Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used measurements of skin conductance over time to tell emotions apart. Volunteers were shown videos depicting fearful scenes, family bonding, and humor, while their skin conductance trace was recorded. The team’s analysis showed that traces could be used to make good guesses of which emotions were being felt. Advances like this help break down an over-reliance on facial data, bringing emotionally aware technologies closer to home.

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an immune response disease affecting the filtering units of the kidneys. It is an intractable disease with a complex physiological process. Streptococcus mutans, a dental caries-causing bacterial pathogen, has been linked to IgAN disease progression. Now, researchers from the Okayama University, Japan, have uncovered a virulent role of Cnm—a surface collagen-binding protein expressed on S. mutans in IgAN development, highlighting a potential link between dental caries and renal lesions.

Researchers have demonstrated room-temperature ferroelectricity in single-element tellurium nanowires, providing a pathway toward ultrahigh-density data storage and neuromorphic computing. Published in Nature Communications, the study introduces a self-gated ferroelectric field-effect transistor (SF-FET) that integrates memory and computing capabilities.

A promising new catalyst could transform selective oxidation processes for light alkanes, as reported by scientists at Science Tokyo. In a recent study, they developed an iron-oxide-based perovskite that can turn isobutane into valuable products like tert-butyl alcohol under mild conditions. This catalyst, with the formula La_0.8Sr_0.2FeO_3−δ, achieves high selectivity, yield, and stability simultaneously, surpassing previous catalysts. Their efforts could lead to more efficient and sustainable synthesis of essential chemicals across various industries.

Studies of historical soundscapes today are helping us "hear" the past, allowing new insights into how the multi-sensory world was used in creative pursuits like literature. A researcher at Kyushu University has explored these soundscapes in a unique setting: the open sea. A number of early medieval English texts relied more on the sounds of howling storms and roaring waves than on visual descriptions to construct their maritime scenes.

The University of Tokyo Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI) Professor Yuji Tachikawa and The University of Tokyo School of Science graduate student Masaki Okada have found that any operation of non-invertible symmetries is a quantum operation, uncovering a link between quantum information theory and particle and condensed matter physics that had previously been unknown.

Vyorius’ evolution from a drone manufacturer to an integrated management software provider offers insights into the future of the autonomous vehicles industry. The company's pivot came after an important realization – while unmanned systems promise to reduce human intervention, current operations still require significant human involvement – a fact that undermines the very purpose of automation. In the latest podcast from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), the founder of drone technology startup, Vyorius, Nishant Singh Rana, shared his journey from building drones to creating an ecosystem for unmanned drone systems management. Vyorius aims to position itself at the forefront of the drone revolution, with a vision of skies populated by millions of autonomous vehicles.

►The National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) will host the 13^th ITER International School (IIS2024), organized by the ITER^*1 Organization and Aix-Marseille University in France, in Nagoya, Japan for one week from 9^th to 13^th December 2024 as the host country organization.  The main subject of this time is “Magnetic fusion diagnostics and data science.”

►This is one of the world’s largest international schools in the field of nuclear fusion research, where more than 200 graduate students, young scientists and engineers from around the world who are interested in fusion research and development will gather together.  This is the second time that Japan has hosted the school, 16 years after the 2^nd IIS was held in Fukuoka in 2008.

►At IIS2024, there will be lectures on the latest status of ITER which is currently under construction in France, as well as on fusion plasma diagnostic technology and data science.

►On the first day of the school, the representatives from organizing institutions will gather together for a press conference at the venue.

Cellular death is a fundamental concept in the biological sciences. Given its significance though, its definition depends on the context in which it takes place, and lacks a general mathematical definition. Researchers from the University of Tokyo propose a new mathematical definition of death based on whether a potentially dead cell can return to a predefined “representative state of living,” which are the states of being that we can confidently call “alive.” The researchers’ work could be useful for biological researchers and future medical research.