Potassium- and calcium-modified ilmenite oxygen carriers, developed by Institute of Science Tokyo, significantly improve hydrogen yields and redox reaction efficiency in chemical looping systems. The chemical modification of ilmenite results in the formation of a calcium titanate phase with iron substitution. This advancement enhances the oxide ion diffusion, accelerates hydrogen production, and also enables a polygeneration system for simultaneous hydrogen production, carbon dioxide capture, and power generation—paving the way to scalable, carbon-neutral energy systems.

Researchers at Tohoku University have created a new catalyst that can partly renew itself while working, opening possibilities for more durable materials in energy and chemical applications.

Soft robots need advanced sensing to safely interact with humans, but combining multiple sensors in soft materials is difficult. Researchers have developed a new vision-based sensing system called ProTac that allows a robot to switch between touch and proximity sensing using a soft skin that changes transparency. Integrated into robot arms, ProTac enables safer and more precise control. This innovation offers a scalable solution for improving human-robot interaction in complex, real-world environments.

Turbulence, the chaotic, irregular motion that causes the bumpiness we sometimes experience on an airplane, has intrigued scientists for centuries. Until recently, scientists believed that two different types of turbulence - inertial turbulence and elastic turbulence, occurred under separate conditions. Now, new research from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology challenges this long-standing assumption. 

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how the same health information affects the behavior of individuals differently. A recent study revealed cultural differences in how people respond to hypothetical COVID-19 infection information at the local level. The analysis also found differences in how individual subgroups react differently to pandemic information.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how the same health information affects the behavior of individuals differently. A recent study revealed cultural differences in how people respond to hypothetical COVID-19 infection information at the local level. The analysis also found differences in how individual subgroups react differently to pandemic information.

While both yogurt and hot spring bathing have been reported to positively influence the gut environment, the health effects of their combination had not been investigated. The researchers demonstrated that combining yogurt intake with hot spring bathing may have even greater beneficial effects on the gut microbiota and defecation status than yogurt alone.

Researchers at the RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute (PRI) in Japan have discovered a way to max out the amount of hydrogen that can be stored in perovskite crystalline powder. The trick is to introduce the hydrogen into the perovskite lattice structure using mechanochemistry – chemical reactions that occur by physically grinding and mixing compounds together. Because this process requires less energy than traditional non-mechanical methods, the discovery is eco-friendly and good for future sustainability. 

Most high-performance materials and pharmaceuticals require multiple chemical reaction steps during synthesis, each needing different conditions, reagents, and catalysts. In a recent study, researchers from Japan developed a new method—redox-adaptive auto-tandem catalysis—that enables two entirely different reactions to occur sequentially in a single container using an inexpensive cerium-based catalyst. This approach streamlines synthesis, reduces energy use and chemical waste, and offers a greener pathway for producing valuable compounds under mild conditions.

JapanFlux2024 is Asia’s first large-scale open dataset of eddy covariance observations, compiled by Japanese researchers. Covering 83 sites across East and Southeast Asia, it tracks carbon, water and energy exchange in terrestrial ecosystems. The dataset fills a regional information gap and supports climate, land-use and carbon cycle research.