Nagoya University Archives

Scientists have captured the first detailed observations of how a superstorm compresses Earth’s plasmasphere and reveal why recovery took more than four days, affecting navigation and communication systems. CREDIT Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE), Nagoya University

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics

How Superstorm Gannon Squeezed Earth’s Plasmasphere To One-fifth Its Size

by Keith CowingNovember 21, 2025November 21, 2025

A geomagnetic superstorm is an extreme space weather event that occurs when the Sun releases massive amounts of energy and charged particles toward Earth. These storms are rare, occurring about […]

Oxygen produced by cyanobacteria may have created the conditions for green seas in the Archaean era (1.8 - 3 billion years ago) (Credit: Takashi Tsujino)

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Were Earth’s Blue Oceans Once Green?

by Keith CowingMarch 30, 2025March 30, 2025

Scientists find evidence that our oceans used to be green, suggesting that this may be a sign of primitive life, including that on alien worlds.

EOD exposure from electric eel to zebrafish larvae. (A) This illustration depicts the experimental tank used to expose the recipient organism to the electric eel’s electric organ discharge (EOD). Within the tank, three carbon rod electrodes are placed: two inputs (colored black and red) and a ground electrode (colored green). (B) An EOD is induced by the electric eel during its predatory behavior when it feeds on a goldfish. The cuvette containing zebrafish larvae and a DNA solution is positioned in close proximity to the high-voltage pulses generated by the electric eel. The magenta curve illustrates the electric field produced by the electric eel. (C) This illustration indicates the construction of the GFP expression plasmid driven by the Oryzias latipes actb promoter. (D) The photograph displays 7-day post-fertilization (dpf) Danio rerio (zebrafish) larvae that were subjected to microinjection with the indicator plasmid at the one-to-eight cell stages. The plasmid has resulted in robust and widespread GFP fluorescence without apparent developmental abnormalities. Scale bar, 500 µm. (E) An example of a single predatory behavior with the EOD pulses lasting 30 s is shown. The electric eel first bites and swallows the goldfish (indicated by the magenta arrow, 1st bite), followed by another bite at an empty clip (indicated by the blue arrow, 2nd bite). -- Nagoya University

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release

Electricity From Electric Eels May Transfer Genetic Material To Nearby Animals

by Keith CowingDecember 6, 2023December 6, 2023

Editor’s note: as is stated in this press release, electroporation is a well-known way to deliver genetic information into a cell – in the laboratory. The fact that this happens […]

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics

Origins Of Life Could Have Started With DNA-like XNAs

by Keith CowingApril 6, 2021

Nagoya University scientists in Japan have demonstrated how DNA-like molecules could have come together as a precursor to the origins of life. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, […]

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release

Un-natural mRNAs Modified With Sulfur Atoms Boost Efficient Protein Synthesis

by Keith CowingJuly 16, 2020

Since mRNAs play a key role in protein synthesis in vivo, the use of mRNAs as medicines and for in vitro protein synthesis has been desired. In particular, mRNA therapeutics […]

Fossils & Paleontology, Press Release

Cracking Open The Formation of Fossil Concretions

by Keith CowingMay 7, 2018

All over the world, spectacular fossils have frequently been found preserved inside solid, roughly spherical rocks called “concretions.” From geologists to casual observers, many have wondered why these hardened masses […]