The morphology and ecological characteristics of an organism are shaped according to the genetic information, or the genome, carried by chromosomes inherited from its parents. In our laboratory, we analyze how tens of thousands of genes within the genome work together to build an organism, and how genomes have changed during evolution. Our research employs nematodes, a model organism consisting of approximately 1,000 cells and characterized by its ease of genetic manipulation. We focus on the embryonic development process, analyzing the gene networks that operate as cells divide to produce a variety of cell types. Moreover, by comparing the genomes of various nematodes and conducting artificial evolution experiments, we have also been studying what changes at the genetic level have produced biological diversity.

Until junior high school, I liked mathematics, physics, and chemistry, but I was not good at biology, which required much memorization. However, when I was 15 years old, I learned about Mendel's laws of heredity and how DNA replicated itself in my high school biology class and was shocked by the precision of the genetic system. Furthermore, I read “The Double Helix”, a memoir of Jim Watson, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for determining the structure of DNA, which made me interested in the profession of a researcher who logically elucidates the complex phenomenon of life. These experiences led me to enroll in university to learn more about the secrets of the genes that have been passed down to me all the way from the first life emerged around four billion years ago. I have changed my research subjects several times, from plant viruses to yeast and nematodes, but I consider it is happy that I have been able to continue my gene-related research to this day.

The genome of the first living organisms on earth has changed little by little over the past 4 billion years, resulting in a diverse range of organisms. Whenever I think back on the fact that we exist here and now as a result of a mind-boggling accumulation of coincidences, I am seized by emotions that I cannot describe as either excitement or shock. “Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?” Let's explore the answers to these fundamental questions from a scientific perspective together!