Impact Science

Crafting impact for your research work

Crafting impact for your research work

Berry good news: New compound from blueberries could treat inflammatory disorders

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), caused by chronic inflammation in the digestive tract linings, can be debilitating and life threatening. A team of researchers at Tokyo University of Science has discovered a polyphenolic compound derived from blueberry that shows remarkable immunosuppressive effects and can be useful in treating IBD.

Study reveals the relation between age and self-esteem levels in Japan

Self-esteem, or the value one assigns oneself, changes through life. Now, a new study by Japanese researchers examines the relationship of self-esteem with age and presents an analysis of web-based surveys, expanding our understanding of self-esteem.

Safe flights: New study detects onset of destructive oscillations in aircraft turbines

“Flutter” is a complex oscillatory phenomenon that can destroy aircraft turbine blades and has historically been the cause of several plane accidents. Now, scientists at Tokyo University of Science and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency explore a novel approach that can be used to early detect the onset of flutter, solving one of the main problems that has been holding back the design of lighter and more efficient turbines.

Lending color to dead cells—A novel natural dye for screening cell viability

Synthetic dyes are commonly used to assess the toxicity of chemical compounds in cell cultures. However, these dyes damage cells, rendering the cultures useless for long-term experiments. Recently, scientists from Japan discovered that a natural food pigment can replace synthetic dyes in cell viability assays for three widely varied types of cells—and performs better. Their approach is also environment-friendly and inexpensive, and opens up possibilities in a range of fields including drug discovery.