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May 03, 2024
 

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NATURAL SELECTIONS

JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 9, 2011
Japan's year of triumph in space
So, it's goodbye to 2010, the Year of the Tiger, and hello to 2011, the Year of the Rabbit.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Dec 12, 2010
In dangerous waters
As our small boat wended its way up the Wami River in Saadani National Park, Tanzania, we passed a crocodile basking on the bank. Nothing unusual about that, but this croc only had three legs. I asked if one leg had been chopped off by a boat's propeller? "No," said our guide, Eliona Sabaya, "It was bitten off by a hippo."
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 14, 2010
Mind who you call a 'birdbrain'
Eiichi Izawa of Keio University in Tokyo calls them "feathered primates." In Japanese folklore they are the origin of the forest demons known as karasu tengu. Scientists classify them as Corvus macrorhynchos.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Oct 10, 2010
Reflecting on some recent monkey business
In this month's column:a tale of the mythical Sea King Rin-Jin; a jellyfish that can walk on land; and a monkey that gazes, like the wicked witch in Snow White, at its own reflection in a mirror — though, unlike the wicked witch, the monkey is not so interested in looking at its face.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Sep 12, 2010
Japan's mighty whale mountain
It's enough to make members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society choke on their tofu burgers. Stocks of frozen whale meat in Japan have reached 4,000 tons — that's 4 million kg.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 8, 2010
Shock tests reveal rodent intelligence
I once became obsessed with following the Shibuya River as far as I could through central Tokyo. It's hard to explain the fascination, as the river is merely a concrete channel — little more than an ugly drain — and is mostly built over. But that was the key to my interest: The idea that there was an almost-secret river flowing through and under this most urban of Japanese cityscapes. I wanted to explore it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 11, 2010
Viewing dolphins as Taiji could show them
We're not the only mammals to notice the oil tanker entering the Gulf of Amvrakikos.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 13, 2010
Synthetic life zaps 'the soul'
I remember a couple of years ago the Vatican made a curious announcement about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Clearly,the Roman Catholic Church was getting worried that any discovery of evidence of life on other planets would undermine its authority on Earth. It wanted to head off the impact of that potentially devastating discovery even before it happened.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
May 9, 2010
Astronauts need company: Should we send a rover or a humanoid?
If you've heard the arguments about whether it's better to send robots or humans on space missions, get ready for them to intensify: There are whole varieties of subarguments.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 11, 2010
Italian toads fuel case for animals' seismic sense
Have you ever anticipated an earthquake? Some people report that they have "sensed" a temblor before it struck. They may claim to have felt a "foreboding" that something was going to happen. When an earthquake then strikes, it is easy to retrospectively join the dots and attribute that vague sense of impending doom to the quake.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Mar 14, 2010
Pens and pools: prisons for cetaceans
The death in February of a killer-whale trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, made headlines all over the world. As has been widely reported, Dawn Brancheau, an experienced orca trainer, was dragged by her hair into the whale's pool, where she died of traumatic injuries and drowning.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Feb 14, 2010
Could 'Godzilla cherry blossom' save Japanese culture?
Cherry blossom is as quintessentially Japanese as sushi and samurai.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 10, 2010
Beware: Reading this may swamp your sea horses
Reading this column could be an unforgettable way to start the new year.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Dec 13, 2009
How to survive a 'fearful age'?
The other day I attended a preview screening of "The Road," the new film of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic 2006 novel of the same name.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 8, 2009
Eco-tourism the camel-dive way
It's 4 a.m. and I wake up on a beach on the Sinai Peninsula of eastern Egypt. The moon has set and the mountains of Saudi Arabia just 18 km away across the Gulf of Aqaba are silhouetted against the stars. The camel I rode here is sleeping nearby, and it is still so warm even in late October that a single blanket is all I need. If this is doing my bit for ecological tourism, I'm sold.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Oct 11, 2009
In cross-cultural situations, remember those emoticons
"My first child was born on December 27th, 1839, and I at once commenced to make notes on the first dawn of the various expressions which he exhibited."
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Sep 13, 2009
Sex in space could be the key to the survival of humans
I've been thinking about sex in space. Not from any interest in a potential new porn genre, or because I've got a chance of joining the 62-mile-high club any time soon. No, my concerns are loftier even than that: I'm worried about the future of humanity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 9, 2009
From flossing to . . . philosophy?
Next time I visit Kyoto, it's not the temples I'll want to see — it's the monkeys.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 12, 2009
A teenager in an infant's body may hold the key to eternal youth
We are constantly under attack. Chemicals in the environment, ultraviolet light, even cosmic radiation — our DNA is bombarded 24/7 by agents that can cause damage and mutations. But don't take my word for it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 14, 2009
What lit the fuse of culture?
In this month's column, we solve the mystery of the emergence of modern human culture. As a bonus, there's a bit of good news for Tokyoites — and for those of us who may worry that success is solely down to brainpower.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Saudi Arabia steps up Gaza-related arrests as Israel ties edge closer
The arrests for Gaza-related posts indicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s regime will take a hard line against citizens not toeing the line when it comes to normalizing ties with Israel.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
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.

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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