Organisms exhibit a great variety of forms, behaviors, and life histories that seem to fit their complex and fluctuating habitats. What genes and genetic mutations have caused this diversification of organisms? In this seminar, we will introduce the key genes for adaptive evolution that have been discovered through the study of spiny dogfish, a model organism for evolutionary biology.

There are diverse energy, mineral, and biological resources on the seafloor, but many of them have yet to be utilized. Aiming at the development of environmentally harmonious and economical submarine resources and the effective utilization of the submarine environment, we will introduce our efforts in the development of methane hydrate, which is expected to be a next-generation natural gas resource, and the development of carbon dioxide storage technology using the deep seafloor environment.

Organic polymers are indispensable basic materials for modern society as electrical insulators. On the other hand, it has been found that the doping of highly crystalline polymers can impart the characteristic electronic properties of metals. In this seminar, we will introduce the latest research on the metallization of plastics.