Kyoto University News - SciTechDaily

Tiny Titans of Tech: How Moiré Excitons Are Advancing Quantum Computing

Kyoto University — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 12:01:57 +0000

Researchers at Kyoto University have developed a groundbreaking method to measure the quantum coherence time of moiré excitons, potentially improving qubits for quantum computing. By using advanced microfabrication and etching techniques combined with Michelson interferometry, they observed enhanced stability in quantum coherence at extremely low temperatures, significantly outperforming traditional excitons in semiconductors. Quantum technology is [...]

Human IVG Paves the Way for Universal Fertility Treatments

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 06:32:38 +0000

New IVG research offers promising methods for creating human germ cells from stem cells, potentially transforming fertility treatments. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1 in 6 people are affected by infertility at some point in their life. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) defines infertility as a condition characterized by the [...]

Unlocking the Quantum Secrets Hidden in Diamonds for Advanced Electronics

Kyoto University — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 12:59:33 +0000

Highly precise optical absorption spectra of diamond reveal ultra-fine splitting. Besides being “a girl’s best friend,” diamonds have broad industrial applications, such as in solid-state electronics. New technologies aim to produce high-purity synthetic crystals that become excellent semiconductors when doped with impurities as electron donors or acceptors of other elements. The Science of Doping These [...]

Quantum Mechanics Meets Materials Science: A Revolutionary Approach to Molecular Identification

Kyoto University — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 14:49:09 +0000

Kyoto University has developed quantum infrared spectroscopy with a wider bandwidth. Our comprehension of the world significantly depends on our grasp of its constituent materials and how they interact. Recent progress in materials science has dramatically improved our capability to detect chemical substances and broadened the range of potential uses. One such technology is infrared [...]

Stretching the Boundaries of Cellular Mechanics

Kyoto University — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 22:17:05 +0000

Talin’s springy role in force transmission and dynamic cellular bridging. Cell biology has possibly never jumped to the next level in the same way. In multicellular organisms, cell migration and mechanosensing are essential for cellular development and maintenance. These processes rely on talin, the key focal adhesion — or FA — protein, central in connecting [...]

Unlocking Down Syndrome’s Secrets: Protein Interaction Unveils New Molecular Mechanisms

Kyoto University — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 11:40:37 +0000

A recent study uncovers the role of FAM53C in regulating DYRK1A, offering new insights into the cellular mechanisms of Down syndrome and potential clinical implications. Down syndrome, a congenital disorder stemming from abnormal cell division and differentiation, is most common in newborns fated to neurodevelopmental delays and other health complications. The genetic defect causes the [...]

Space Rocks to Life Blocks: Meteorites Likely Source of Nitrogen for Early Earth

Kyoto University — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 15:10:57 +0000

Kyoto-Hawai’i team reveals results of study from Ryugu samples. Micrometeorites originating from icy celestial bodies in the outer Solar System may be responsible for transporting nitrogen to the near-Earth region in the early days of our solar system. That discovery was published recently in Nature Astronomy by an international team of researchers, including University of [...]

Escaping in Top Gear: The Surprising Speed of Snails in Predator Defense

Kyoto University — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 09:40:59 +0000

A study by Kyoto and Hokkaido Universities reveals that two snail species, K. editha and K. gainesi, show unique defensive behaviors, challenging common perceptions of snails as passive and slow. Snails often get a bad rap for being slow and inefficient and are sometimes used to express laziness. However, a team of researchers from Kyoto [...]

The Sweet Achilles’ Heel of Cancer: Sugar Chains As the Key to Advanced Immunotherapy

Kyoto University — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:05:46 +0000

Research shows B4GALT3 deficiency in mice slows tumor growth and alters immune responses, suggesting new cancer treatment strategies. An old campaign slogan for cough syrup, “It tastes awful. And it works,” seemed to imply that any sweet content might have diminished the medicinal effect. The Role of B4GALT3 in Cancer Progression Sweetness, in the case [...]

Entangled in Innovation: How Multiphoton Magic Is Revolutionizing Quantum Technology

Kyoto University — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 18:20:55 +0000

A team of Japanese researchers has discovered significant properties of non-Fock states (iNFS) in quantum technology, revealing their stability through multiple linear optics and paving the way for advancements in optical quantum computing and sensing. Quantum objects, such as electrons and photons, behave differently from other objects in ways that enable quantum technology. Therein lies [...]

New Study Reveals Calcium’s Crucial Role in Cleansing Dead Cells

Kyoto University — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 06:32:04 +0000

Scientists have found that extracellular calcium mediates the activation of a membrane protein that waves the flag signaling cell death. A research team co-led by scientists from Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) in Japan has uncovered mechanisms of how dying cells activate a protein that triggers an ‘eat me’ signal for immune [...]

Aristotle’s Icebreaker: How Quantum Systems Defy Freezing Logic

Kyoto University — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 11:07:19 +0000

Hotter quantum systems can cool faster than initially colder equivalents. Does hot water freeze faster than cold water? Aristotle may have been the first to tackle this question that later became known as the Mpemba effect. This phenomenon originally referred to the non-monotonic initial temperature dependence of the freezing start time, but it has been [...]

The Great Net-Zero Scam: Are Oil Companies Fooling Us?

Kyoto University — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 20:06:14 +0000

Investigating Big Oil’s position in the quest for net-zero emissions. Commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are complex and multifaceted. Are major oil corporations — the majors — genuinely shifting from fossil fuels to more eco-friendly energy sources, or are they simply engaging in a strategic game with carbon credits? For the first time, a [...]

Taming the Sun’s Inferno: Controlling Fusion Plasma Heat at 100 Million Degrees

Kyoto University — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 21:51:12 +0000

An international team of researchers has discovered a method to predict and control the rotational temperatures of hydrogen molecules in fusion reactors. Humans may never be able to tame the Sun, but hydrogen plasma — making up most of the Sun’s interior — can be confined in a magnetic field as part of fusion power [...]

The 2°C Climate Challenge: Is Global Warming Target a Financial Time Bomb?

IOP Publishing — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 05:50:53 +0000

The economic feasibility of the climate change targets specified in the Paris Agreement depends on the prioritization of non-market elements like human health and biodiversity conservation, according to a recent study led by Dr. Taikan Oki, ex-Senior Vice-Rector of United Nations University, Japan, and published in IOP Publishing’s academic journal Environmental Research Letters. A team [...]

Electron Affinity Unleashed: The Surprising Chemical Capabilities of Flat Fullerene Fragments

Kyoto University — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 23:50:02 +0000

Fragments of spherical ‘Buckyball’ molecules have stable electron-accepting ability with great practical potential. Researchers at Kyoto University in Japan have gained new insights into the unique chemical properties of spherical molecules composed entirely of carbon atoms, called fullerenes. They did it by making flat fragments of the molecules, which surprisingly retained and even enhanced [...]

Cultural Legacy in Peril: The Fight To Save Japan’s Purple Gromwell

Kyoto University — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 06:43:11 +0000

The preservation of endangered plant species is critical to the survival of cultural legacy. Historically, the color purple has been linked with nobility globally, and Japan is not an outlier in this regard. However, the distinctive murasaki shade is under threat due to the endangerment of the native gromwell plant, which is often synonymous with [...]

Survival Is a Disgusting Matter – How Nature Uses Revulsion as a Shield

Kyoto University — Sun, 04 Jun 2023 07:19:20 +0000

Scientists unveil multiple animal species’ disease avoidance strategies. Life for all creatures, humans included, would be a lot more straightforward if diseases were as noticeable as flashing warning signs or loud alarm bells. However, in lieu of such overt warnings, humans have evolved to experience a feeling known as disgust as a protective measure. Does [...]

Eco-Intelligence: Harnessing Nature’s Computational Power

Kyoto University — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 10:38:38 +0000

Kyoto University investigates the computational capabilities of ecological networks. Kyoto University researchers have demonstrated the computational power of natural ecosystems through ecological reservoir computing, suggesting a link between high biodiversity and high computational power, and potentially leading to novel computer types and insights into ecosystem dynamics. The exponential growth of neural networks and AI tools [...]

Dark Order in the Universe: Distant Galaxies Align To Support Einstein’s General Relativity

Kyoto University — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 01:04:12 +0000

Scientists have confirmed that intrinsic alignments of galaxies can probe dark matter and dark energy on a cosmological scale, supporting general relativity at vast spatial scales. However, the nature of dark energy and cosmic acceleration remains unresolved. Einstein would nod in approval. General relativity may apply even in the farthest reaches of the universe. Now, [...]

Dark Photon Dark Matter Breakthrough: Trailblazing Cryogenic Detection Techniques

Kyoto University — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 03:46:12 +0000

Millimeter-wave technologies assist in examining ‘light’ dark matter. Scientists at Kyoto University have developed an experimental method to examine ultra-light dark matter by observing its gravitational effects on visible matter. Using millimeter-wave sensing in cryogenic conditions, the team achieved experimental parameters for unexplored mass ranges of dark photon dark matter (DPDM) using new techniques. Although [...]

Discovering Inflammation’s Achilles Heel: The Breakthrough That Could Change Medicine

Kyoto University — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 23:51:59 +0000

Researchers at Kyoto University have found that neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, can induce anti-inflammatory macrophages (M2) within granulomas, which are dense globular structures that form during chronic inflammation. This M2 macrophage polarization can help regulate inflammation and tissue health. The team believes that their findings, derived from studying tuberculosis, could also be [...]

From Warzone to Fusion Power: Breakthrough in Cooking Up Plasmas With Microwaves

Kyoto University — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 15:20:04 +0000

Plasma physicists from Ukraine, Germany and Japan collaborate to spark fusion power. Despite being forced to evacuate the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology due to the Russia-Ukraine war, lead author Yurii Victorovich Kovtun has collaborated with Kyoto University to create stable plasmas using microwaves. Plasmas must be maintained at the correct density, temperature, and [...]

Superstring Theory and Higher Dimensions: Bridging Einstein’s Relativity and Quantum Mechanics

Kyoto University — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 20:04:46 +0000

Seeing is more than believing: Holography helps our understanding of our early universe. A team of researchers at Kyoto University is exploring the use of higher dimensions in de Sitter space to explain gravity in the early universe. By developing a method to compute correlation functions among fluctuations, they aim to bridge the gap between [...]