2008/06/10

Researchers at the government-affiliated National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) have succeeded in enhancing the proliferation and differentiation (osteogenic differentiation) abilities of human mesenchymal stem cells a 100-fold by inserting a single gene. Mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to differentiate into muscle, bone, fat, and a variety of other cells in the body....[more]

2008/05/30

The evolution of liquid crystal and plasma technologies has put flat-panel televisions in the mainstream. In December 2007 Sony launched the thinnest television monitor yet, measuring only 3 mm. ...[more]

2008/05/19

Construction of Japan’s fourth “super eco-ship” was completed in November 2007, and the eco-friendly tanker is currently serving domestic routes. The Nadeshiko Maru is a 70-meter, 749-ton next-generation coastal vessel that achieves much higher fuel efficiency than conventional tankers and enabling dramatic reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. ...[more]

2008/05/09

Major automaker Toyota unveiled two new “partner robots” in a December 2007 exhibition, displaying the level of development it has achieved in what it sees as a new business area - robots that will work closely with humans in everyday settings. Partner robots are designed to take over such mundane tasks as housework from humans and provide care or mobility support for the elderly and disabled. The December exhibition featured two prototypes: a violin-playing robot and a mobility robot. The violin-playing robot has a human shape - a head, arms, and legs - and at this exhibition performed Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” on a violin it held in its hands. ...[more]

2008/04/30

A new broadcast tower in Tokyo that will become the world’s tallest structure when completed in fiscal 2011 will draw on quake-resistant technology used in building five-story pagodas more than a thousand years ago. Construction of the “New Tokyo Tower,” as the structure is being dubbed, will coincide with the complete switchover to terrestrial digital broadcasting in Japan in 2011. ...[more]

2008/04/10

A research group headed by Professor Shinya Yamanaka of the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, has succeeded in creating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells by inserting four genes into human somatic tissue cells. Similar to embryonic stem cells, iPS cells can differentiate into any kind of cell in the body. Professor Yamanaka’s group published its research in the online version of the American science journal Cell in November of last year, then in December succeeded in modifying its technique to reduce the risk of cancer, which was considered a hindrance to its application. ...[more]

2008/04/21

A unique power-generating system has been developed that employs vibrations and noise to create electricity. It has been experimentally used at a major train station and a bridge with heavy traffic, and research is continuing to apply the technology to chargers for electric appliances and mobile phones. ...[more]

2008/03/31

Researchers at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and the Japan Science and Technology Agency announced on September 14, 2007, that they have succeeded in producing just rainbow trout offspring from the crossing of surrogate yamame salmon parents with transplanted germ cells. This promising technique could be applied to produce offspring of threatened or even extinct species by transplanting the spermatogonia of those species to existing varieties. It may also lead to significant aquacultural benefits by enabling the production of such large fish as bluefin tuna from much smaller parents, such as the mackerel. ...[more]