Rowan Hooper - The Japan Times

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Rowan Hooper

Rowan Hooper has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from Sheffield University, UK, and he worked as an insect biologist in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, for five years before spending a two-year period at The Japan Times in Tokyo. He is now news editor for New Scientist magazine, based in London.

For Rowan Hooper's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS

Nov 22, 2001

Wise words from Earth's defenders

Most of us have heard warnings that humans are destroying the Earth and all that lives on it since we were toddlers. So much so that the message has lost its urgency. More than that, we've become cynical. What good can we do when in the United States, for example, every bill aimed at cutting back on...

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Nov 16, 2001

* Japanese name: Kusagikamemushi * Scientific name: Halyomorpha halys * Description: Most people call all insects "bugs," but strictly speaking, only one order of insect, those with piercing mouthparts, are true bugs -- the stink bug is one of them. It belongs to a family called shieldbugs, because...

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS

Nov 15, 2001

Scent of a stickleback

We all know why we find certain people attractive and want to form relationships with them. Those special people might be more than usually compassionate, intelligent or funny -- or might be physically well-endowed in some way. And neurologists know which areas of the brain become active when we meet...

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Nov 9, 2001

* Japanese name: Aburamushi * Scientific name: Aphididae * Description: Aphids are small, green insects that grow 1-6 mm long. They have soft, oval-shaped bodies, sometimes with wings and sometimes without. They have long, tubular mouths, like drinking straws. There are more than 600 species of aphid...

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS

Nov 8, 2001

All the leaves are brown -- anyone know why?

In Japan, the beauty of leaves in autumn is revered with almost religious fervor. Part of the autumn weather forecast is devoted to showing the "leaf front" as the color change in trees moves across the country. Millions of tourists travel to marvel at the display.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Nov 2, 2001

* Japanese Name: Namitento* Scientific name: Harmonia axyridis

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS

Nov 1, 2001

These dreams are made of . . . what?

Ever had a sleepless night before an exam, cramming in the things you didn't learn in time? Even after 40 hours without sleep, it is still possible to disgorge crammed information. But remember those facts a week later? Forget it.

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Oct 26, 2001

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS

Oct 25, 2001

Tales from the well-made crypt

Fifty years ago, archaeologists used an oil-rig drill to bore 53 meters below the surface of a mound in Gordion, Turkey, the ancient capital of Phrygia. Underneath the limestone-rich earth was the oldest intact wooden structure in the world, a 5 x 6 meter chamber dating from the eighth century B.C. The...

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Oct 19, 2001

Migratory locust

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS

Oct 18, 2001

Tomb raiders for racial equality

Today, Oct. 18, is the feast day of Luke the Evangelist: physician, saint, author of the book of Acts and companion of Paul. It is thanks to Luke, the most literary of the four gospel writers, that we learn about the human aspects of Christ's life -- such as the enduring Nativity scene.

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Oct 12, 2001

Five-lined skink

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS

Oct 11, 2001

When the heart rules the head

Are we at the mercy of emotional centers in the brain when we make moral decisions, or can we override them? Is there a "hard-wired," physiological component to emotions, or are they cultural products, gradually emerging as a result of our upbringing and experience?

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Oct 5, 2001

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS

Oct 4, 2001

Putting fear and hope on the genome map

Future historians might well classify this week as typical of the early 21st century, in that there is a flurry of reports linking specific genes to human diseases, and at the same time there is a voice warning against seeing genetics as a "magic bullet," the solution to all our problems.

COMMUNITY

Sep 30, 2001

We are here to help you

The British archaeologist Howard Carter was excavating in the Valley of the Kings in 1922 when he found a wall bearing the seal of Tutankhamen from the 14th century B.C. He made a small hole and peered through. From his journal:

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Sep 28, 2001

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS

Sep 27, 2001

Can God damage your health?

On Sept. 15, the Oxford evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins published a piece in The Guardian called "Religion's misguided missiles." With customary antireligious zeal, the Charles Simonyi professor for the Public Understanding of Science gave his explanation for the attacks on New York and Washington,...

JAPAN

Sep 21, 2001

First ever surgery employing remote robots is performed

The age of automated, computer-controlled surgery came closer than ever this week with the report that surgeons in New York successfully used remote-controlled robots to remove the gall bladder of a patient in France. The procedure, performed on a 68-year-old woman in Strasbourg, was the world's first...

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Sep 21, 2001

Japanese macaque

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

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.

How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan

By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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