News On Japan

Japan space probe finds water in asteroid for first time

Sep 23 (Nikkei) - Water has been found in an asteroid sample collected by Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe, marking the first such discovery and shedding light on how the Earth's oceans may have formed.

The findings were published Thursday in the journal Science by research teams from Tohoku University, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and elsewhere. Researchers analyzed samples from the Ryugu asteroid sent from the Hayabusa2.

The minute amount of water was discovered in an iron sulfide crystal's indentation measuring several microns wide. It is estimated to be from roughly 4.6 billion years ago, soon after the solar system formed. The water appears to have been liquid while on Ryugu, rather than ice. The water was in a carbonated form, containing carbon dioxide, salts and organic material. ...continue reading

Source: テレ東BIZ

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

The impact of rising prices is being felt at summer festivals, with essential items like ice shavings and goldfish scooping seeing significant price increases.

Japan's northern Akita Prefecture experienced a torrential deluge Friday, causing major flooding and the collapse of a bridge in Kamikoani Village.

Theft of air conditioner outdoor units has surged as Japan's heatwave continues, leaving some businesses unable to run critical cooling systems.

As power harassment allegations against the governor of Hyogo Prefecture continue to swirl, it has been revealed that another prefectural employee has passed away, with the prefecture delaying a formal announcement of the death by 3 months.

Osaka has topped the 'Japan Urban Power Rankings' for the fourth consecutive year. Conducted by Mori Building's think tank, the ranking evaluates 136 cities across Japan in six categories, including economy, culture, and environment.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Sci-Tech NEWS

A dinosaur fossil found in a stratum dating back approximately 110 million years (Early Cretaceous) in Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, has been identified as a new genus and species of the small carnivorous dinosaur family Troodontidae, which is closely related to birds.

Japan's space business, predicted to grow into a 200 trillion yen industry, is on the cusp of innovation as global competition intensifies.

Japanese scientists have attached living skin to robot faces to make them “smile”. The University of Tokyo published its findings in late June 2024, along with a video of the material being stretched into an unsettling grin. (South China Morning Post)

In Kiyosato, Hokkaido, cherry salmon are making their way back from the Sea of Okhotsk to rivers to spawn as the breeding season approaches. These fish are showcasing their powerful jumps, attempting to scale a waterfall approximately 2.5 meters high.

A new variant, KP.3, different from those before, has emerged, and some say we are now in the 11th wave. The new variant is highly contagious, with symptoms primarily including throat pain and fever.

An eruption of Sakurajima on July 14th that sent plumes of smoke as high as 4,500 meters has been captured on camera.

With rising sea temperatures, the habitats of marine life are changing, and some of these changes involve dangerous creatures that require caution. One such creature is the venomous Blue-Ringed Octopus, which has poison hundreds of times more potent than cyanide.

The Japanese government has requested all water utility companies to report the results of water quality tests by the end of September regarding the organic fluorine compound "PFAS." But what exactly is PFAS, and is Japan's tap water safe? Based on interviews with Koji Harada, an associate professor at Kyoto University, we delve into the topic.