Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as three-dimensional printing, is a process that fabricates parts in a layer-by-layer manner by adding and processing materials. Advancements in AM technology have enabled the processing of a wide range of materials to create products in varying scales which span from medical implants to aircraft engine parts. These products, which can be rich in shape, material, hierarchical and functional complexities, offer high potential to revolutionize existing product development processes.

In Japan Science and Technology Agency's Strategic Basic Research Programs, Associate Professor Toshiaki Kato and Professor Toshiro Kaneko of the Department of Electronic Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University succeeded in clarifying a new synthesis mechanism regarding transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD)1), which are semiconductor atomic sheets having thickness in atomic order.

This study reports on a novel method for enhancing corrosion resistance via reduced availability of dissolved oxygen in the cathodic reactions which could be obtained through metabolic processes of aerobic Bacillus subtilis natto in the presence of organic carbon sources. In addition, the approach is beneficial in facilitating the formation of calcium carbonate which seals cracks accompanied by the self-healing of concrete.

Dengue virus (DENV) infects about 400 million people annually around the world, with a high prevalence in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The virus causes diseases ranging from mild dengue fever to severe dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome.

At JST Strategic Basic Research Programs, the research group led by associate professor Yuya Oaki and graduate student (at the time) Hiromichi Numazawa of Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University established a new design policy for organic materials for the anode of lithium-ion secondary cells in a joint work with research associate Yasuhiko Igarashi of Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, through the use of Materials Informatics (MI)1). A high-capacity and high-stability material was successfully obtained via an extremely small number of experiments.

In the body's cells, some proteins are of vital importance as to which genes are active or turned off. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have discovered which proteins are necessary in order to maintain the proper genetic regulation.

All of the more than 200 different cell types in our body contain the same DNA. Which of those genes that are expressed determine each cell type. Therefore, it is essential that the activity of the genes is controlled with great precision.

Researchers from the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have reported a novel biophotovoltaics (BPV) system based on a synthetic microbial consortium with constrained electron flow. This BPV system can stably operate for more than 40 days, setting a new BPV longevity milestone, according to a recent article in Nature Communications.

Nano-scale objects (1 - 100 nm) are desirable nano-catalysts featured with more catalytic active sites due to higher surface-area-to-volume ratios. The nano-scale nature brings several attendant challenges such as leakage of nano-catalysts to ambient environment and difficulties in reusing nanocatalysts over repeated reaction cycles. A major strategy for addressing these challenges has been the immobilization of nano-objects on various substrates via a variety of technological approaches.

Study shows for the first time a direct link between surface melting and short bursts of glacier acceleration in Antarctica

During these events, Antarctic Peninsula glaciers move up to 100 per cent faster than average

Scientists call for these findings to be accounted for in sea level rise predictions

Surface meltwater draining through the ice and beneath Antarctic glaciers is causing sudden and rapid accelerations in their flow towards the sea, according to new research.

Analyzing reflections of seismic pressure waves by the subseafloor geology off southwestern Japan, researchers at Kyushu University have found the first evidence of a massive gas reservoir where the Earth's crust is being separated. Depending on its nature, the trapped gas could be a potential untapped natural resource or a source of greenhouse gases waiting to escape, raising the need for awareness of similar reservoirs around the world.