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Faye Flam
For Faye Flam's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2019
Why 5,000 gray wolves in America are far better than none
The Trump administration has decided that they are no longer endangered. Does that decision endanger the species?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2019
The creative edge that comes with ADHD
The more we hunker down and focus, the more creative thought flutters out of reach.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2019
An empty promise to cure a fake problem
Broad testing of blood samples is not what Americans need.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2019
It won't be an egg that kills you
A correlation between ill health and eating eggs doesn't actually tell us much.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2019
Robot overlords wouldn't be the worst
They can't match humanity's malice and greed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2019
The fight against HIV isn't over yet
The virus has been eradicated from a second patient. In the 20 years since the first cure, the science of prevention and management has transformed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2019
Americans and their love of Fahrenheit
What's so great about Fahrenheit? Not much, but Americans are sticking with it. The global conversation about climate needs to adapt to that reality.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2019
All the American presidents' pronouns
U.S. leaders' rhetoric has grown less analytical over the past century and more confident. But Trump may be as far as that trend can go.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2019
Big teams rarely come up with innovations
Innovations are more likely to arise from lone researchers or very small groups.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2019
How good advice on skin cancer can be bad for your blood pressure
A lack of sun puts darker-skinned people at greater risk for hypertension.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2019
How much is your pet worth?
The cold calculus of 'loss aversion' economic theory gives the wrong answer.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2019
The best diet for the planet isn't the best for humans
If you listened to Mother Earth, you'd probably eat more corn and soy than nutritionists suggest.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2019
Stop hating on the weather forecast
It's actually pretty accurate now, even further in advance. The Midwest had plenty of warning this cold front was coming.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 26, 2019
Gillette's bad medicine for toxic masculinity
Women's defense will come from within.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2019
Competitive culture brings out the worst in scientists
A Chinese researcher wanted to be a pioneer so badly that he ignored ethical boundaries; others think a Nobel is a license to rant
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2019
The U.S. should go back to the moon
There could be clues to the early days of our solar system, and it could be a proving ground for technologies to send astronauts farther into space.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 13, 2019
Are some of us born to have a beer belly?
Scientific literature on excess weight and health is expanding along with global waistlines, and yet, it's hard to find a solid, coherent scientific explanation for why some people get fat and others don't, and why some overweight people get Type 2 diabetes and heart disease and others don't.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2019
Why people fall for fake news isn't simple
Scientists are weirdly divided over what seems like common sense.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2018
You really are turning into your parents
At least you have some sense of what's coming, and maybe it's not too late to swerve.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2018
Just exactly where is the final frontier?
The line between atmosphere and outer space is surprisingly debatable. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo may or may not have crossed it.

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