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.

A new study has revealed the 3D structure of a barley root protein that protects plants from toxic aluminum in acidic soils. Unlike most transporters, this protein exports citrate—an anion that binds to harmful aluminum ions—thereby shielding the roots. The findings offer fresh insights into how plants adapt to hostile soils and could help guide the breeding of crop varieties capable of thriving on acidic farmland worldwide.

Chitons are marine mollusks that can scrape off and feed on algae from rocky surfaces using their ultrahard magnetic teeth. Mechanisms that drive iron deposition in chiton teeth remain elusive. Now, researchers from Okayama University, Japan, have identified a novel protein, radular teeth matrix protein 1, that regulates the deposition of iron oxide on chiton teeth. Their findings uncover novel molecular insights in cellular iron metabolism and mineralization.

Elongation and rapid compression of Fe-Fe atomic pairs in Fe-Ni alloys have been probed as the atomic scale origin of the invar effect and the large magnetovolume effect in Fe-Ni disordered alloys. We investigated the Ni-content dependence of bulk modulus of Fe-Fe, Fe-Ni, and Ni-Ni atomic pairs in the fcc-based in Fe-Ni alloys using reverse Monte Carlo modeling with a dataset of extended x-ray absorption fine structure and powder x-ray diffraction under high pressure.

A team of researchers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to discover 12 ancient black holes from 12.9 billion years ago.