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April 29, 2024
 

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Will Dunham
For Will Dunham's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 3, 2023
For toothed whales, sound production is all in the nose
Echolocating toothed whales make the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom by forcing highly pressurized air past structures called phonic lips in their nose.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 24, 2023
Bone study transforms understanding of dinosaur growth
Tyrannosaurus, topping 12 meters long, was an example of a large and fast-growing theropod, with a large growth spurt in its teenage years. Other theropods grew at a slower rate.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 22, 2023
Scientists newly confirm 1,350 km metallic structure at heart of Earth's inner core
The research studied waves from 200 earthquakes with magnitudes above 6.0 ricocheting like ping pong balls up to five times within the planet.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 9, 2023
Tree study shows how three years of drought may have doomed ancient empires
'The climate changes that are likely to occur for us in the next century will be much more severe than those the Hittites experienced,' one of the co-authors noted.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 6, 2022
'Jaws' may have outmaneuvered 'The Meg' in ancient shark showdown
The megalodon was one of the largest predators in Earth's history, appearing about 15 million years ago and going extinct about 3.6 million years ago.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 13, 2022
Scientists unveil image of 'gentle giant' black hole at Milky Way's center
The black hole — called Sagittarius A* — is the second one ever to be imaged.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 17, 2022
New research helps explain the brightest, most energetic objects in the universe
The latest observations support a 'unified model' of active galactic nuclei, which holds that all such objects are the same but appear to have different properties when seen from Earth.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 15, 2022
Analysis of elephant tusk DNA reveals poachers' links with ivory trafficking networks
The new study suggest between three and six criminal organizations were responsible for most shipments, with poachers returning repeatedly to the same elephant populations.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 27, 2022
Researchers achieve milestone on path toward nuclear fusion energy
Using the world's largest laser, the researchers coaxed fusion fuel for the first time to heat itself beyond the heat they zapped into it, achieving a phenomenon called a burning plasma.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 3, 2021
Hot little planet as dense as iron zips around red dwarf star
Scientists are eager to find exoplanets — as these alien worlds are known — to look for good candidates that may nurture extraterrestrial life.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Nov 15, 2021
Japanese-Korean-Turkish language group traced to farmers in ancient China
Various descended languages and peoples are thought to have spread across an area of some 8,000 kilometers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 5, 2021
'Super-Earth' may offer clues about atmospheres on distant worlds
Scientists have spotted a planet orbiting a star relatively near our solar system that may offer a prime opportunity to study the atmosphere of a rocky Earth-like alien world — the type of research that could aid the hunt for extraterrestrial life.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 23, 2019
U.S. billionaire industrialist and conservative donor David Koch dies at 79
Billionaire industrialist David Koch, a driving force behind conglomerate Koch Industries who as one of the world's richest people became a major financier of conservative causes and political candidates, has died at age 79, his brother said on Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 8, 2019
Mirror test in Japanese study suggests self-awareness in fish, raising questions about animal intelligence
Small tropical reef fish were able to recognize themselves in a mirror, scientists said Thursday, in a finding that raises provocative questions about assessing self-awareness and cognitive abilities in animals.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 20, 2018
Ghostly neutrinos offer new view of universe as scientists find deep-space source
A breakthrough in the study of ghostly particles called high-energy neutrinos that traverse space, zipping unimpeded through people, planets and whole galaxies, is giving scientists an audacious new way to expand our understanding of the cosmos.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 12, 2016
Amber-entombed flower may have been toxic
Do not let its beauty fool you. A newly identified and exquisitely preserved flower found entombed in amber — fossilized tree sap — may have packed quite a punch.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 28, 2015
Ancient croc ruled North America before dinosaurs
The "Carolina butcher" has been found and is just as scary as the name suggests.
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 28, 2015
Animal body sizes tend to increase in over time
Renowned 19th-century American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope proposed "Cope's Rule," hypothesizing that animal lineages tend to increase in body size over time.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 27, 2014
Plastic debris damages marine environment
There are plastic shopping bags, bottles, toys, action figures, bottle caps, pacifiers, tooth brushes, boots, buckets, deodorant roller balls, umbrella handles, fishing gear, toilet seats and so much more. Plastic pollution is pervasive in Earth's oceans.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 18, 2014
Fossils shed light on origins of mammals
It may not have been the friendliest place for furry little creatures, but three newly identified squirrel-like mammals thrived in the trees of the Jurassic Period, with dinosaurs walking below and flying reptiles soaring above.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Putin’s war will soon reach Russians’ tax bills
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

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