The New York Times has an interesting article on Japanese energy technology. What always leaves me scratching my head is how this environmentally-minded country has such lousy windows and insulation which leads to more heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer (and thus more energy consumed and greater expense). I’d also love […]

The Japanese government announced recently that it is considering relaxing the country’s immigration laws in a bid to reach a alien resident population of 10% by the year 2050. At the time we thought they were talking about people from other countries, but Reuters is reporting:
[A] project, led by Japanese astronomers, will bring together a […]

Well, it looks like the science is in on you guys. Researchers in the U.S. have concluded that obsessive internet use is a public health problem, which is so serious it should be officially recognized as a clinical disorder
Sufferers spend unhealthy amounts of time playing online games, viewing pornography or emailing.
They suffer four […]

It’s beer for astronauts, and Sapporo is going to brew it with barely grown in space (or at least from the lineage of space barley).
So Sapporo is going to brew about 100 bottles of the stuff which will only be available to astronauts on the space station.
The question is will NASA allow them […]

The New York Times has an interesting article about the shortage of engineers in Japan. It’s really an astounding fact given how Japan is such a leader in science and technology. A big theme of the article is the Japanese attitude towards foreigners since allowing engineers to immigrate - as U.S. high-tech companies do to a large extent - […]

Japan’s oldest “modern” robot — the 10-foot, 6-inch GakuTenSoku — has been awakened in Japan. Gone are the inflatable rubber tubes of the original 1928 android build by biologist Makoto Nishimura. The bot now tilts its head, moves his eyes, smiles, and puffs out his cheeks thanks to a $200,000, computer-controlled, pneumatic-servo makeover. While nothing […]

in january of this year, what is being called a “missing link” from the cretaceous period was discovered in iwate prefecture by one kazuhisa sasaki.

this specimen is the oldest praying mantis specimen to have legs with hair and spines.
interesting…

in an apparent chemistry experiment gone awesome, a 14 year old girl managed to not only to give herself considerable trouble breathing, but forced an evacuation of her apartment complex. according to police this is only an isolated incident in a series of similar experimentation through out the nation. driven to recreating this […]

Steve Levenstein has an interesting post over at Inventorspot about an unusual domestic fire alarm.
Concerned as to whether those with hearing disabilities would be able to escape a domestic emergency, assistant professor Makoto Imai of Japan’s Shiga University of Medical Science has been testing the idea of a silent alarm that wakes you with the […]

From Slashdot, reported by RemyBR:
“Controversial scientific research happens all the time, but a review conducted by scientists in Japan uncovered a list of ‘bizarre’ trials - including one program designed to crossbreed cows with whales. ‘Scientists have analyzed 43 research papers produced by Japan over 18 years, finding most were useless or esoteric. The scientific […]

Quick, what’s the expression of the guy in this picture?
Your response–and whether or not you took into account the feelings of the people behind him–may be a reflection of your culture. I wrote earlier about the neurological test that has recently been conducted, testing East Asian and American patients and their ability to make relative […]

ever thought about cruising on your own boat around the pacific ocean? you know, just for the hell of it? well then, are you an environmentalist perhaps? someone who is worried about the increasing acidity of our oceans and the giant pile of trash polluting the pacific. hmmm? then you’ll love this man.

his […]

below the buzzing metropolis of tokyo in the depths of a high rise building is a microcosm of an agricultural revolution. in a facility staffed by former freeters looking for a source of lasting employment, there are six rooms dedicated the the seeding, germination, and successful growth of various vegetables. why is this […]

in an interesting new york times article the paper discusses the iriomote “mountain cat” and it’s uncertain future. being somewhat of an anomaly, the cat faced a delicate situation on the islands in the absence of humans. however since the discovery of the rare and elusive creature in 1967 it’s population has […]

Here is some news that is sure to please some JAPUNDIT fans, a team from Obihiro University of Agriculture in Japan believes they have come up with a way to neutralize the gasses being produced by the world’s 1.5 billion flatulent bovines.
Junichi Takahashi’s discovery could, he says, dramatically reduce the environmental damage caused by […]

While surrogacy is not illegal in Japan, the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology has banned its members from assisting in surrogate births.
Back in October last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare called on the Science Council of Japan to debate “the propriety of surrogacy”, and the council submitted a report last week.
The […]

Researchers in Japan and the U.S. have successfully transmitted the brain waves of a monkey half way around the world over the Internet to a robot that performed the correct movement.
The U.S. researchers at Duke University in North Carolina pinned down correlated patterns between a monkey’s brain nerve signals and leg movements. The monkey […]

Still another indication that Japan is seeking carbon emission reductions in all the wrong places comes in a news report on the debate over whether the nation’s trend towards a night owl lifestyle should be curbed by government fiat in order protect the environment.
The sense among the government’s Central Environment and Industrial Structure councils […]

Check out this page of photos from The 49th International Conference on Electron, Ion and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication Bizarre/Beautiful Micrograph Contest, which includes the following from Takahashi Kaito of SII Nanotechnology Inc., titled Chisai Benjo (small toilet).

Via The Raw Feed

This year’s Ig Nobel Prize winners have been announced, and one of this year’s winners is a Japanese woman, Mayu Yamamoto, “who developed a way to extract a vanilla fragrance and flavor from cow dung“.
Or, officially -
CHEMISTRY: Mayu Yamamoto of the International Medical Center of Japan, for developing a way to extract vanillin — […]