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New “edible kairo” tablets claim to warm your body during winter—our Japanese writer eats the lot

Master Blaster
Feb 2, 2016
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In an effort to beat the recent cold snap that befell Japan, our writer Ahiru Neko discovered Edible Kairo (Edible Heat Packs) but got a little carried away.

Japan
(Edible Kairo • heat pack • kairo • science • winter)

Researchers find that it takes guts to be a good mother…gut bacteria at least

Master Blaster
Jan 25, 2016

A Fukui University team has discovered a connection between a child’s development and the amount of bacteria in a mother’s intestines – even after birth.

Japan
(developmental disorder • Fukui University • gut bacteria • health • pregnancy • science)

North Korea claims it has invented “hangover-free” alcohol

KK Miller
Jan 21, 2016

Another day, another wild North Korean claim, but is it science fiction, or a genuine scientific miracle?

North Korea
(alcohol • drinks • hangover • invention • science)

Researchers use uniformity of Japanese language to read people’s minds

Master Blaster
Jan 7, 2016

A research group from the Kyushu Institute of Technology have announced that they have successfully read certain words and letters from people’s minds without them saying anything.

Japan
(brainwaves • Japanese • Kyushu Institute of Technology • language • mind-reading • science • technology)

Just when you thought it was safe to go ba…NINJA CROW SHARK!!!

Master Blaster
Dec 29, 2015

A recent article published in the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation unveiled this black beauty as a new species with one badass name: Ninja Crow Shark!

C America, Japan, USA
(lanternshark • Ninja • ninja crow shark • science • sharks • zoology)

Clear cube necklace lets you carry all the colors of the rainbow with you to match any outfit

Meg Murphy
Dec 10, 2015

Lovers of science, color, and pretty, shiny things in general will also love this beautiful “Spectrum Cube” necklace!

Japan
(art • handmade • light • science • Spectrum Cube)

Dragon Ball fans rally for petition to officially change name of planet Kepler 22b to Namek

Casey Baseel
Dec 4, 2015

Who will win this epic battle between Johannes Kepler and Demon King Piccolo?

Global, Internet
(anime • astronomy • Dragon Ball • Kepler 22b • Namek • petition • science • space)

Work-in-progress Japanese AI program could probably get into 474 universities in the country

Casey Baseel
Nov 17, 2015

Now in its third year of testing, the artificial intelligence just earned its best mock entrance exam score yet.

Japan
(artificial intelligence • education • entrance exams • science • technology)

Cracked smartphone screens could be a thing of the past far sooner than we thought

Jamie Koide
Nov 7, 2015

Every year, tech giants like Apple, Samsung and HTC give us more features and better, often bigger, displays to look forward to in our smartphones. But so far they still haven’t managed to come up with a way to tackle perhaps the most common problem users have, which is dropping your phone and cracking the screen.

However one research team at Tokyo University is hoping to change that by creating glass that is nearly indestructible. If the team achieves its goal, the glass could be used in everything from buildings to consumer electronics as soon as 2020.

Japan
(cool • glass • iPhone • science • Smartphones • techology • Tokyo University)

Tokyo clinic’s Cinderella Breast Augmentation will boost your bust, but only for a single day

Casey Baseel
Oct 31, 2015

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, right? It’s a classic tale of a young woman who’s transformed into the most enchanting lady in the kingdom when her fairy godmother shows up and gives her a beautiful dress, loose-fitting footwear, and a pair of shapely, ample breasts.

Wait, that last part actually isn’t in the traditional version of the fairy tale. Nevertheless, one Tokyo-based cosmetic surgery clinic is offering something it calls the Cinderella Breast Augmentation procedure, which can increase your bust size by up to one and a half cups. But just like Cinderella’s magic ended at the stroke of midnight, so too do your breasts return to their normal size the next day.

Japan
(beauty • cosmetic surgery • science)

Kyoto professor makes petroleum easily using only water and carbon dioxide…we think

Master Blaster
Oct 6, 2015

Among the many problems presented by using fossil fuels such as petroleum, one of the more pressing issues is their limited and rapidly decreasing supply. Unfortunately, it would take thousands of years of organic matter decomposing and compressing under layers of the Earth to replenish the supply in the manner in which it was first made, and that’s an unlikely business.

But now it’s been reported that a professor from Kyoto University and his team have found a way to create petroleum efficiently and cheaply. Their method uses no energy-consuming high pressures or temperatures and only requires water, petroleum, and carbon dioxide. As a result, it can be done so cheaply that KTV reported 100 yen (US$0.83) of oil can be synthesized using only 3 yen ($0.02) worth of electricity.

It all seems to good to be true, and in fact it may not be true. With published peer-reviewed studies, mysterious television appearances, and lack of mainstream media coverage. We honestly can’t figure out is this amazing breakthrough or not. And neither can anyone else as science enthusiasts take to Twitter to find answers.

Global, Japan
(Kyoto University • oil • petroleum • science • synthesis)

Eel-flavored catfish available for tasting at Gifu festival

Master Blaster
Oct 2, 2015

Eating catfish is looked down upon by many people in Japan who regularly enjoy a plethora of ocean-raised fish. Even though the Japanese diet is no stranger to aggressively aromatic food such as natto, diners here simply cannot get past the stink of these bottom feeders.

Eel on the other hand is a much-loved freshwater fish that is a summer hit across Japan served on top of rice with a sweet sauce. But with this popularity comes a threat of overfishing and depletion of the species. Faced with this problem, Associate Professor Masahiko Ariji of Kinki University has found a way to raise catfish which taste like eel.

Since its announcement earlier this year, there has been a lot of curiosity over this flavor-modified fish. Now, attendees to the Catfish Festival in Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture will get to try a very limited supply before it gets released for public consumption.

Japan
(catfish • Catfish Festival • eel • fish • food • Gifu • science)

These Edo-period sketches of human skeletons are oddly adorable despite being totally creepy

Preston Phro
Sep 25, 2015

The Edo Period was a time of great change for Japan, in just about every way possible. Perhaps one of the areas of biggest change, though, was science and medicine, thanks to the numerous scholars who spent years learning not only from Western sources but also from their own work.

One of the pioneers of medicine in the Edo Period was Toshuku Neguro, an ophthalmologist who sketched the first Japanese diagram of the human skeleton. While it was likely a fairly gruesome job, Neguro’s sketches are somehow almost…cute?!

Japan
(cute • history • science • Toshuku Neguro • weird • wtf)

Osaka doctor wins Ig Nobel Prize for discovering kisses can reduce allergic reactions

Master Blaster
Sep 22, 2015

Japan has had a pretty good track record with the annual Ig Nobel Prize. Scientists from all over the country have been awarded for nine years straight for their contributions to wacky and humorous research. Last year, Professor Kiyoshi Mabuchi recieved the Ig Nobel Prize in Physics for determining exactly how slippery a banana peel on the floor is.

Now, Dr. Hajime Kimata of the Osaka Prefecture Neyagawa Allergy Clinic has been given the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine. However, rather than investigating a silly topic, Dr. Kimata’s findings were actually rather sweet: Kissing can reduce a person’s allergic reactions.

Global, Japan
(allergies • health • Ig Nobel Prize • kissing • medicine • science)

Shooting star shakes up the Monday blues in Thailand【Video】

Jamie Koide
Sep 11, 2015

Many people that work a weekday 9-5 job consider Mondays to be the bane of their existence. Unsurprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of love for that first day back to the office after a fun weekend.

But for those caught in rush hour traffic this past Monday in Thailand, it was anything but dull and monotonous thanks to a shooting star sighting caught on camera by a number of drivers on their way to work.

SE Asia
(astronomy • nature • science • shooting star • Thailand • video)

How many licks does it take to get to the center of the Earth? We’re about to find out

KK Miller
Sep 3, 2015

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Sendai Astronomical Observatory, which was opened in 1955 thanks to generous donations from the citizens of the city of Sendai and other contributors. Traditionally, the 60th anniversary gift is diamonds, and as everyone knows, diamonds are forever.

But don’t we also kind of hope that Earth is forever, too? One of the many items the observatory sells is a lollipop with the image of the earth printed on it. The effect will leave you…earthstruck.

Japan
(cool • Earth • moon • Planetarium • science • Sendai Astronomical Observatory • sweets)

Scottish university researches discover new way to keep ice cream tasty and fresh

Jamie Koide
Sep 2, 2015

Early ice cream production methods date all the way back to B.C. times, and even today people are still coming up with new and improved ways to enjoy this tasty treat. In Japan, this sometimes means inventing weird ice cream flavors or combining it with other popular foods like ramen. In fact, some Japanese people even believe you can learn a thing or two about another person’s personality by watching how they eat their ice cream.

But Japan isn’t the only country with a fondness for ice cream. The United Kingdom, for example, recently ranked in as one of the top 10 ice cream-consuming countries in the world. Not only do people in the U.K. enjoy satisfying their sweet tooth, they’re also coming up with ways to savor their ice cream longer, as a result of new research by two Scottish universities.

Europe
(cool • food • ice cream • science • sweets • U.K.)

We eat Electrical Udon and Blue Curry while watching guys shoot each other with electricity

Master Blaster
Sep 1, 2015

A little while back, we brought you news of Electrical Udon developed by Kurare of Arienai Rika (“Unbelievable Science”) for an event to be held in Osaka. Well, that event has come and gone, and we were fortunate enough to be there to get a taste of his technicolor noodles along with some other off-color foods like blue rice topped with even bluer curry and fried chicken with a secret green sauce.

We also got to see some of the DIY science that made Arienai Rika a cult hit with science and tech enthusiasts in Japan.

Internet, Japan
(Arienai Rika • curry • food • karaage • Kurare • Osaka • science • technology • udon)

Will whiskey aged in space taste smoother? Suntory is set to experiment this month

Krista Rogers
Aug 3, 2015

Japanese brewing and distilling company Suntory Holdings Limited recently announced their plans to send samples of whiskey to the International Space Station in order to investigate the effects of zero gravity on the aging process.

Japan
(alcohol • drinks • JAXA • science • space • Suntory • Whiskey)

It’s a Beach Day miracle as even landlocked Japan swears it can smell the sea

Casey Baseel
Jul 21, 2015

Japan may have an image as an all-work and no-play sort of place, but you’ve got to give the country credit for coming up with Umi no Hi. Observed on the third Monday of July, Umi no Hi literally means “Ocean Day,” but “Marine Day” and “Beach Day” would also be acceptable translations. It’s a national holiday expressly created to give everyone a day off to go have fun at the beach, and it just might be the greatest socially accepted reason ever for blowing off work.

This year, Japan got so into the spirit of the holiday that even people in prefectures with no coastline swore they could smell the sea. But was this just a summery olfactory hallucination, or a legitimate Umi no Hi miracle?