Tokyo Tech Bulletin No. 50 out now

Fastest Crawl Stroke

In two years, the Summer Olympics will be hosted by Tokyo, where the Ookayama Campus is located. Among the Olympic events, swimming is one of the most popular sports. The crawl is especially popular because it is the fastest of the swimming events. Identifying the most efficient crawl stroke has long been the dream of researchers. Tokyo Tech's Motomu Nakashima Laboratory has played an important role in this research.

Research video: Sustainable energy through artificial photosynthesis

Associate Professor Kazuhiko Maeda of the School of Science, Tokyo Tech developed an innovative mixed anion compound photocatalyst, which allows for efficient artificial photosynthesis using visible light. Please watch and share the video.

All wired up: New molecular wires for single-molecule electronic devices

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology designed a new type of molecular wire doped with organometallic ruthenium to achieve unprecedentedly higher conductance than earlier molecular wires. The origin of high conductance in these wires is fundamentally different from similar molecular devices and suggests a potential strategy for developing highly conducting "doped" molecular wires.

Harnessing energy from algae: Scientists identify enzyme that could help accelerate biofuel production

Researchers at Tokyo Tech have honed in on an enzyme belonging to the glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) family as a promising target for increasing biofuel production from the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae.

Expanding the limits of Li-ion batteries: Interface for all-solid-state batteries

Scientists at Tokyo Tech have addressed one of the major disadvantages of all-solid-state batteries by developing batteries with a low resistance at their electrode/solid electrolyte interface. The fabricated batteries showed excellent electrochemical properties that greatly surpass those of traditional and ubiquitous Li-ion batteries; thereby, demonstrating the promise of all-solid-state battery technology and its potential to revolutionize portable electronics.

A reliable, easy-to-use mouse model for investigating bone metastasis

Researchers at Tokyo Tech propose an improved mouse model that could revolutionize bone metastasis research. Their method, which involves injecting cancer cells via the so-called caudal artery in the mouse tail, overcomes many limitations of traditional mouse models. The new model could thus open a new chapter in the development of therapeutic strategies for bone metastasis and cancer progression.

How do plants rest photosynthetic activity at night?

Scientists at Tokyo Tech have identified two proteins that allow plants to respond to changes in surrounding light conditions and thereby make photosynthesis more efficient.

ELSI's of Tokyo Tech Dr. Ramses Ramirez's paper was published in Geosciences

ELSI's Dr. Ramses Ramirez reviews the latest advances in the understanding of planetary habitability, synthesizing them into a more comprehensive habitable zone model that can be used to search for life on other planets.

PI Helffrich and Director Hirose's paper was published in American Mineralogist

The journal editors of American Mineralogist chose PI George Helffrich and colleagues' paper for one of their July issue highlights.

The 2018 Astrobiology Graduate Conference from the Eyes of an ELSI Researcher

From June 4th to June 8th, the 2018 NASA Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon) was held at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In recent years, ELSI has sponsored this conference in some capacity, as ELSI expects that this will foster the development of young Astrobiology researchers around the world.