Mystery of the Japanese Eel (2)

The life of the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) and their spawning in particular had long been shrouded in mystery. A University of Tokyo team started a project in 1973 to solve this mystery. After sampling for eel larvae during multiple expeditions in the western North Pacific over almost 40 years, the first collections of Japanese eel eggs were made in May and June of 2009 and 2011.... 

Japanese eel at risk of extinction (1)

The Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica, is found in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and as well as the northern Philippines. Eels have long been a favorite delicacy in Japan, and Tokyo has some 950 restaurants that specialize in eels cooked in the traditional way. More than 99.5 percent of these eels are farmed in ponds, raised from wild juveniles called glass eels that normally accumulate... 

Amazing creature, European Eel (2)

When glass eel reach about 50mm long they lose their transparency and start to become darker. Now known as elvers (baby eel), and they begin moving upstream into freshwater. As elvers grow they metamorphose again, turning into juvenile eels – or silver eels – the stage in which European eels spend the bulk of their life-cycle. Females typically spend 9-20 years at an average... 

Amazing creature, European Eel (1)

The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is a species of eel, a snake-like catadromous (living in fresh water but spawning in the sea) fish. They are found in the rivers of North Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, and have a fascinating life-cycle which sees them an incredible two-way travel, 5,000 to 6,000 km across the Atlantic Ocean both as larvae and as adults, a journey that has... 

Tokyo’s flood protection

TOKYO witnesses frequent flood damage affecting the whole of the metropolitan area. The Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel is located in Saitama prefecture adjacent to Tokyo. Work on the project started in 1992 and was completed in 2006. Incoming search terms:flash flood tokyo (1) Read More »

Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain

Everybody knows that Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. The peak of Mount Everest is 8,850 meters above sea level. Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii is stands only 4,205 meters above sea level, much lower than Mount Everest, however, if you measure it from its base, which is below sea level, it is 10,200 meters. Measuring from base to peak, Mauna Kea is the tallest... 

Berlin, pets’ paradise on earth

Berlin is the capital of and the largest city in Germany. The city’s population is 3.5 million citizens and 100,000 dogs. You will see dogs with his/her owner everywhere; on the public transportation (train, subways, buses, trams, ferries, and taxis), restaurants, bars, malls, movie theaters, museums, and even a zoo. There are a few places where dogs are not allowed, such as grocery... 

A serial tree killer

Most shrines in Japan are located in forests known as “Chinju-no-mori” (or sacred groves). The deities are invited to these forests, where they and their environment are protected by the local community, which in turn is protected by the deities.  Read More »

World’s big, old trees are dying

Big, old trees dominate many forests worldwide and play crucial ecological roles. They store huge amounts of carbon. They recycle soil nutrients, create rich patches for other life to thrive in, and influence the flow of water within landscape and the local climate.  Read More »

Scientists ‘read dreams’

Dreams are sounds emotions and visions that are experienced during sleep. There are five stages of sleep cycle and the entire sleep cycle repeats itself throughout the night. Dreams can occur during any of the stages, however, the most memorable and vivid dreams occur during the REM sleep stage. During this sleep stage, brain waves are active, eyes move under the closed eyelids, blood...