7 outstanding works of modern architecture to visit in Japan

In the field of architecture, Japan engages in a subtle game more than any other place. The seven architectural works by notable figures such as Kengo Kuma and Tadao Ando demonstrate how the Japanese archipelago's past is being transcended to shape its future.

Here are seven iconic masterpieces that disrupt the boundaries of what is possible, from the rural town of Yusuhara to the capital of Tokyo, representing Japan's architectural innovation. Temples that harness light, museums that thrive underground, and stadiums that blend seamlessly into the surrounding forest are just a few examples of what Japanese architects have achieved.

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Key elements include a local craft processing factory, a woodcuts collection house, and the grave and statue of sculptor Korin Fujimori who the town's design is said to be enshrine.

He has designed six buildings that resemble a large construction set. The town hall is clad with cedar, the museum takes the form of a suspension bridge, and the library is disguised as a forest. Each building reinterpret ancestral Japanese construction techniques to create a city that is unprecedented in the country.

The Church of Light, designed by Tadao Ando in 1989, is a phenomenal example of spiritual architecture that blurs the lines between nature and man-made structures. With its minimalist design and emphasis on light, this sanctum has intrigued architects and designers worldwide. Situated in MODERN LAURI, a residential area in Ikeda, Osaka, the Church of Light is Tadao Ando's reinterpretation of a Japanese architectural style.

A rusty block of concrete in Osaka's suburbs holds a special spiritual significance. The simple, cruciform notch behind the altar transforms natural light into art. The beam of light from the notch cuts through the church's stark interior, the only ornament in this unadorned building, where Tadao Ando shows that a crack in a wall can be more moving than a grand Gothic cathedral. One of the defining works by this influential Japanese architect.

Takasugi-an Teahouse, a work of the Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori, is another expression of his concept of a small teahouse.

In the mountains of Nagano, a tiny teahouse, aptly named Takasugi-an ("a house built too high up"), cleverly defies gravity, nestled six metres above ground on two chestnut trunks. This whimsical creation by Fujimori elegantly combines the traditional Japanese tea ceremony with a creative twist of fantasy. A humble ladder serves as the entrance to this elevated space, which feels like a serene and artistic oasis, reminiscent of a Studio Ghibli-inspired set.

The Chichu Art Museum is a modern museum situated on the northern coast of Naoshima Island in Japan. Tadao Ando is the architect behind this breathtaking structure.

Renowned architect Tadao Ando has challenged the conventional concept of a museum by burying it beneath the earth's surface. Invisble from the outside, the Chichu Art Museum can only be observed from the air. Within this labyrinthine expanse of rugged concrete, strategically positioned shafts of light cast Monet's, Turrell's, and De Maria's works in a captivating display that subtly transforms as the hours progress. A stairway illuminated from above leads to a room where the ever-changing sky interacts with Monet's water lilies. In this space, the building itself becomes a masterpiece, harmoniously blending the celestial, terrestrial, and human-made elements to create a distinctive and immersive sensory experience.

Oita Prefectural Art Museum (2014) - Shigeru Ban Design who focuses on decentralized structure, octagonal and particulate approach

- the exterior corridor reminiscent of traditional Japanese homes - the museum fosters a constant dialogue between the street and the artworks on display. The upper facade is decorated with a trellis evoking local bamboo craftsmanship, adding a touch of refinement to this distinctly modern building.

I couldn't find any information on an entity called "Enoura Observatory (2017)" associated with an individual named "Hiroshi Sugimoto".

He has designed a contemporary temple: a 100-metre gallery that gradually lights up with the summer solstice, while a 70-metre tunnel runs through the mountain to capture the winter sun. On a glass stage floating above the sea, a stone theatre awaits the equinoxes.

Like he had pioneered a dear method that unites the quest of nature with descriptive contexts of a place specific to culture of Japan, focusing basic ground where demolition of old-event opponent leaves footprints set as chosen place for shaping this Japan National Stadium before the Tokyo 2020 Games. Like alive streets with streams and underscores flow side by side.

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Humans may not have survived without Neanderthals

Evidence suggests that modern humans did not emerge from Africa with an unbroken lineage, but rather experienced multiple extinction events on the way to their global dominance, according to recent studies.

Recent DNA research has shed fresh insights into the role our Neanderthal ancestors played in our own evolutionary success.

While this initial perception viewed early European humans as a species that eventually gained dominance after departing from Africa, current research indicates that only those human populations that interbred with Neanderthals were able to endure and thrive, whereas other lineages became extinct.

It is indeed possible that Neanderthal genes played a crucial role in our success in protecting us from new diseases we have never encountered before.

Researchers have found that around 48,000 years ago, shortly after leaving Africa, Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals for a brief period, paving the way for their eventual spread across the globe.

Humans had migrated from the African continent before this, but the new research indicates that those populations did not endure before the period of interbreeding.

Professor Johannes Krause of the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Germany, stated to News that the history of present humans will now require to be revised.

We perceive modern humans as a compelling tale of triumph, emerging from Africa approximately 60,000 years ago and subsequently colonizing diverse ecosystems to become the most dominant mammal on the planet," he said. "However, our early history was marked by multiple instances of extinction.

For a long time, understanding how the only remaining human species evolved was based on analyzing the shapes of fossilized remains of our ancestors that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago and examining how their anatomy gradually changed over time.

Ancient remnants have been scarce and frequently vandalized. However, the capacity to extract and decipher the genetic code from bones aged tens of thousands of years has shed light on our enigmatic past.

The DNA in fossil remains reveals the history of the individuals, their family connections, and the paths they took for migration.

Even after our successful interbreeding with Neanderthals, our population in Europe still faced significant challenges.

The first modern humans that had interbred with Neanderthals and lived alongside them became extinct in Europe 40,000 years ago - but not before their descendants had expanded into other parts of the world.

It was their ancestors who eventually returned to Europe to repopulate it.

The study offers a fresh perspective on what led to the demise of Neanderthals shortly after the arrival of modern humans from Africa. The exact reason behind their extinction remains unclear, but these findings prompt us to reconsider speculations that our species drove them to extinction or were inherently more advanced in physical or intellectual terms.

According to Prof. Krause, it aligns with the idea that the issue was caused by environmental factors instead.

We see that humans and Neanderthals experienced extinction in Europe at the same period," he said. "If a species with more resources, like ours, struggled and eventually went extinct in the area, it's hard to be shocked when a species with fewer numbers and limited means, such as Neanderthals, also faced extinction.

The climate was extremely unpredictable during that era. It could suddenly shift from temperatures close to what we have today to extremely frigid conditions, sometimes even changing within a person's lifetime, as stated by Prof Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London, who is not involved with the new research.

"The study highlights that nearly at the end of their presence on the planet, Neanderthals were very scarce in numbers, less genetically diverse than their contemporaneous human counterparts, and it could have not taken much to drive them to extinction," he said.

A separate DNA analysis published in the journal Science reveals that modern humans retained certain vital genetic characteristics from Neanderthals that could have granted them an evolutionary advantage.

As humans left Africa, they became highly susceptible to new diseases they had never faced. This vulnerability benefited from the intermingling of their genetic material with that of Neanderthals, conferring their offspring with protection.

Might the inclusion of Neanderthal DNA have been crucial to our evolutionary success due to the improved adaptability it provided outside of Africa," said Prof Stringer. "As we evolved in Africa, the Neanderthals had undergone their evolution elsewhere in the world.

We obtained a temporary boost to our immune systems through interbreeding with the Neanderthals.

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Talk about vintage! Scientists extract DNA from world's oldest cheese

A high-quality, aged cheddar is a fundamental component found on any respectable cheese platter.

While most types are typically aged for about 12 months, this is far surpassed by the world's oldest cheese, which has a history dating back 3,600 years.

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Researchers have extracted DNA from the cheese, uncovering its essential components.

Their analysis indicates that the ancient cheese was produced from kefir - a popular fermented milk beverage that is highly beneficial for gut health.

About 20 years ago, a team of archaeologists found strange white substances applied to the heads and necks of several mummies buried in the Xiaohe cemetery in the Tarim Basin of Northwestern China.

These mummies were approximately 3,300 to 3,600 years old, dating back to the Bronze Age.

At that point, researchers believed that these substances might be a type of fermented dairy product, but they were unable to pinpoint precisely which type.

Now, employing cutting-edge DNA analysis, researchers have finally unraveled the mystery.

They determined the presence of cow and goat DNA in the cheese samples, affirming that the white substances are indeed kefir cheese.

The samples from three different tombs contained species of bacteria and fungi, including Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens and Pichia kudriavzevii, both commonly found in present-day kefir grains.

Kefir grains are collections of microorganisms comprising various species of probiotic bacteria and yeast, which ferment milk to produce kefir cheese.

In addition to enhancing the beneficial bacteria in our stomachs, kefir is believed to have several other health benefits, including supporting bone health, regulating blood sugar levels, and promoting heart health.

"It is the oldest known cheese sample ever discovered globally," Professor Qiaomei Fu, head of the ancient DNA lab at the Chinese Academy Sciences, said.

Items such as cheese are particularly hard to preserve for thousands of years, making this find extremely rare and valuable.

Examining ancient cheese in depth can help us gain insights into the eating habits and ways of life of our forebears.

Decoding the genetic sequences of the bacteria in the ancient kefir cheese allowed the researchers the ability to follow the evolution of probiotic bacteria over the past 3500 years.

Their results contradict the widespread assumption that kefir originated solely in the North Caucasus mountain region of Russia.

They propose that the kefir culture has been preserved in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China since the Bronze Age.

The study also showed that, in comparison to ancient kefir bacteria, modern varieties are more likely to avoid triggering an immune response in the human intestine – making it easier to digest.

"This study represents a historic opportunity to witness firsthand how a bacterium developed over the last 3,000 years," Professor Fu explained.

'By investigating dairy products, we've gained a more precise understanding of ancient human life and their interactions with the environment.'

Today, kefir products include beverages, yogurts and ice creams.

The study's outcome was published in the scientific journal Cell.

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