Japan

News

24 May 2009
Environmental conditions may determine which particular process plants will use to build an essential hormone
24 May 2009
Enhancements to an experimental technique reveal novel magnetic materials
24 May 2009
RIKEN researchers proposed a new pathway map for the differentiation of blood cells.
24 May 2009
What is the mechanism that controls the growth of living organisms? Hiroshi Sasaki at RIKEN is attempting to probe the mechanism by focusing on special groups of cells called ‘signaling centers,’ which control the differentiation, proliferation, and migration of surrounding cells.
24 May 2009
Every year on this day, prominent cultural figures are invited to RIKEN to give talks on their respective areas of expertise, bridging the world of science with the world of culture. This year RIKEN invited ceramicist Imaemon Imaizumi, the 14th in a long line of traditional craftsmen.
20 May 2009
19 May - Japanese researchers have shown that the metabolism used by cancer cells to create the energy necessary for proliferation could be the same or similar to the specific type of metabolism used by parasites such as roundworms in low-oxygen environments. These are the first such findings ever made worldwide.
15 May 2009
An international team of scientists have shown that deletion of the G-substrate gene in mice causes motor learning deficits during particular periods of postnatal development
15 May 2009
Replacing hazardous solvents with water and improving efficiencies are ways that chemists can reduce the environmental impact of their reactions. RIKEN researchers have developed recyclable catalysts that selectively generate chiral organic molecules in water - a nearly ideal green chemical process.
15 May 2009
Mincle, a protein expressed on immune cells, is a receptor that recognizes Malassezia fungal species and mediates inflammatory responses
15 May 2009
Accumulating data has demonstrated that Japanese macaques and degus, the latter a kind of rodent, are capable of using tools after training. Changes in brain functioning that may have led to human intelligence are being elucidated.
15 May 2009
There are liquids that can climb up the walls of their container like a life form and down the other side. Superfluid helium is the only liquid that exhibits this mysterious phenomenon.
15 May 2009
RIKEN BioResource Center (BRC) in collaboration with Kyoto University has started a service to provide human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and human embryonic stem (ES) cells to nonprofit research organizations.
08 May 2009
In their latest work, Tahara and a team of international and Japanese scientists have directly observed how an organic molecule named stilbene rearranges its structure.
08 May 2009
The new Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has identified a new pulsar by detecting its gamma-ray emission
08 May 2009
Kei Manabe, Initiative Research Scientist, has developed an innovative ‘pinpoint’ catalyst, which can drastically decrease the number of synthetic processes, thereby attempting to bring innovation to chemical synthesis.
08 May 2009
RIKEN has had a long history of space research, and many groundbreaking discoveries are continuing to be announced.
03 May 2009
Recent findings from the FANTOM consortium spotlight new mysteries and challenge old assumptions about the mammalian genome
03 May 2009
Single-nucleotide changes in the genome can greatly increase an individual’s susceptibility to heart attacks
03 May 2009
A RIKEN-led consortium of scientists has compiled a massive collection of complete gene sequences for the invaluable soybean plant
03 May 2009
The Biodynamics Research Team at RIKEN leads the world in cytokinin research and are working to control the biosynthesis and activation of cytokinin with the aim of increasing the yields of rice, wheat, corn, and other crops.
03 May 2009
A single fertilized egg repeatedly divides itself to differentiate into a wide variety of cells, such as those forming muscles, nerves, and skin, thus defining the complete body. What happens in the egg to produce the different types of cell?
28 Apr 2009
Research carried out by Professor Akinori Yanaka and Assistant Professor Atsushi Fukumoto of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Tokyo University of Science, with Tsukuba University and Johns Hopkins University in the United States, was featured in the April 2009 issue of Cancer Prevention Research, the New York Times and the BBC.
27 Apr 2009
Professor Atsushi Seike will be President of Keio University from 28 May 2009 until 27 May, 2013.
27 Apr 2009
Talk sessions titled "What is 4K, the next generation's format of motion picture?", "Faculty Members of KMD talks about 'Motion Picture10 years later'", "Creator of Toy Story 2 " talks about '3DCG's Now and Future'" and etc. were held by leaders of the industry and the academic world.
27 Apr 2009
Views from Professor Ichiro Innami of the Faculty of Policy Management in Keio University - "Although we are well on the way to an extremely aging society never experienced throughout the world, health care system is not at all ready for that."
24 Apr 2009
Japanese plant biologists have exposed dynamic networks of small molecules that respond to dehydration stress in plants.
24 Apr 2009
A new twist on a fluorescence-based method for monitoring cell division provides scientists with information about accompanying changes in cell morphology
24 Apr 2009
High-resolution structural data about an essential protein reveal new insights into how some cells transform fiber into force
24 Apr 2009
A microscopy technique unveils previously hidden information on the nature of superconductivity
24 Apr 2009
An international symposium organized by the RIKEN BioResource Center (BRC) drew over 230 microbiologists and other interested parties to Tokyo in early February to discuss the issue of microbial resources in Asia and the wider world.

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Giants in history

Ruby Sakae Hirose (1904 – 1960) was a Japanese-American scientist whose research contributed significantly to our understanding of blood clotting, allergies and cancer.
Haisako Koyama (1916 – 1997) was a Japanese solar observer whose dedication to recording sunspots – cooler parts of the sun’s surface that appear dark – produced a sunspot record of historic importance.
Michiaki Takahashi (17 February 1928 – 16 December 2013) was a Japanese virologist who developed the first chickenpox vaccine.
Toshiko Yuasa (11 December 1909 – 1 February 1980) was the first Japanese female physicist whose research on radioactivity shed light on beta decay – the process in which an atom emits a beta particle (electron) and turns into a different element.
Baron Kitasato Shibasaburo (29 January 1856 – 13 June 1931) was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist whose work led to a new understanding of preventing and treating tetanus, diphtheria and anthrax.
By isolating soil microorganisms and studying the compounds they produce, Satoshi Omura (born 1935) discovered almost 500 organic compounds with unique properties that were produced by these microorganisms, including many new antibiotics.
In 1915, pathologist Katsusaburo Yamagiwa and his research assistant Koichi Ichikawa became the first to prove that chronic exposure to chemicals can cause cancer.
In 1915, Koichi Ichikawa along with pathologist Katsusaburo Yamagiwa became the first to prove that chronic exposure to chemicals can cause cancer.
Reiji Okazaki (8 October 1930 – 1 August 1975) and Tsuneko (7 June 1933) were a Japanese couple who discovered Okazaki fragments – short sequences of DNA that are synthesized during DNA replication and linked together to form a continuous strand.
Tsuneko (7 June 1933) and Reiji Okazaki (8 October 1930 – 1 August 1975) were a Japanese couple who discovered Okazaki fragments – short sequences of DNA that are synthesized during DNA replication and linked together to form a continuous strand.
Husband and wife team, Kimishige (3 December 1925 – 6 July 2018) and Teruko Ishizaka (28 September 1926 – 4 June 2019) discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) that triggers allergic reactions. They also discovered that IgE antibodies attach to white blood cells, known as mast cells, releasing histamine, which causes allergic reactions.
Husband and wife team, Kimishige (3 December 1925 – 6 July 2018) and Teruko Ishizaka (28 September 1926 – 4 June 2019) discovered the antibody class Immunoglobulin E (IgE) that triggers allergic reactions. They also discovered that IgE antibodies attach to white blood cells, known as mast cells, releasing histamine, which causes allergic reactions.
Japanese chemist Takamine Jokichi (3 November 1854 – 22 July 1922) founded the Tokyo Artificial Fertilizer Company, where he isolated a starch-digesting enzyme (named takadiastase) from the fungus Aspergillus oryzae.
Hideki Yukawa (23 January 1907 – 8 September 1981) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1949 for predicting the existence of the pi meson subatomic particle. Japan’s first Nobel laureate, Yakawa also expressed his support for nuclear disarmament by signing the Russell–Einstein Manifesto in 1955.
Shinichiro Tomonaga (31 March 1906 – 8 July 1979), together with Richard Feynman and Julian Schwinger, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, for their contributions to advance the field of quantum electrodynamics. Tomonaga was also a strong proponent of peace, who actively campaigned against the proliferation of nuclear weapons and promoted the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Japanese chemist Kenichi Fukui (4 October 1918 – 9 January 1998) was the first Asian scientist to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Together with Roald Hoffman, he received this honour in 1981 for his independent research into the mechanisms of chemical reactions.
Minoru Shirota (April 23, 1899 – March 10, 1982) was a Japanese microbiologist who invented the popular fermented drink Yakult.
Japanese physicist Ukichiro Nakaya (1900-1962) made the world’s first artificial snowflakes. He started his research on snow crystals in the early 1930s at Hokkaido University, where there is an unlimited supply of natural snow in winter. By taking over 3,000 photographs, he established a classification of natural snow crystals and described their relationship with weather conditions.
The techniques that make industrial pearl culturing possible were developed over a century ago at the Misaki Marine Biological Station in Japan. The station’s first director, Professor Kakichi Mitsukuri, emphasized to Kokichi Mikimoto in 1890 that stimulating pearl sac formation was important for pearl growth, and they went on to successfully develop methods for culturing pearls.
The field of solid-state ionics originated in Europe, but Takehiko Takahashi of Nagoya University in Japan was the first to coin the term ‘solid ionics’ in 1967. ‘Solid-state ionics’ first appeared in 1971 in another of his papers, and was likely a play on ‘solid-state electronics’, another rapidly growing field at the time.
Chika Kuroda (24 March 1884 – 8 November 1968) was a Japanese chemist whose research focussed on the structures of natural pigments.
Motoo Kimura (13 November 1924 – 13 November 1994) was a Japanese theoretical population geneticist who is best remembered for developing the neutral theory of molecular evolution.
Osamu Shimomura (27 August 1928 – 19 October 2018) was a Japanese organic chemist and marine biologist who dedicated his career to understanding how organisms emitted light.
Kikunae Ikeda (8 October 1864 – 3 May 1936) was a Japanese chemist who discovered the fifth basic taste, umami.
Umetaro Suzuki (7 April 1874 – 20 September 1943) was a Japanese scientist best remembered for his research on beriberi, a disease caused by vitamin B1 deficiency, characterized by limb stiffness, paralysis and pain.
Kono Yasui (16 February 1880 – 24 March 1971) was a Japanese botanist who researched the genetics of poppies, corn and spiderworts and surveyed the plants that had been affected by the nuclear fallout after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Hitoshi Kihara (1893 – 1986) was one of the most famous Japanese geneticists of the 20th century. One of his most significant contributions was identifying sex chromosomes (X and Y) in flowering plants.
Michiyo Tsujimura (17 September 1888 – 1 June 1969) was a Japanese agricultural scientist and biochemist recognized for her research of green tea components.
A Japanese surgeon, Tetsuzo Akutsu (20 August 1922 – 9 August 2007) built the first artificial heart capable of keeping an animal alive.
Ogino Ginko (3 March 1851 – 23 June 1913) was the first registered female doctor to practise modern medicine in Japan.
Japanese geochemist Katsuko Saruhashi developed the first method and tools for measuring carbon dioxide in seawater