developed by T.M.WORKS and studied by Okayama University of Science, the devices aim to prevent human–bear encounters by emitting sound unpleasant to bears. The installation is part of a broader strategy including habitat management and public safety measures.

Our cells adjust to ever-changing conditions while preserving internal states necessary for survival, but exactly how they achieve both adaptability and stability remains unclear. For the first time, researchers including those from the University of Tokyo used a light-based technique called Raman spectroscopy to create snapshots of the entire protein landscape inside an E. coli cell in a nondestructive manner. Analysis of the data allowed the team to predict the ways in which protein abundances change in certain conditions, which could previously only be done by extracting the target proteins. This led them to observe how abundances of different proteins change depending on how they relate to basic function or situational adaptability. 

Kyoto, Japan -- From birth to death, stars generally slow by 100 to 1000 times their initial rotation rates; in other words, they spin down. The Sun's total angular momentum has declined as material is gradually blown off at the surface as solar wind. By observing this, astronomers have theorized the interaction between magnetic fields and plasma flow to be the most efficient way to spin down stars.

Why and how this happens has long interested astronomers, and recently an observational technique called astroseismology, which measures a star's natural oscillation frequencies, has made it possible to measure the internal rotation rates and magnetic fields of other stars in our galaxy. From this huge population, a picture of how stellar rotation decreases with stellar age has emerged, one that suggests that current theory is insufficient to explain the dramatic decrease in rotation.

Fascinated by astroseismology and by other researchers' 3D simulations of the solar convective zone, a team of researchers at Kyoto University was inspired to investigate how magnetic fields affect rotation inside massive stars..

Synthetic materials rarely mimic the dynamic helicity observed in biological systems like DNA and proteins, often forming fixed structures early in assembly. Inspired by this adaptability, researchers at Chiba University, Keele University, Shizuoka University, Kanazawa University, and Ritsumeikan University developed a chlorophyll-based supramolecular polymer that gradually evolves from nonhelical fibers into helical structures through intermediate stages. This stepwise, cooperative transformation offers a new strategy for designing adaptive materials with tunable optical and electronic properties.

The decline in marriage and fertility rates has emerged as a prominent demographic trend in recent decades, with women’s education being identified as a critical factor. In an insightful study, researchers investigated the causal relationship between women’s education and family formation in Japan and found that education only modestly delays family formation. These findings suggest that other institutional factors deserve greater attention in understanding the demographic trends in East Asia.

Kyoto, Japan --  The Fe Kα line, or iron Kα line, is often used in astronomical research to understand the physical composition of astronomical objects. This line is produced when a K-shell electron of an iron ion in the photosphere -- the gas on the stellar surface -- is ejected by an external process, and has been detected in X-ray spectra of solar and stellar flares. Yet the dominant mechanism behind this ionization process has remained an open question for many years.

Astronomers have proposed two possible mechanisms: photoionization by X-ray photons emitting from hot flare plasma, or collisional ionization by high-energy electrons accelerating at the onset of the flare. With these two possibilities in mind, a team of researchers at Kyoto University set out to uncover the truth behind the iron Kα line.

The team focused on the triple star system UX Arietis, conducting several days of simultaneous ultraviolet and X-ray observations using NICER, NASA's X-ray telescope aboard the International Space Station, and Hisaki, JAXA's ultraviolet space telescope. While Hisaki was developed primarily for observations of planets in the Solar System, the researchers demonstrated that it can also be used to study distant stars.