Dr. Haruko Obokata, the 30-year-old Japanese researcher who has drawn global attention for her stem- cell research, deserves all the attention she has received. She developed a breakthrough method for producing pluripotent stem cells, which can grow into any type of cell, by stressing cells with a light bath of acidic solution.
As her method is relatively simple and affordable, it has offered greater hope for finding practical ways of controlling cancer and regenerating tissue and organs.
Her research breakthrough has not only advanced scientific research but also underlined the need to improve conditions for aspiring female researchers. That's good because, in Japan, they need a great deal more support. The percentage of female researchers in Japan is the lowest among developed countries at 14.0 percent. In Russia, by contrast, 41.7 percent of researchers are female; in Britain, 38.3 percent; in the United States, 34.3 percent, and in South Korea, 16.7 percent.