Science View - Season 9 / Year 2020

What if you could regrow a missing arm or leg? Can you imagine such a thing? World leading regenerative biologist Kiyokazu Agata sees this every day in his studies of planarian flatworms. They can not only regrow missing tails or mid-sections, but even missing heads and brains! In this episode, we'll learn about Agata, the astounding abilities of the creatures he studies, his discoveries about the genes, stem cells and regrowth locational information that make it possible, and his hopes to apply these discoveries to human medicine.

Recent research has shown that almost all organs send out messages and exchange information as though they were all communicating within a huge network inside the body. Tiny vesicles called "exosomes" are responsible for carrying the molecules that comprise these messages. We'll look at how scientists are hoping to use these "exosomes" in various medical fields, such as for treating cancer and myocardial infarction, as well as in explaining the mechanism of aging.

One of Japan's largest limestone caves, Akiyoshido extends out underground directly beneath a karst plateau known as Akiyoshidai in western Japan's Yamaguchi Prefecture. The entrance to a previously unexplored chamber was found on the ceiling of the massive cave, and an NHK film crew accompanied researchers and specialists on the investigation of this unknown area. After hours of climbing and traversing terrain that humans had never before covered, the team made their way deep into the new chamber and began conducting surveys using 3D technology. Cave researcher and research team leader Takashi Murakami joins us inside the studio to discuss their findings.

Atsuo Sasaki, associate professor at the University of Cincinnati discovered the metabolic mechanisms of cells which could open up new possibilities for cancer treatment. Guanosine triphosphate or GTP is the molecule that holds the key. Sasaki uncovered that a certain enzyme which reacted to GTP in cells acts as a "energy sensor" sending signals for cancer cells to grow. Furthermore, his recent study revealed the mechanism of nucleolus enlargement in highly malignant form of cancer cells, which had been a mystery for more than 100 years. Currently, he is conducting joint research to elucidate how his findings could be connected to metabolic diseases related to obesity. Find out how international collaboration is opening up potential uses for GTP research.

What kind of person would move to the other side of the world to study dinosaurs at the tender age of 16? Paleobiologist Tetsuto Miyashita did. In this episode, we'll learn how he became interested in dinosaurs, what his research work has revealed about these and other ancient creatures, the inspirational figures that have become his collaborators at the University of Chicago, why his recent focus has shifted to more contemporary (and less frightening) creatures, and his plans for the future.

Jellyfish have existed for 500 million years. Their great numbers and a diversity of some 4,000 species make them one of the most important creatures of the deep. A JAMSTEC research team has been garnering international attention for its study of jellyfish. Led by Australian marine biologist Dhugal Lindsay, the team is taking advantage of remote-controlled submersibles, 8K cameras and other new technologies to discover one new jellyfish species after the next. In February 2020, the team carried out surveys of Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay using a 15-camera submersible probe known as "Deep Tow." It's an ambitious attempt to get a complete picture of jellyfish and other creatures of the deep. Jellyfish have been the subject of numerous studies, about their longevity, how their population explosions occasionally impact the fishing industry and more. In this episode, we'll look at the latest of these studies, showing us the unknown charms and mysterious lives of jellyfish.

Predicted by Albert Einstein about 100 years ago, gravitational waves are ripples in space-time caused by the movement of a celestial body with huge mass. The ripples disrupt space-time and create waves that travel at the speed of light. On February 25, 2020, Japan's first gravitational wave detector KAGRA began full-scale operation. Detectors like KAGRA enable conventional telescopes that observe visible, infrared and electromagnetic waves to be used much more effectively, and they are bringing about a new era in astronomy. An NHK film crew had a chance to take a special tour of KAGRA before operation began, and in this episode, we'll take a sneak peek at its sapphire mirrors and other high-tech equipment that give it the world's best performance.

The aurora is a beautiful display of light in the night sky. There are even places near the North and South Poles where the aurora continues to appear for 24 hours. One such place is the Svalbard Islands in the Arctic Circle, where it's dark all day during the winter months, making the archipelago an aurora hotspot. Using a special all-sky camera array, NHK videographers recorded the aurora there for nearly an entire day. Their footage clearly showed a beautiful green aurora, but also managed to capture the mysterious red aurora as well. In this episode, we'll learn what causes the aurora and why it's sometimes red.

Robotic arms aren't just for factory work anymore. Recent designs are smaller, smarter, lighter, more portable and more expressive in their movements. In this episode, we'll see how robotic arms can be used for desktop assembly lines, coaching ping-pong, doing convenience store work and augmenting the human body. We'll even see how a developer upgraded a robot, and then that robot returned the favor and upgraded the developer!

Most people don't realize how much we rely on our teeth until they lose one, or come close to losing one. It's a frightening prospect. But new and improved dental procedures are making it easier to protect our precious choppers. This episode examines recent improvements to root canal procedures, how CT scans are augmenting X-ray images, how and why teeth can erode and how that erosion can be reversed with composite resins.

There are countless microbes in the air around us. Microbes such as bacteria and fungi can even be found in the sky's higher altitudes thousands of meters above the ground, floating around as bioaerosols. Dr. Maki Teruya, currently a professor at Kindai University's Graduate School of Science and Engineering, has been studying microbes for many years and contends that these bioaerosols may cause clouds to form and drop rain. The field of meteorology has found that minerals such as dust and ash serve as the ice nucleus of clouds at altitudes above 7,000 meters, but the cause of clouds at lower altitudes has long been a mystery. Can bioaerosols really make it rain? We'll follow Dr. Maki's unique research as he searches among forests and the sky to answer this question.

A team at Osaka University conducted the world's first surgery to transplant heart muscle cells created from iPS cells to a patient with severe heart failure. This treatment is gaining worldwide attention as it provides hope to many heart patients. How are iPS cells created? How do they transform into heart cells? And how was the transplant performed? Witness the entire process of this revolutionary surgery by watching images taken with an 8K Ultra HD camera set up on a microscope.

Batteries and clocks are things we all use every day. But this episode may cause you to think about them in new ways. We'll trace the development of a solid battery electrolyte for lithium ions to pass through. It allows a threefold performance improvement over current lithium ion batteries. And we'll see a demonstration confirming Einstein's idea that gravity alters the speed of time itself! It's done with optical lattice atomic clocks, and their secret ingredient: strontium.

There are 12 types of soil throughout the world. As a field researcher heavily into fieldwork, Kazumichi Fujii has personally collected each of them. He understands the lifestyles of the local people through direct encounters during his research. His life's work is addressing a potential global food crisis through soil. The global population continues to grow, and may exceed 10 billion in 30 years. The world currently feeds 80% of its population from only 11% of fertile farmland. Fujii's idea is to improve the fertility of the remaining 89% through soil. There may be a hint to that solution hidden in the soil of Japan. In this episode, we follow soil researcher Kazumichi Fujii, as he works to avert a potential catastrophe facing humankind.

The scientific world's attention is being drawn again to research on elementary particles called neutrinos, an area in which Japan excels. J-PARC, a research facility in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, is hosting experiments conducted to gain clues about the origin of the universe from the properties of neutrinos. Dr. Atsuko K. Ichikawa, an associate professor at Kyoto University, is leading an international research team of 500 that has already achieved numerous results. In May of 2020, she received the Saruhashi Prize, a Japanese science award given to outstanding female scientists. In this program, we'll follow Ichikawa's neutrino research as she investigates the unsolved mysteries about the universe's formation.

On an isolated group of tranquil Pacific Ocean islands, 1,000 kilometers from the nearest land, evolution takes its own course. Plants and animals adapt to the distinct surroundings and arrive at an ecological balance. But now, invasive species have arrived and threaten that delicate balance. In this episode we'll look at the unique wildlife of the Ogasawara Islands, the threats to that ecosystem and the steps being taken to prevent an environmental tragedy. We'll also get an inside look at a promising new approach to stomach cancer diagnoses that combines artificial intelligence with endoscopes.

Barnacles, which stick to fishing equipment and the bottoms of ships, are said to be a nuisance of the sea. But they've recently gained attention for their nutritional value and strong adhesives. We'll look at the latest in barnacle studies, including attempts to farm them, and research on 5 special proteins they produce. And later in the program, we look at silks that are washing machine safe. The secret to preventing damage lies in the refining process.

Surviving deep in the ocean where sunlight does not reach, deep-sea fungi are attracting attention among researchers. Fungi are microorganisms that include molds and mushrooms, and a closer look at the substances produced by deep-sea fungi has revealed the ability to produce compounds that are useful to humans, such as in preventing disease and preserving food. In this episode, we'll accompany deep-sea fungi hunter Dr. Yuriko Nagano as she takes her first dive on board the manned submersible Shinkai 6500 to an undersea oil field in the waters off Brazil. Watch the program to find out what new species of fungi she discovers in a sample collected at a depth of 2,700 meters, and how it can benefit science.

The latest research has begun to unravel some of the mysteries behind dreaming. People typically dream at least 3 or 4 times a night, but many don't remember their dreams. Researchers now suspect that MCH neurons, which were thought to only regulate appetite, may be the reason why dreams are so easy to forget. Meanwhile, a new technique utilizing fMRI and AI to examine and analyze blood flow in the brain when a person is looking at an image has now enabled scientists to "peer" into a person's dream. In this episode, we'll look at these incredible results and other efforts to conduct research on the mechanisms of dreaming.

Airag, a dairy product made by fermenting horse milk, has been an integral part of life for Mongolia's nomadic people. In 2019, the traditional technique of making Airag was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. It has since attracted worldwide attention with the growing awareness in health consciousness. While much about Airag-making still remains unknown, the traditional knowledge may disappear as more nomads move to the city. Professor Yuki Morinaga of Meiji University has been investigating and recording the traditional method of Airag production for 8 years. Discover the simple and sustainable life of nomads through Morinaga's research on Airag.

The novel coronavirus pandemic is showing no signs of stopping. Scientists are scrambling to understand the invisible enemy through studying its genome, the blueprint of the virus. By analyzing the genome of coronaviruses from around the world, researchers can grasp the characteristics and track the spread of the outbreak. Genomic expert So Nakagawa and his team uncovered the stunning ability of the coronavirus to escape our immune responses from its genome. He will help explain one of the causes for asymptomatic cases. Find out the latest on what we have learned through unlocking the genetic code of the coronavirus.