EurekAlert! Japan News - News Releases from Japan

News from Japan

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Oct-2025 02:11 ET (31-Oct-2025 06:11 GMT/UTC)

Classifying older adults requiring long-term care into five groups and clarifying their prognosis

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have classified newly certified older adults (aged 65 and over) who have started using long-term care insurance services into five groups based on patterns of physical and cognitive functions, and have clarified the characteristics and prognoses of each group. This achievement is expected to support the evaluation and provision of optimal medical and long-term care services tailored to each group, by helping care recipients and providers better understand the characteristics of those in need of care.

Journal: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association

Discovery of a novel mode of contact between somatic and germ cells in the ovaries

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Ultrastructural studies of centipede and other myriapod ovaries reveal direct soma-germline contact across the basement membrane, a structure typically regarded as a cellular barrier. These findings suggest a previously unrecognized form of interaction between somatic and germ cells in animals, challenging established views in zoology and cell biology.

Journal: Biology Letters

Developing a new analysis method for capturing long-term brain activity in freely moving mice

International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a novel technique for analyzing neural activity in the brain. This new approach makes it possible to track neuronal signals in freely moving animals for over 99 days—an unprecedented duration. It allows for the integration of data across multiple imaging sessions with high accuracy and is anticipated to become a valuable tool for studying memory mechanisms and the progression of neurological disorders.

Journal: Nature Communications

ALMA measures evolution of monster barred spiral galaxy

National Institutes of Natural Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Astronomers have observed a massive and extremely active barred spiral galaxy in the early Universe and found that it has important similarities and differences with modern galaxies. This improves our understanding of how barred spiral galaxies, like our own Milky Way Galaxy, grow and evolve.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, NAOJ ALMA Scientific Research Grant

When lightning strikes: Gamma-ray burst unleashed by lightning collision

The University of Osaka
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A world-first multi-sensor detection of an intense gamma-ray flash has been observed by researchers from The University of Osaka, when two lightning leaders collided. Observations across a wide radiation spectrum enabled precise measurement of the electric current produced during this extreme event, and demonstrated that the gamma-ray flash preceded the collision of the lightning leaders between the thundercloud and the ground.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Discovering the rich biodiversity of coral reefs using a comprehensive new system

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have developed a comprehensive system to identify the diversity of these hard corals using only a sample of surface seawater. This environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding system can successfully detect 83 of the 85 genera of reef-building corals known in Japan, enabling their effective and high-precision monitoring.

Journal: Galaxea Journal of Coral Reef Studies

Demonstration of spin-torque heat-assisted magnetic recording

National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), in collaboration with Seagate Technology (USA), has demonstrated a new recording principle that improves recording efficiency by 35% by combining spin torque with conventional heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). This advancement is expected to reduce thermal energy consumption during magnetic recording and enhance the durability and reliability of hard disk drives (HDDs). The findings were published in Acta Materialia on January 13, 2025.

Journal: Acta Materialia

New nanomaterial offers breakthrough in energy storage and environmental sustainability

Shinshu University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Shinshu University developed a low-cost nanocomposite by embedding bimetallic and trimetallic molybdates into nitrogen-, boron-, and fluorine-doped hollow carbon nanofibers. This material demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance for supercapacitors, with high capacitance and long-term stability, as well as strong catalytic efficiency in degrading 4-nitrophenol, a common industrial pollutant. The composite offers promising dual functionality for energy storage and environmental remediation, providing a scalable and efficient solution to address pressing global energy and pollution challenges.

Journal: Advanced Fiber Materials
Funder: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

CoVFit: an AI-powered framework to predict the evolutionary fitness of SARS-CoV-2 variants

The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants during the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the need for advanced tools to predict future outbreaks. The study introduces CoVFit, an AI-driven model that analyzes spike protein mutations to assess the fitness of SARS-CoV-2 variants. By combining molecular and epidemiological data, CoVFit provides early insights into the transmissibility and immunity evasion of emerging variants, offering a powerful tool for pandemic preparedness, vaccine design, and global risk assessment.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Shionogi Infectious Disease Research Promotion Foundation, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Kyoto University

Achieving a record-high Curie temperature in ferromagnetic semiconductor

Institute of Science Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Ferromagnetic semiconductors, which combine semiconductor and magnetic properties, are key to developing spin-based devices. Previously studied materials, such as (Ga,Mn)As, have Curie temperatures below room temperature, thereby limiting their practical use. Now, researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo and The University of Tokyo have overcome these limitations by utilizing the step-flow growth method, achieving a record-high Curie temperature of 530 K, facilitating the development of stable, room-temperature semiconductor spintronic devices.

Journal: Applied Physics Letters
Funder: Japan Science and Technology Agency

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