The Kobe University start-up Photo-on-Demand Chemical Co. Ltd. demonstrated that it can produce methane from sewage to refine it into pharmaceutical raw materials and other useful chemicals. For this, TSUDA Akihiko, the CEO and associate professor at the Graduate School of Science, and his team have developed a “photoproduction” method that produces such chemicals by shining light on methane and chlorine, etc. The company was established in April 2024 and began demonstration tests at a sewage treatment plant of Kobe City in September. We asked Tsuda about the background to the research, which also promotes decarbonization policies known as “green transformation” (GX) in Japan, and future developments.

Thirty years have passed since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, often referred to as “the birthplace of volunteerism” in Japan. Today, it is common to see volunteers involved in the recovery and reconstruction of disaster-stricken areas. On the other hand, the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in 2024 has raised various issues, including moves by the government to restrict the activities of volunteers. What is the role of volunteers in disaster-stricken areas? We interviewed Professor MATSUOKA from the Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, who as a specialist in social education continues to do research on and practice community empowerment.

During the summer of 2024, while the Paris 2024 Paralympics Games were in full swing, the 2024 Pan-American Masters Games (PAMG), an international multi-sport event for masters athletes, took place in Cleveland, USA. Professor CHOGAHARA Makoto from the Graduate School of Human Development and Environment participated in the 10-day event both as an athlete and as a board member of the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), the organizing body, and shared in the excitement of rubbing shoulders with rivals from around the world. With the World Masters Games 2027 Kansai coming up, we asked Chogahara, who specializes in sports promotion and serves as a council member for the event, about its significance and the role lifelong sports play in an aging society.

What created the Noto Peninsula landscape we know today? After examining the devastation from the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, researchers from Tohoku University have a theory.

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A research team led by Professor Kazuaki Sawada and Project Assistant Professor Hideo Doi of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology has developed a semiconductor sensor enabling the real-time observation of two types of biomolecule dynamics in solutions. By using semiconductor technology to pattern a thin metal film functioning as a neurotransmitter-sensitive membrane on sensor pixels arranged two-dimensionally in a 2 µm pitch, the sensor captures the movement of hydrogen ions and lactate (neurotransmitters) in a solution as image data. A time resolution of milliseconds and a spatial resolution of several microns (approximately 1/17 the size of a strand of hair) were achieved, and it is expected that the measurement of relation for neurotransmitters and ions distribution which changes temporally and spatially between cells with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Precise calculations of binding free energy are pivotal in reducing the high costs and inefficiencies of drug discovery. A recent study presents PairMap, an innovative computational tool that introduces intermediates for complex compound transformations. This improves the accuracy of energy predictions, with a higher impact in reducing drug discovery costs.

Medical implants and biomedical devices often cause inflammatory responses due to poor biocompatibility. Apatite coatings offer a potential solution but limited cell adhesion is often a challenge. To address this, scientists  developed advanced apatite nanoparticles for implant coatings with superior cell adhesion. By adjusting pH during synthesis of  nanoparticles, they enhanced the surface properties of these nanoparticles, achieving improved water interactions and greater structural stability, paving the way for more effective and biocompatible medical implants.

Graying hair is a hallmark of aging, often considered an inevitable part of growing older. However, recent research from Nagoya University in Japan suggests that luteolin, an antioxidant found in vegetables including celery, broccoli, carrots, onions, and peppers, might suppress this process. Their findings pave the way for potential applications in human hair care.

International collaborative research led by Aakash Project^* researchers at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) show an unequivocal contribution of crop residue burning (CRB) to air pollution in the rural/semi-urban regions of Punjab and Haryana, and a relatively lower contribution than previously thought to the Delhi national capital region (NCR). We have installed 30 units of compact and useful PM_2.5^** in situ instrument with gas sensors (CUPI-Gs) and have continuously recorded air pollutants in 2022 and 2023. New analytical methods have been developed to assess and predict the formation and transport of air pollutants due to emissions from CRB.

A research team led by Osaka University has developed "Tranqu," a framework addressing vendor lock-in in quantum computing. Tranqu enables users to select from multiple transpilers, optimizing quantum program performance on various chips. It supports custom transpilers, new program formats, and diverse architectures, promoting flexibility and enhancing quantum computing’s potential.