Tag: Taiwan

National Taiwan University (NTU) announced that Physics Professors Lin Min-Tsung, Kao Ying-Che, and Chiang Cheng-Wei were all elected Fellows of the American Physical Society (APS) this year. This marks the first time in NTU Physics history that three professors have received this honor simultaneously, highlighting the department’s international influence. The APS, founded in 1899, is a leading global physics organization with over 50,000 members, of whom only 0.5% are elected Fellows annually.

Professor Lin Min-Tsung specializes in surface magnetism and magnetic nanostructures. He has served as Vice Chair of the National Science Council and President of the Physical Society of Taiwan, contributing significantly to Taiwan’s physics development and international scientific collaboration. His fundamental research on interactions in low-dimensional and nanoscale magnetic systems earned him this recognition.

Professor Kao Ying-Che, an expert in condensed matter theory and strongly correlated electron systems, was recognized for his numerical studies of emergent phenomena in quantum many-body systems and for fostering collaboration between Asian and U.S. physicists.

Professor Chiang Cheng-Wei, whose research focuses on particle phenomenology, rare decays, CP violation, and physics beyond the Standard Model, was honored for both his scientific contributions and efforts to advance particle physics collaboration and education regionally and internationally.

https://udn.com/news/story/6928/9069412

A research team from National Taiwan University (NTU) , led by Postdoc Hu Xunming and Professor Shen Chuan-chou, has successfully recalculated the half-life of uranium-234, overcoming a technical bottleneck that has persisted since the 1960s. Their work extends the reliable range of uranium–thorium dating from 600,000 to 800,000 years and reduces dating errors, offering important insights for Earth sciences and human evolution. The results were published in Science Advances on October 1, 2025.

The team used advanced mass spectrometry to simulate and correct interference from uranium-238, improving the measurement precision nearly fourfold. They established uranium-234’s half-life at 245,670 ± 260 years, about 50 years longer than previous estimates. This precision allows for more accurate dating of older geological samples, including those critical for studying ancient climate cycles and early human evolution.

The new method also requires only a third of the sample material compared with traditional approaches, making it suitable for rare minerals, fossils, and archaeological artifacts. The international project involved 11 research institutions from the U.S., Australia, and Asia, supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Education, and positions NTU at the forefront of high-precision geochronology.

https://www.ntu.edu.tw/spotlight/2025/2414_20251008.html

National Taiwan University (NTU) Assistant Professor Shaopu Tsai, together with Cambridge PhD Dr. Boyan Tong, led a team to develop Lattice, an AI method that “learns” crystal physics from EBSD data. Using a variational autoencoder (VAE), Lattice indexes patterns 7.5 times faster, compresses data by 99.9%, and captures rotational symmetries, effectively creating a “physics-aware” AI for crystal analysis.

In materials research, determining crystal structures is often a slow, labor-intensive process essential for linking structure to performance. Traditional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) methods, widely used in scanning electron microscopy, face trade-offs between speed and accuracy: fast approaches like Hough transforms lack precision, while dictionary indexing and full pattern matching are highly accurate but time-consuming and resource-intensive.

The three-year project, primarily executed by NTU student Yujun Liu, has already been applied to fully recrystallized 316 stainless steel and was published in Cell Reports Physical Science. Funded by the NSC, NTU R&D, and Walsin Lihwa, the team plans to expand this physics-informed AI approach for broader materials science applications.

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-physical-science/fulltext/S2666-3864(25)00470-9

Supported by the Ocean Affairs Council, NTU International College and the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology (NMMST) held a two-day course, “The Ocean Connects Us: Science × Culture × Community,” from September 19–20, 2025. Designed by the International Master’s Program in Biodiversity (IMB), the program explored how marine ecology, culture, and community intersect.

Nearly 70 students from over 25 countries participated. The course began at NMMST with museum tours and hands-on workshops on seaweed diversity and coral observation, combining science with community engagement. Students also visited Keelung Miaokou Night Market to see marine resources reflected in local culture. On the second day, participants explored a fishing village, learning traditional practices, ecological management, and the impacts of climate change on local livelihoods.

The program concluded with group discussions and reflections, fostering cross-cultural dialogue on sustainable fisheries, climate change, and community resilience. IMB Director Prof. Chia-Ying Ko encouraged students to carry their “impressions of the ocean” forward and use this experience to inspire interdisciplinary collaboration and sustainable solutions.

https://sec.ntu.edu.tw/epaper/article.asp?num=1660&sn=39554

In a groundbreaking advance, researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU) have developed a rub-on serum that restores hair growth in just 20 days. The innovative treatment, derived from natural fatty acids, stimulates skin fat cells to regenerate hair follicles — mimicking the body’s natural response to irritation and injury. The research, led by Professor Sung-Jan Lin, was recently published in the prestigious journal Cell Metabolism.

According to Professor Lin, the idea emerged from observing how minor skin inflammation can trigger hair regrowth. “Skin injury not only induces tissue inflammation but also stimulates hair regeneration,” he explained. The team found that by applying oleic acid and palmitoleic acid — both found in human fat tissue and plant oils — they could safely reproduce this effect without irritation. Early self-tests and animal trials showed significant results within weeks.

Unlike many chemical-based hair treatments, the NTU serum uses ingredients that are natural, safe, and potentially suitable for over-the-counter use. The research team has patented the formulation and aims to further develop it for commercial production, offering a promising and accessible solution for those experiencing hair loss.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/hair-regrowth-in-just-20-days-taiwanese-researchers-made-a-breakthrough-hair-serum-that-promises-hair-restoration-within-a-month/articleshow/124848869.cms?from=mdr

National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), the primary teaching hospital of National Taiwan University (NTU) — a leading institution with a comprehensive medical system that includes six affiliated hospitals — has successfully performed Asia’s first “dual long-term ventricular assist device (VAD)” implantation on a 46-year-old patient suffering from end-stage heart failure. After removing the patient’s necrotic left and right ventricles, the surgical team implanted two VAD systems to simulate a total artificial heart, allowing the patient to survive without a native heart. The patient has recovered well and can now eat and walk while waiting for a heart transplant.

The patient had severe heart muscle damage and suffered repeated cardiac arrests despite multiple advanced life-support treatments. NTUH transplant center director Dr. Yi-Hsian Chen explained that heart failure has a higher mortality rate than many cancers, yet treatment options remain limited due to the scarcity of donor hearts in Taiwan. For critically ill patients, innovative support strategies may be the only chance to survive until transplantation.

Because commercially available total artificial hearts are too large for most Asian patients, the NTUH team chose to implant two long-term VADs to fully replace cardiac pumping function. While each device can typically operate for 5–7 years, the patient will still require lifelong anticoagulation and ultimately a heart transplant. NTUH leaders emphasized that the success of this surgically and medically demanding case demonstrates the strength of the hospital’s multidisciplinary advanced circulatory support team—and its commitment to safeguarding every possible life.

National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), the primary teaching hospital of National Taiwan University (NTU) — a leading institution with a comprehensive medical system that includes six affiliated hospitals, officially joined the University Alliance in Talent Education Development (UAiTED) during the CHaMP Service & Technical Exchange Workshop held in Taiwan from October 13–15, 2025. The event brought together representatives from nine healthcare institutions across Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. NTUH’s participation underscores its commitment to international medical collaboration and knowledge exchange.

On the same day, NTUH signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cross-Border High-Quality Medical Service Platform (CHaMP), a regional initiative designed to integrate healthcare resources across Asia. Through the platform, participating institutions aim to share clinical expertise, foster professional development, and provide high-quality, real-time medical services across borders.

NTUH Director Yu Chung-Jen emphasized that joining UAiTED and CHaMP aligns with the hospital’s strategic focus on international cooperation and the government’s New Southbound Policy. Following the signing, delegates toured NTUH’s specialized units and discussed clinical services and healthcare management, laying the groundwork for future collaborative projects that aim to elevate medical standards and patient care across Asia.

At ID Week 2025—the world’s premier infectious disease conference—Professor Chien-Chang Lee and his AI research team from NTU Hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine won the IDSA Abstract Award (Committee Choice Award), ranking first among over 3,000 submissions. Their study, which uses artificial intelligence to predict bacterial antibiotic resistance, marks a major milestone for Taiwan’s medical research on the global stage.

Traditionally, diagnosing bacterial resistance takes 72–96 hours, forcing doctors to prescribe antibiotics based on experience, with an error rate of up to 30%. To address this, Prof. Lee’s team developed an AI-powered method integrating clinical data and mass spectrometry, capable of predicting over 80% of bacterial resistance patterns in real time. The system also recommends optimal antibiotic type, dosage, and formulation—greatly improving treatment precision and patient outcomes.

Prof. Lee expressed his gratitude to his team, highlighting assistant Shu-Yu Tsao and medical student Yu-Chun Pan, who presented the study in the U.S. with full conference sponsorship. He also acknowledged collaborators across NTU Hospital branches and leadership support. “This award belongs not only to our team,” Lee said, “but to Taiwan’s growing strength in clinical AI innovation, demonstrating how data-driven medicine can transform infectious disease management worldwide.”

Artificial intelligence chatbots have become increasingly popular in health information access, raising the question of whether they can meaningfully support stroke prevention and care. Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, disproportionately affecting socially disadvantaged populations.

A recent study led by National Taiwan University’s (NTU) College of Public Health in collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health evaluated three large language models:ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, across four stages of stroke care: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Using different prompting methods (Zero-shot Learning, Chain of Thought, and Talking Out Your Thoughts), clinical experts assessed accuracy, hallucinations, specificity, empathy, and actionability, referencing the minimum passing standard of a medical licensing exam. The findings, published in npj Digital Medicine, show that while each prompting method had strengths, overall model performance remained clinically insufficient and inconsistent across scenarios.

The research team emphasized that although generative AI may help alleviate health inequalities and workforce shortages, especially in resource-limited regions, these tools currently fall short of professional medical standards. Safer application will require continued model improvement, stronger user education on effective prompting, rigorous clinical validation, regulation, and oversight by medical professionals.