Shimadzu Developments in

Biohistory: Looking for a New View of the World Keiko Nakamura, Deputy Director-General of the JT Biohistory Research Hall and Professor at the Osaka University Graduate School. Excerpt from her speech at Shimadzu's 125th anniversary celebration, November 27, 2000

n the year 2000, the Shi- reality, rather than putting the every cell contains DNA, the entire- madzu Corporation celebrated artificial between ourselves and ty of which is called the "genome" Iits 125th anniversary, and Pro- , we instead serve and forms the basis of all living fessor Nakamura was invited to as the bridge between the natural things. And so we discovered that the celebrations to give a speech and the artificial. This is why it the pinnacle of universality is, in on her pioneering biohistory is so vital that we make skillful fact, not only the cell, but also the use of science and technology. genome that supports it. research work into the genome. Although contemporary science is A translated abstract of her Genome Links the strongly based on universality, I Universality and Diversity speech is presented below. believe that in the 21st century we will also need to pay attention to of Living Things Humans: The Link diversity. From the viewpoint of the DNA Between the Natural Among the different branches of contained in all organisms, the and the Artificial research into living things, natural genome is universal; while from the The importance of science and history has come to emphasize viewpoint of the characteristic technology is ever increasing at diversity, while and genome of individual organisms, the the dawn of the 21st century. have come to emphasize genome is diverse. As genes with Though Western culture in partic- universality. I call the former "nav- the same functions are identical, ular has attempted to put itself igation with the macroscopic view" when DNA is regarded as genes - be above nature and create a comfort- and the latter "navigation with the it in E. coli or in a being - able lifestyle by inserting the arti- microscopic view" and this micro- only its universality is visible. ficial between humans and the scopic navigation has come to focus However, from the point of view of natural world, the truth is that on cells. All living things, from E. the genome, an E. coli genome is an humans themselves form a part of coli to humans, are made of cells, E. coli genome and a human genome the natural world. We are funda- and thus the conclusion was is a human genome, and differences mentally no different from any of reached in the 19th century that within the human genome create the other 50 million types of the cell represented the pinnacle of the infinite variety among people, organism that live and procreate universality. However, it was then making us all individuals. In this as individuals and species. In discovered in the 20th century that way, we can see that the genome

7 INNOVATION Damaster blaptoides kollar Ancient Japanese archipelago exists as the link between the uni- groups classified according to DNA Ancient Hokkaido & Ancient North Tohoku versality and diversity of organisms. are also spatially distributed in four District The hierarchy of molecules, cells, distinct regions. organs, organisms, species, and But what formed the boundaries is apparent when between them? We found that the Ancient South Tohoku observing organisms, but it is the regions corresponded to the bound- District genome that determines the state of aries of four geographic regions the individual cells, organs, organ- existing approximately 7.5 million Ancient isms, species, and ecosystems. This years ago, which resulted from the Central Japan means that all levels of life, from the drifting of the Japanese islands Ancient West Japan molecular level to the , can away from the Asian continent and Habitat Distribution of ground beetles related to be considered from the common further joining and separation of the the drifting of the Japanese islands The ground beetles living in Japan were classified viewpoint of the genome. As a land within the Japanese archipel- into four groups based on DNA differences. result, formerly unrelated academic ago itself over the aeons. Conse- disciplines such as molecular biolo- quently, we are able to read the geo- several billion years. From this gy and , for example, now logical history of the Japanese arch- we know that we are capable of have a solid relationship based on ipelago from the genomes of ground observing things in longer time the genome. beetles. Similar studies of ground intervals or multiple time inter- Studies of the genomes of various beetles from around the world vals, and that it is probably organisms indicate an approximate allowed us to read the history of the important for us to do so. proportionality between the com- of ground beetles and the Genome research promises success plexity of an organism and the size history of continental drift. Indeed, against problems in starvation, dis- of its genome. This is thought to this is the first example showing ease, the environment, and other reflect the process of evolution of the that we can learn about natural areas. Advancements in the field of organism, and shows that the genome movements by looking at genomes. medicine are particularly promising, was altered through evolution. How with great potential to develop pre- Importance of Thinking in vention and new treatments for dis- the various organisms currently on Multiple Time Units the came into being and the eases such as cancer and diabetes. mutual relationships between them Whereas the life scientist thinks During the research process, howev- can now be clarified by studying the in units of genes, the biohistorian er, it is important that we think in genomes of living organisms. thinks in units of genomes. In periods of billions of years, pursue the natural world, genes exist not the true essence of nature, and never History of Continental alone but rather in the form of forget that we humans, too, are part Drift Written on the genomes. And whereas the life of the natural world. Genome scientist pursues only the struc- Let me give an actual example. At ture and functions of an organism, Profile our Research Hall, we studied the biohistorian attempts to Dr. Nakamura is Deputy ground beetles to investigate their reflect history as well as other Director-General of the JT Biohistory Research Hall relationship with history. We stud- concepts related to the organism. and Professor at the ied the DNA of various types of People tend to think of things in Osaka University Gradu- ground beetle from around the world terms of time units such as one ate School. She graduat- ed in chemistry from the day (today) or one year (this year). and then grouped the beetles accord- Faculty of Science at the ing to DNA differences. Based on Our normal temporal sensation University of Tokyo, and the results, the ground beetles living extends to about ten years, at the was formerly the head of the Department of Natural and Social Environ- in Japan were classified into four most. But the genomes of organ- mental Science at the Mitsubishi Kasei Institute groups. Plotting the habitat of each isms living on this planet today of Life Sciences, and Professor at Waseda Uni- group on a map showed that the four are inscribed with the history of versity's School of Human Science.

INNOVATION 8