Research Highlights

RIKEN is one of Japan’s largest research organizations, with more than 3,000 scientists involved in leading research in centers and institutes across Japan and around the world. Each week, RIKEN RESEARCH highlights the very best of this research from among the thousands of articles published every year by RIKEN researchers in all fields of science and technology, from chemistry, physics, materials and nanotechnology, to genetics, biotechnology, plant science and pharmaceutical research. The Research Highlights are timely and readable summaries of primary research, capturing the most important and significant aspects of the work and written in a style that is accessible to specialists and non-specialists alike. Concise, engaging, and informative, RIKEN RESEARCH highlights introduce readers to world-class scientific discoveries and the researchers who made them.

Weekly Research Highlights

Unlocking the power of wood

Published in PLoS ONE

A ‘family’ tree of enzymes from protists in the termite gut may help boost biofuels research
The ABC of a stress response

Published in PNAS

The identification of a gene involved in the response of plants to water stress should help breed better crop varieties
All natural ingredients

Published in Plant Physiology

A catalog of the chemicals produced within a plant’s tissues yields fresh insights into its metabolic pathways and gene function
X-rays in a new light

Published in Physical Review Letters

The SPring-8 synchrotron opens the door to study the nonlinear interaction of high-intensity x-rays with matter
more research highlights »