Earth Sciences

News

19 Sep 2023
An international group of researchers have discovered a previously unknown species of large foraminifer, shedding new light on the ecological evolution and biodiversity of coral reefs in the Ryukyu Islands.
01 Sep 2023
Research published today in Nature warns that rising seas will devastate coastal habitats, using evidence from the last Ice Age.
Water Bottle Filter and Water Bottle
23 Aug 2023
SLINTEC, Monash University Malaysia, and Newcastle University UK and Singapore teamed up for Poseidon: a patented portable water filtration device attachable to a bottle, offering clean drinking water for those lacking access.
Asia Research News Editors Choice
17 Aug 2023
Japanese fossil forest found, AI finds a way to people’s hearts, Language diversity and child social development & Supplement for kidney disease. Plus Submissions open for Asia Research News 2024. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.
City University of Hong Kong, CityU, CityUResearch
09 Aug 2023
Viruses in man-made environments cause public health concerns, but they are generally less studied than bacteria. A recent study led by environmental scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) provided the first evidence of frequent interactions between viruses and bacteria in man-made environments. It found that viruses can potentially help host bacteria adapt and survive in nutrient-depleted man-made environments through a unique gene insertion.
09 Aug 2023
Rheology of hexagonal close-packed iron determined by high-pressure and high temperature deformation experiments
Dr. Saori Kashima Hiroshima University Center for the Planetary Health and Innovation Science
27 Jul 2023
What does healthy aging look like? For answers, Hiroshima University environmental health expert Dr. Saori Kashima taps into a new science dedicated to Earth’s longevity.
25 Jul 2023
Miyako Islands are home to various native species of snake and lizards. How these species came to call these islands home has long puzzled scientists. A group of researchers from Tohoku University have compiled the latest geological and biological data, proposing that an island once facilitated migration between Okinawa and Miyako Islands.
25 Jul 2023
Illuminating the molecular ballet in living cells, Charting the voyage of marine plastics, A glimpse into the origins of life & Earliest human journeys to Asia. Plus Submissions open for Asia Research News 2024. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.
A well-preserved fossilized forest from the late Miocene epoch was found in Japan, near the Ota bridge on the Kiso river. (Photo: Toshihiro Yamada)
21 Jul 2023
An exquisitely preserved fossil forest from Japan provides missing links and helps reconstruct a whole Eurasia plant from the late Miocene epoch.
Quenched texture of the recovered sample
06 Jul 2023
The composition of the Earth’s earliest atmosphere
Quenched texture of the recovered sample
06 Jul 2023
How have the atmosphere and mantle oxidation state of the Earth changed?
03 Jul 2023
An international research team has discovered that a subduction zone’s age affects the ability for it to recycle water between the Earth’s surface and its inner layers. The more mature the subduction zone, the bigger the water storage capacity.
Filipino geoarchaeologist Vito Hernandez (second from right, with camera)
28 Jun 2023
New findings from a cave in northern Laos add to a growing body of evidence that modern humans arrived in Southeast Asia over 80,000 years ago, tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
Plastics floating in the sea
22 Jun 2023
Researchers from Newcastle University, led by Dr Kheng Lim Goh, have developed a cost-effective Cellular Automata (CA) model for predicting marine plastic movement. Findings from model predictions align well with traditional particle-tracking models, suggesting its potential as a valuable tool for assessing marine plastic pollution and mitigation strategies.
12 Jun 2023
Tam Pà Ling, a cave in northern Laos, reveals new secrets about our earliest human journeys from Africa through to Australia.
09 Jun 2023
Water from the Pacific Ocean flows into the Indian Ocean via the Indonesia Archipelago thanks to a vast network of currents that act as a conveyor belt, transporting warmth and nutrients. Currents can sometimes form circular motions and these are known as eddies. An international group of researchers has modeled the impacts of eddies on the currents that carry water from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean.
Qaanaaq Glacier, Greenland (Photo: Evgeny Podolskiy).
23 May 2023
Acoustic signals can be effectively used for monitoring glacial runoff and provide a cheaper and more accessible alternative to existing methods.
Asia Research News Editors Choice
19 May 2023
Mushrooms 🍄get chattier after rainfall 🌧️, Two-organ chip answers fatty liver questions, History maps 🗺️vs future simulations, Restoring vision in blindness. Plus in our blog: Myanmar: Through eyes of leadership. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.
12 May 2023
Understanding how catalytic organic polymers emerged on prebiotic Earth is vital to understanding the origin of life. Now, a team of scientists at Tohoku University have recently found a potential environment for the reaction that produced catalytic organic polymers.
25 Apr 2023
Researchers from The University of Tokyo find a new approach to successfully identify areas at risk of flooding that can be missed by historical hazard maps.
Venus
14 Apr 2023
地球外生命が発見されれば、宇宙における私たちの存在意義に変化をもたらすだろう。しかしその探索に関する報道の在り方は、科学者やメディアにとって未だに大きな課題である。
14 Apr 2023
東京工業大学地球生命研究所(ELSI)のサイエンスコミュニケーションコースでは、大学院生が多様な対象に研究を伝えるための実践的なスキルの習得を目指す。
LU kickstarts Bug Wars against Food Waste Project to inspire students, faculty members and the whole community to adopt a low-carbon lifestyle.
28 Mar 2023
Lingnan University (LU) kickstarted their Bug Wars against Food Waste Project on 27 March in order to both reduce food waste and turn it into a useful asset. The campaign aims to inspire students, faculty members and the whole community to adopt a low-carbon lifestyle, using black soldier flies to convert food waste collected from student hostels and canteens into organic fertiliser for the Lingnan Gardeners Project and plants on the campus, as well as quality feed for campus animals. Staff, students and the elderly are signing up as low-carbon ambassadors to develop and apply innovative ideas to resolve community issues and promote a more sustainable lifestyle.
Asia Research News - Editors Choice
18 Mar 2023
Scientists restore impaired kidney for the first time, How fibre composite fails when wet, Cleaner fish recognize themselves in pictures 🖼️🐟& The source of black carbon in the sea. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus our magazine Asia Research News 2023 is out now 🎉!
Venus
08 Mar 2023
Finding extra-terrestrial life would transform how we view our place in the Universe, but reporting on the search for it poses challenges for scientists and the media.
ELSI communication programme
08 Mar 2023
A science communication course at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) in Japan provides graduate students with practical skills to communicate research to a diverse audience.
rice stalks
03 Mar 2023
Naturally formed iron oxides on the surface of plastic tubes offer an inexpensive and sustainable method to reduce arsenic contamination in crops.
17 Feb 2023
Tree rings forecast extreme weather in central Asia, Squid 🦑and chemistry make versatile hydrogels, James Webb telescope reveals the earliest galaxies & Reducing negative effects of screen time. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus our latest journalist resource "Experts for Media: Antimicrobial Resistance "🦠.
Research Vessel Hakuho Maru conducted the observations used for this study.
10 Feb 2023
Hydrothermal vents have been identified as a previously undiscovered source of dissolved black carbon in the oceans, furthering the understanding of the role of oceans as a carbon sink.

Events

19 Dec 2023 to 21 Dec 2023
Embrace Innovation and Illuminate the Future with MTE 2023 Sustainable Energy and Green Technology International Innovation Awards
24 Aug 2023
Using Data for Sustainability: An evening of Short Talks and Networking
17 Oct 2022 to 21 Oct 2022
The event is the first in the region focused on recognizing innovations, initiatives, programmes and ideas which contribute to sustainability, eradicating poverty, improving well-being, protecting our planet, and building peace and prosperity.
13 Feb 2022
A joint forum by APN, ADRC, JICA Kansai, and Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance, University of Hyogo
07 Dec 2022 to 08 Dec 2022
Natural Disasters Expo Asia is transforming the Singapore Expo on the 7th & 8th of December 2022 into the ultimate event for the management and mitigation of disasters and will welcome experts around the globe to source the latest revolutionary solutions to calamity management and mitigation.
12 Oct 2021 to 14 Oct 2021
The Global Change Impact Studies Centre, in collaboration with regional partners, is organizing a training workshop entitled “Monsoon variability and extremes in changing climate” from 12-14 October 2021.
09 Sep 2021 to 10 Sep 2021
Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) will launch a new Master-PhD course on origin-of-life science and astrobiology at Tokyo Institute of Technology. The five-year ELSI course is open for domestic and international students who wish to tackle fundamental questions in natural science such as the origin and evolution of living planets. ELSI will provide financial support (as salary of a research assistant) for all the students, except for ones who are going to be supported by JSPS DC fellowships (Japan) or equivalent fellowships.
01 Jun 2021 to 30 Jun 2021
The Ocean Celebration event runs 1-30 June 2021 and is organized by the Borneo Marine Research Institute of Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
25 Oct 2021 to 29 Oct 2021
First in the region focused on recognizing innovations, initiatives, programmes and ideas which contribute to sustainability, eradicating poverty, improving well-being, protecting our planet, and building peace and prosperity.
12 Mar 2021 to 19 Mar 2021
The APRU-IRIDeS Multi-hazards Program is hosting a two-part webinar series, looking back at the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The panels will draw on lessons learnt and explore disaster mitigation strategies for the future. Open to all, registration required.
10 Mar 2021
Upcoming side event at the 7th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum: Partnerships to harmonize science information and knowledge at regional scales for enabling adaptation
26 Mar 2021
Springer Nature and the University of Tokyo to hold SDGs Symposium 2021, “Interdisciplinary science solutions for food, water, climate and ecosystems Sustainable Development Goals”

Researchers

Eisuke Hasegawa
Dr. Eisuke Hasegawa is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, where he heads the Animal Ecology Laboratory. His research interests include animal ecology; evolutionary biology; natural selection; sociality; and ethology.
Zheng Chen
Dr. Zheng Chen is an environmental chemist and associate professor at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. His research interests include nutrient recycling from agricultural waste, soil contamination and remediation.
Dr. Alicia K.J. An
Dr. An is an associate professor at the School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong (CityU), where she also heads the Water and Membrane Technologies Laboratory.
A researcher/program director at ALARM - for land & environmental justice and climate & environmental integration in development planning of Myanmar & a graduate of YAU (Myanmar), AIT (Thailand) & ANU (Australia).
Dr. Brian Man Yu Bon
Dr. Brian Man Yu Bon is currently serving as an Assistant Professor in Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong.
An energetic and talented researcher with a strong desire to build a career within the research industry. Passionate, self-motivated individual with a drive to succeed, with excellent organizational skills. Highly efficient and methodical with a good eye for detail with a proactive approach to performance and data accuracy.
Morshed Hossan Molla, Ph.D. Research Fellow in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Chittagong and working at YPSA (Young Power in Social Action) as a Research, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, Chittagong, Bangladesh. He received B.Sc. (Honours) and MS (thesis) Degrees in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Chittagong in 2009 and 2011 respectively. He received also M.Phil degree from the same department in the field of Water Resource Management. He has attended a number of national and international conferences and published more than thirty research articles in national and international journals and books, mainly on urban service delivery (supply water), urban environment & environmental health, climate change & disaster management, and water resources management. He has a desire to contribute to different aspects of the planning process for underprivileged groups.
https://www.iium.edu.my/v2/
Dr. Irina's research focuses on sustainability, including an analysis of environmental management, the urban environment, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and education for sustainable development, or ESD, and its application in real-world contexts.
Dr. Lewis Cheung Ting
Dr. Lewis's research interests focus on sustainable tourism with particular emphasis on nature-based tourism in protected areas, environmental education, and environmental conservation.
Picture of Paulina Wong Pui-yun
Prof. Paulina's areas of specialization include air pollution, urban climate, GIS modeling and environmental health. Her research interests focus on examining the effects of air pollution and urban heat islands on health-related problems in densely populated cities.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Krishna Institute of Allied Sciences Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences Deemed To Be University, Karad
Mayuko Nakagawa is a biochemist at Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) based at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
Hitoshi Gomi is an Earth scientist at Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) based at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
Tomohiro Mochizuki is a specially-appointed assistant professor at Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) - Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Takeshi Horinouchi is a professor at the Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Japan.
Daisuke Hirano is an assistant professor at the Ocean and Sea Ice Dynamics Group, the Institute of Low Temperature Science of Hokkaido University, Japan.
Jorge García Molinos is an aquatic ecologist broadly interested in global change ecology and macroecology.
Fatima Akter
Assistant Professor, Department of Meteorology, University of Dhaka
Dr. Hemu Kharel Kafle is the Founder and Director of Research at Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (KIAS), Nepal, and a scientist at the Centre for Water and Atmospheric Research (CENWAR) within it.
I completed B.Sc. (Honours) and M.Sc. in Marine Sciences from University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, M.Phil in Fishereis Technology from University of Calcutta, India and Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. I am working as a Program Manager of a Non-Government Organization YPSA (Young Power in Social Action), Bangladesh on Climate Change Adaptation related issues. I have 12 years of Professional experiences of working in a NGO for work on climate change issue, environmental management and human rights issues. I have a keen interest in climate change, fisheries management, coastal pollutions and environmental assessment. I am author of 70 national and international publication based on climate change, aquatic biodiversity and environmental management issues that are available in Google Scholar and ResearchGate. Research interest climate change, fisheries management, aquatic biodiversity, environmental pollution monitoring
Dr. Mashura Shammi is an associate professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh.
Dr NK Prasanna
Dr NK Prasanna is currently working as Sr. Scientist & Editor, Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Research Journals Division at CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research, New Delhi. Before joining CSIR (NIScPR), she was at IIT Guwahati. Dr Prasanna completed her Ph.D from Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. In CSIR-NIScPR, She served one important flagship journals viz. Indian journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IJBB; ISSN: 0301-1208) It is pertinent to mention that the journal ranks first among all the NIScPR journals as per the available Journal Metrics by international agencies such as Thomson Reuters and Scopus. Details of remarkable academic achievements of IJBB which she spearheading, both nationally and globally. The Indian journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IJBB) is a premier SCI-indexed bimonthly peer-reviewed research journal that publishes original research articles in the subject area of biochemistry and biophysics
Postdoctoral fellow, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan
Co-Founding Member and Managing Director of the Association of Advancing Life And Regenerating Motherland (ALARM), a think tank in Myanmar.
Gouramanis researches geological evidence of modern and past typhoons, tsunami and droughts in coastal and lake environments across Southeast Asia. In particular, he focuses on recent events and compares these to the geological record to understand frequencies, recurrence and intensities to guide the potential impact of future events.
Secretary General and Treasurer of the International Geographical Union (IGU) and Professor of Geography at University of Delhi.
Tornado and other severe-wind disaster expert. Professor at Tohoku University.
Associate Professor, Disaster Science Division, International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University
Associate Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University researching hydroclimatology, climate extremes and water hazards.
Puvadol Doydee is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agro-Industry at Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, Sakon Nakhon Province, Thailand.

Giants in history

Tetsuya Theodore Fujita (23 October 1920 – 19 November 1998) was a Japanese-American meteorologist who created the Fujita scale that classifies the strength of tornadoes based on damage to structures and vegetation.
Archana Sharma (16 February 1932 - 14 January 2008) conducted research into plant and human genetics that expanded the understanding of both botany and human health. In relation to botany, she uncovered the means by which asexually-reproducing plants evolve into new species.
Palaeontologist Yichun Hao (1920 – 2001) co-authored the first Chinese textbooks on palaeontology and micropalaeontology. Her research on Foraminifera – amoeba-like organisms with shells – was vital for the exploration and utilisation of marine energy resources.
Birbal Sahni (14 November 1891 – 10 April 1949), a pioneer of Indian palaeobotanical research, and founder of what is now the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Lucknow, made multiple contributions to the study of prehistoric plants. These include the discovery of a new group of fossil gymnosperms (named Pentoxylae), reconstruction of the extinct Williamsonia sewardiana plant, and description of a new type of petrified wood from the Jurassic age.
Lü Junchang (1965–9 October 2018) was a Chinese palaeontologist who is remembered as one of the most important dinosaur researchers of the last 50 years. Lü was an expert on reptiles that lived during the Mesozoic period about 252 million years ago. Cumulatively, Lü and his colleague/competitor Xiaolin Wang described and named more than 50 new species of flying dinosaurs known as pterosaurs.
Chinese palaeontologist, archaeologist and anthropologist Pei Wenzhong (January 19, 1904 – September 18, 1982) is regarded as a founder of Chinese anthropology.
Rinchen Barsbold (born 21 December 1935) is a Mongolian palaeontologist and geologist who was instrumental in discovering and recovering one of the largest dinosaur collections in the world from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China.
Meemann Chang (born 17 April 1936) is a Chinese palaeontologist who studied the fossils of ancient fish to understand the evolution of life. By examining fossils, she uncovered new insights on how vertebrates, animals with a backbone, migrated from the sea and became adapted to live on land.
Anna Mani (23 August 1918 – 16 August 2001) was an Indian meteorologist who contributed significantly to the understanding of solar radiation, ozone and wind energy by developing a wide range of measurement tools. One of India’s pioneering female scientists, Mani excelled in the male-dominated area of meteorology and became the Deputy Director-General of the India Meteorological Department.
Võ Quý (1929 – 2017) was a Vietnamese ornithologist who studied the destruction of tropical forests and agricultural lands in Vietnam by Agent Orange, a herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. In addition to planning forest restoration projects, Quý rediscovered the rare eastern sarus crane, an endangered species that had vanished during the war.