A recent study by Kyushu University explored the relationship between corporate climate change mitigation actions and the cost of capital for 2,100 Japanese listed companies from 2017 to 2021. The findings, published in Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, reveal that companies that maintain lower carbon intensity and disclose more climate-related information can reduce their capital costs. Conversely, mere commitments to climate change without actionable measures do not significantly impact costs.

- Using nanoruler technology, the optimal size more likely to accumulate in brain tumors was studied.

- The size effect of nanomedicine on passive GBM targeting with size-tunable poly(ethylene glycol)-grafted copolymers (gPEGs) as polymeric nanorulers was explored.

- It was demonstrated that the threshold for brain tumor tissue permeability was in the range of 10 to 30nm.

- By adjusting the size of the gPEGs to 10 nm, an unprecedentedly high brain tumor accumulation was obtained (19 times higher than that in the normal brain region and 4.2 times higher than that of 30 nm of gPEGs).

- The size-optimized gPEGs can be loaded with contrast agents or anti-cancer drugs to enable more effective cancer diagnostics or treatments.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. The current cancer screening methods are mostly invasive and some of them involve detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. However, recent advances in the field suggest detection of HPV16 E7 oncoproteins as a more clinically relevant method for screening cervical cancer.  Now, researchers have developed a noninvasive alternative method to detect HPV oncoproteins in urine samples that could revolutionize cervical cancer screening.

Researchers have created tiny, vehiclelike structures which can be maneuvered by microscopic algae. The algae are caught in baskets attached to the micromachines, which have been carefully designed to allow them enough room to continue swimming. Two types of vehicles were created: the “rotator,” which spins like a wheel, and the “scooter,” which was intended to move in a forward direction but in tests moved more surprisingly. The team is planning to try different and more complex designs for their next vehicles. In the future, these mini algae teams could be applied to assist with micro-level environmental engineering and research.

Nanostructured anti-perovskites hold great potential as next-generation catalysts, but their synthesis is challenging. Now, a research team from Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, has demonstrated a straightforward bottom-up approach to synthesize an amorphous silicon nitride matrix with embedded nanometer-sized Ni₃InN anti-perovskites. Their findings are expected to open up the use of multi-metal anti-perovskites in clean energy applications and other exciting fields.

Immobilizing small synthetic molecules inside protein crystals proves to be a promising avenue for studying intermediate compounds formed during chemical reactions, report scientists from Tokyo Tech. By integrating this method with time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography, they successfully visualized reaction dynamics and rapid structural changes occurring within reaction centers immobilized inside protein crystals. This innovative strategy holds significant potential for the intelligent design of drugs, catalysts, and functional materials.

Genotyping techniques can be used to select fruit trees with desired traits at the seedling stage, increasing the efficiency of fruit tree breeding. However, so far, there are multiple different genotyping systems, each generating distinct datasets. In a recent study, Japanese scientists revealed that integrating genomic data obtained with different genotyping systems can effectively combine with historical data, leveraging the accuracy of genomic predictions.

This study presents a significant advancement in fuel cell technology. Researchers from Tokyo Tech identified hexagonal perovskite-related Ba₅R₂Al₂SnO₁₃ oxides (R = rare earth metal) as materials with exceptionally high proton conductivity and thermal stability. Their unique crystal structure and large number of oxygen vacancies enable full hydration and high proton diffusion, making these materials ideal candidates as electrolytes for next-generation protonic ceramic fuel cells that can operate at intermediate temperatures without degradation. This study presents a significant advancement in fuel cell technology. Researchers from Tokyo Tech identified hexagonal perovskite-related Ba₅R₂Al₂SnO₁₃ oxides (R = rare earth metal) as materials with exceptionally high proton conductivity and thermal stability. Their unique crystal structure and large number of oxygen vacancies enable full hydration and high proton diffusion, making these materials ideal candidates as electrolytes for next-generation protonic ceramic fuel cells that can operate at intermediate temperatures without degradation.

While, in theory, precipitation impacts the Earth’s radiation budget, the radiative effects of precipitation (REP) are poorly understood and excluded from most climate models. Hence, a new study examined the role of REP in the global and regional energy budgets and hydrological cycles, finding that REP significantly contributes to temperature and precipitation variations at different geographical scales, especially in the Arctic warming. This highlights the relevance of including REP in climate modeling for improved accuracy.

A group from Nagoya University in Japan has discovered how mosquitoes identify their own species by listening for the frequency of their wingbeats, which they use to avoid wasted mating efforts. The group hopes to use the research to develop tools to control the reproduction of specific mosquito species using artificial flight sounds.