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July 04, 2025
 

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NATURE

Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Nov 8, 2014
Hanging around the threat of extinction
Night falls; stars are showing; yet I'm still perspiring. We set off in darkness into a night filled with hope. Our goal is to see one of the rarest creatures on Earth, a species once considered extinct, and for which even now fate hangs in the balance.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 7, 2014
Scientists devise family tree of the world's insects, the first animals to colonize land
They pollinate our flowers, vegetables and fruit. They spread deadly diseases. They flash in the summer night. They bore into the wood in our homes. And they serve as supper for birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals — including people.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 31, 2014
U.S. to monitor turtle exports in face of booming global trade
There were lots of snickers when a Chinese-Canadian man was caught trying to leave the United States with 51 turtles hidden in his sweatpants, but the case illustrated the serious threat facing native species from the booming international turtle trade, federal scientists said on Thursday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 31, 2014
Scientists call skin-eating Asian fungus a threat to amphibians
A skin-eating fungus that infiltrated Europe through the global wildlife trade is threatening to inflict massive losses on the continent's native salamanders including extinction of whole species and could do the same in North America, scientists say.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 23, 2014
Paraguayan plant stevia upends sugar market
The maker of America's top sugar brand, Domino Sugar, is launching its first no-calorie "natural" sweetener extracted from the stevia plant in Paraguay, the strongest sign yet that the upstart product is threatening to eat into demand for sugar.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 22, 2014
Brazil puts giant swath of rain forest under federal safeguard
The Brazilian government said Tuesday it has put an environmentally rich area of the Amazon rain forest under federal protection, creating a reserve larger than the U.S. state of Delaware.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 20, 2014
Ancient Scottish fish fossils yield clues to origins of intercourse
Scientists studying fossils have discovered that the intimate act of sexual intercourse used by humans was pioneered by ancient armoured fishes, called placoderms, about 385 million years ago in Scotland.
WORLD
Oct 18, 2014
Bear consumes body of California man who died of heart attack
A man who suffered a heart attack and died outside his rural Northern California home had his corpse dragged away and eaten by a black bear that was sheltering nearby, medical officials said Friday.
WORLD
Oct 15, 2014
Gun-slinging patrolwoman chases off polar bear at Alaskan home
A gun-slinging Alaskan wildlife manager chased off a massive polar bear that broke into an 81-year-old's house in a remote community to feast on a drum of seal oil, the Alaska Dispatch News reported.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 12, 2014
Rattlesnake repertoire boosts snakelike robot's skills
How do you make a better snake robot? You study snakes, of course.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 11, 2014
A perilous flight path of life and death
As I emerged into the pre-dawn darkness of Sept. 13, I was greeted by a brief flicker of movement. I wandered along one of the upper decks of The World, past the gently slopping pool with its ring of still-vacant sun loungers. I peered at the surprisingly real potted bushes, staring at their dense green...
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Oct 4, 2014
The bear cheek of our woodland friends
When I came to live here in Kurohime in the hills of northern Nagano Prefecture almost 35 years ago, I got a gun licence and joined the local hunter's association — not because I wanted to kill things, but to help me learn about the mountains, rivers, woodlands, plants and wildlife in this area.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 12, 2014
Wildlife activists say new U.S. lynx protections fall short
The federal government will extend protections to all imperiled Canada lynx in the lower 48 U.S. states, but wildlife advocates said on Thursday it was ignoring important parts of the rare cats' range and they vowed to challenge the move in court.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 10, 2014
Huge project to divert rivers to Beijing, at the expense of regions
China is about to realize a dream of communist leader Mao Zedong to redirect river flows to benefit Beijing and the dry north, but critics say the resource grab by the politically powerful capital will harm other regions.
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 8, 2014
California blue whales, once almost extinct, now back at historical levels
California blue whales, the largest animals on Earth once driven to near extinction by whaling, have made a remarkable comeback to near historic, 19th century levels, according to a University of Washington study released on Friday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Sep 6, 2014
A tale of two parks, and their preservation
As I sit in my study here in Kurohime in the hills of northern Nagano Prefecture, through the window I can see 2,053-meter Mount Kurohime, a dormant volcano that's forested to the top.
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 2, 2014
TV forecasters imagine climate change in 2050
Imaginary television weather forecasts predicted floods, storms and searing heat from Arizona to Zambia within four decades, as part of a United Nations campaign on Monday to draw attention to a U.N. summit this month on fighting global warming.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 24, 2014
Tire-makers race to turn dandelions into rubber
Dutch biologist Ingrid van der Meer often meets with disbelief when she talks about her work on dandelions and how it could secure the future of road transport.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 18, 2014
Brazil makes progress on saving rain forests, Indonesia risks setbacks: report
Brazil has made good progress in safeguarding the Amazon rain forest but Indonesia's plans for its forests could face setbacks under a new government, a report commissioned by top forest aid donor Norway said Monday.
WORLD
Aug 7, 2014
Reward offered for man shown kicking squirrel into Grand Canyon
An animal rights group offered a reward of nearly $17,000 on Wednesday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a man who apparently kicked a squirrel into Arizona's Grand Canyon in a video that went viral on the Internet.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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