A research team led by Associate Professor Koji Iwano at Okayama University of Science has been awarded the 2025 MEXT Award for Science and Technology for groundbreaking work in improving typhoon forecasting and climate change prediction. By constructing Japan’s only large-scale indoor typhoon simulation tank, the team succeeded in precisely measuring momentum, heat, and CO₂ exchanges at the air-sea interface under extreme wind conditions. Their findings reveal how these transfers shift dramatically beyond wind speeds of 30 m/s, offering critical insights for refining global climate models and developing future typhoon mitigation strategies.

This book was published in March 2025 to report the outcomes of Japan’s nationwide project, S-18: Comprehensive Research on the Projection of Climate Change Impacts and the Evaluation of Adaptation, which was conducted over a five-year period from 2020 to early 2025.  1) Introduces research methodologies and results that bridging research and climate change policy development;  2) Integrates research framework using common scenarios for climate and socio-economic changes;  3) Reveals interaction among global warming level, social changes and impacts, and effectiveness of countermeasures;  4) This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access;

A study in Science in One Health models the spread of the invasive freshwater snail Physella acuta (P. acuta) in China. Led by researchers from Sun Yat-sen University, it uses advanced modeling with data from GBIF and WorldClim, via MaxEnt and other tools. Since its discovery in Heilongjiang in 1993, P. acuta has rapidly spread, threatening ecosystems by altering food webs and degrading water quality, and posing public health risks. Four environmental factors, including precipitation and temperature, significantly influence its distribution, with the model showing high accuracy (AUC = 0.918). Currently, suitable habitats cover 10.22% of China. Climate change may reduce these habitats, especially in the south, while shifting the distribution slightly north, endangering new regions. These findings are vital for conservation and public health, offering a basis for enhanced monitoring and control strategies to safeguard ecosystems, economies, and public well-being from this invasive species.

In a new study, researchers at the University of Würzburg are investigating the interaction of major global change drivers on insects.

As the world grapples with climate change, the shift toward sustainable transportation has become imperative. Electric vehicles (EVs) are at the forefront of this transition, offering cleaner and more efficient alternatives to fossil fuel-powered cars. However, the widespread adoption of EVs faces challenges, particularly in charging infrastructure. Wireless power transfer (WPT) technology presents a promising solution, eliminating the need for physical connectors and enabling seamless charging. Among WPT methods, inductive power transfer (IPT) stands out due to its reliability and efficiency. This study focuses on optimizing circular coils with ferrite cores to enhance IPT efficiency for EVs, addressing critical limitations such as misalignment tolerance and electromagnetic field (EMF) dispersion. 

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from industry can be reduced by five per cent. But that requires companies and policy makers to take a holistic approach to energy efficiency and energy management and not solely focus on technological development. This is the conclusion of researchers, including from Linköping University, Sweden, in the journal Nature Communications.

Prof Eliane Candiani Arantes heads the Laboratory of Animal Toxins at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of São Paulo (USP) where her group is working with toxins found in the venom of the Crotalus durissus terrificus rattlesnake and the Tityus serrulatus scorpion. They also study the venom of scorpions from the Amazon region, which are still not well understood.

Prof Manuela Berto Pucca heads the Laboratory of Immunology and Toxinology at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at São Paulo State University (UNESP). Her research focuses on venomous animals, the molecular complexity of their venoms, and the development of next generation antivenoms.

They are co-authors of a recently published Frontiers in Public Health article that focuses on the rising number of scorpion stings straining Brazil’s public health system. In this latest Frontier Scientist installment, they talk about their research and careers.