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Taming Technologies in A Globalized Age
The central task of the activities of the Tokyo Life Science Laboratory is the integration of the past research activities involving the echo-systems surrounding specific commercially exploited species of marine life, especially the problems of shrimp culture farms. I spent much of my adolescent years onboard marine research vessels in the Northern Pacific only to be rudely awaken by the discovery of the numerous instances involving deformity of sex organs in the thousands of salmon put aside as specimens. I was instrumental in the development of the applied shrimp culture technology in Japan, which has subsequently spread throughout the Asia-Pacific region, giving rise, as a result, to the large-scale destruction of Asia's mangroves and the contamination of rice paddies as we have all too painfully become aware of today.
The ocean contamination actually began with the industrial revolution in England in late 18 Century as the practice of jettisoning industrial wastes into rivers and streams, and thus, into the oceans of the world carried by the major sea currents. Important as it no doubt is, anything meaningful to be done about it would require an all-out human endeavor of a truly global scale, rendering the effort of individuals, or even of nations, obviously futile.
On the other hand, the construction of shrimp culture ponds is detrimental to the health of the wetland ecosystem, and in particular damaging to the viability of mangrove swamps. The environmental pollution and the destruction of the mangroves caused by the sudden rise of industrial shrimp farms in Asia and Latin America are particularly threatening in shorter economic terms, as it is today so obvious in Thailand where the industrial shrimp farms have almost totally wiped out in the last few years. The environmental deterioration and the spread of a new vacuolar virus, commonly called "white-spot disease," are putting so many Asian countries on the verge of financial bankruptcy.
I have had a vision over the years of facing such a disaster, and endeavored to develop scientific countermeasures which would enable us to find ways of co-habitating with the natural environment as it has always been without trying to "conquer" it. As a result, I have come across a technological breakthrough in recent years, which seems most certainly worthy of devoting the rest of my life. It has become fashionable to talk about "molecular biology" nowadays, but I have delved into the field further out which might be called "quantum biology" of the information age. I am convinced that this technology, which you might well call "information technology" will go a long way providing solutions to the environmental problems of our times.
| The unique characteristics of this new technology can be summed up as follows. More facts and examples are found elsewhere in this home page. |
Takemi Ichimura (D.Sc.)
Director
Tokyo Life Science Laboratory
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Developed at Our Institute
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