Shinshu University

Learn why a seismologist wants to go ghost-busting in Summerville, South Carolina, and how earthquake lights could help us pinpoint earthquake activity.

The world needs a way to produce green hydrogen. Is this finally the solution?

An international team of scientists, including two researchers who now work in the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) at UMBC, has shown that twisted carbon nanotubes can store three times more energy per unit mass than advanced lithium-ion batteries. The finding may advance carbon nanotubes as a promising solution for storing energy in devices that need to be lightweight, compact, and safe, such as…

An older person's posture may give clues to hidden cognitive decline, a new study reports.

A moth antenna can be integrated into the electronics of a drone to create a smell-seeking bio-hybrid – but it only detects the smell of a female moth

Traditional drones rely on visual sensors like cameras and lasers for navigation, but these can be unreliable in harsh conditions such as low light, dust storms, or...

In the early 2000s, scientists from the UK made a worrisome discovery that the oceans are teeming with small particles of plastic (less than one millimeter in length) due to the continuous degradation of plastic waste. These microscopic particles of plastic have become a major environmental concern. Scientists classify these small particles as either microplastics or nanoplastics based on their size; the latter…

Silk has been cultivated for centuries by domesticated silkworms, but it has been difficult to commercially produce spider silk in bulk due to their cannibalistic tendencies. However, spider silk fibers are attracting attention for their fineness, mechanical properties, and lustrous appearance. Spider silk produced through recombinant protein expression systems and chemical synthesis has been shown to have superior…

As storms become stronger, it might be possible to keep more trees standing if they are planted closer together

Researchers at Shinshu University in Japan have built a novel reactor to manufacture renewable hydrogen fuel directly from sunlight and water. It's still an early prototype, but...

Scientists in Japan have demonstrated a new method to create hydrogen fuel without emitting greenhouse gases. But key steps to improve its efficiency remain for it to be commercially viable.

Fuel cells are compact energy conversion units that utilize clean energy sources like hydrogen and convert them into electricity through a series of oxidation–reduction reactions. Specifically, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), an integral part of electric vehicles, utilize proton-conductive membranes for operation. Unfortunately, these membranes suffer from a trade-off between high durability and high…

Prof. Okujima, in collaboration with Prof. Kobayashi at Shinshu University, have reported the synthesis, molecular structure, optical properties and electronic structure of unusual phenanthrene-fused porphyrins in Organic Letters.

Trees in forests are prone to damage from strong winds. Despite extreme weather events becoming more prevalent, scientists have not yet fully understood why some trees are damaged and other trees survive. A team of researchers led by Dr. Kana Kamimura of Shinshu University succeeded in obtaining unique data when a forest under an ongoing study got hit by the category-5 tropical cyclone Trami in 2018, giving them…

Natural products have unique chemical structures and biological activities and can play a pivotal role in advancing pharmaceutical science. In a study published in Heliyon, researchers from Shinshu University have discovered inaoside A, an antioxidant derived from Laetiporus cremeiporus mushrooms. This breakthrough sheds light on the potential of mushrooms as a source of therapeutic bioactive compounds.

Generating specific cell lineages from induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells is the holy grail of regenerative medicine. Guiding iPSCs toward a target cell line has garnered much attention, but the process remains challenging.

The movement of cosmic ray particles across space, such as electrons and protons, is influenced by the sun's magnetic field, causing fluctuations in the intensity of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) reaching Earth in response to the solar cycle. During periods of low solar activity, such as the solar minimum, more GCRs have been observed to reach Earth compared to that for periods of high solar activity. This inverse…

On March 11, 2011, multiple catastrophes in Japan were triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake, including the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This event, also known as the 3/11 disaster, is what is known as a compound disaster. Now that over a decade has passed since this event, researchers are investigating how to prevent the next compound disaster.

We strive to understand how developers collaborate and work on GitHub, and we sometimes partner with academics to better understand how we can improve our products. Here's how we did that to build and evolve GitHub Discussions.

Freshwater pearl mussels are found in rivers in Japan. They are in severe decline, however, and are on the endangered Red List designated by the Ministry of the Environment. Freshwater pearl mussels are known to play an important role in the biochemical ecosystem of river nutrients in the area and downstream. Kayano Takeuchi, graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, and her father Motoi…