2008/10/01

A new technology has been developed that could enable people to drive cars with just their eyes. If commercialized, the system would be good news for people with arm or leg disabilities, and even for drivers without disabilities, it would add a further level of safety in the operation of motor vehicles....[more]

2008/09/16

Since the announcement in 2007 by Professor Shin’ya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and colleagues on the successful creation of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, there has been much discussion on the possibilities for their application in regenerative medicine. Advances continue to be made....[more]

2008/09/04

A research team led by Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Medical Science have succeeded in neutralizing the virus that causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever using genetic manipulation....[more]

2008/08/18

Tokyo Gas, one of Japan’s biggest gas companies, has built a plant to produce both ethanol and methane from organic waste in the ward of Koto, Tokyo, and began verification testing in February....[more]

2008/08/04

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which were created by the research team led by Professor Shinya Yamanaka at the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, have potential for widespread application in regenerative medicine as cells that can differentiate into any kind of human tissue. These cells have attracted great attention from around the world....[more]

2008/07/21

Intervertebral disk degeneration is a major cause of low back pain, and a clinical trial for a new treatment method to regenerate intervertebral disks and prevent their deterioration using a patient’s own cells will be started in April of this year at the Tokai University School of Medicine. ...[more]

2008/07/07

A robot developed jointly by Mie University and NEC System Technologies has gained a listing in Guinness World Records 2008 as the world’s first “robot sommelier.” Standing 40 centimeters high, it uses a spectrometer to name the brand of wine and the variety of grapes from which it was made with a synthesized voice....[more]

2008/07/01

The leaders of eight major countries will gather for three days on the shores of Lake Toya for the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit on July 7–9 of this year. The problem of global warming will be one of the major topics discussed at the summit, and the world will be watching to see how the G8 deals with this problem....[more]

2008/06/30

Work in regenerative medicine is gaining momentum in Japan. While heart transplants are still relatively uncommon in Japan, Osaka University made the world’s first attempt to restore a patient’s heart functions using cell sheets at the end of 2007. In the future doctors at the university plan to work with researchers at Kyoto University, where induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have been developed, to establish reliable treatment methods....[more]

2008/06/20

A new type of ultrathin solar cell that is flexible enough to be bent will begin shipping in May 2008. This new product is only 0.4 mm thick, and its efficiency at turning solar energy into electrical power is greater than that of existing dye-sensitized solar cells....[more]