For breast surgeon Takako Kamio, 53, science is all about going to your limit to seek the truth.

Kamio is one of very few female breast surgeons in Japan — and one of the most sought-after. Patients wait for hours to see her at the hospital affiliated with Tokyo Women's Medical University, where she is an associate professor in a surgery department.

Kamio, who grew up near the Kushiro Marshes National Park in Hokkaido, spent a lot of time in her youth bird-watching there and collecting wild plant samples. So for her, she says, choosing "life science" as her career was a natural thing to do.