Along with cultured meat, which is produced by culturing meat cells, meat alternatives made from materials other than meat are attracting attention as new sources of protein. Meat alternatives are currently made from legumes, but using food crops of this kind has an impact on the environment. What might offer a solution to this issue is a source of protein called mycoprotein, which is made from a fungus. It differs from conventional meat alternatives in that the microorganism itself is consumed as a food. This raises hopes that koji (Aspergillus oryzae) &mdash:— a mold cultivated in Japan since ancient times —— has the potential to become a meat alternative.

News that insects are coming under the spotlight as a new source of protein does, to be honest, make one feel rather aghast at the thought of eating bugs. However, once upon a time, Japanese people actually consumed insects as a valuable source of animal protein, as illustrated by the fact that the culture of eating creatures such as grasshoppers, silkworms, and the larvae of assorted species of aquatic insects referred to collectively as zazamushi still survives today in the Nanshin region of Nagano Prefecture, for example. Crickets are the most suitable insect for eating. Boasting a flavor described as resembling an aromatic shrimp, crickets are highly nutritious, with a protein content to rival meat. Could crickets play a part in solving food problems?

Recent years have seen progress in efforts to commercialize cultured meat —— meat cultured from the cells of livestock such as cows, pigs, and chickens. Following hot on the heels of such work are endeavors to develop what could be described as the seafood equivalent: cellular aquaculture. The basic technology is more or less the same as that used for culturing the meat of food-producing animals, relying on cell culture rather than aquaculture. Right now, startups all over the world are competing to develop technology aimed at commercializing what is also being called cell-cultured fish or cell-cultured seafood, and there are reports that tasting sessions are even taking place. Hopes are high for what could be achieved in Japan, which boasts a food culture traditionally centered on seafood and advanced fisheries technology.

Demand for meat is surging, against the background of economic development and population growth in developing countries and emerging economies. As such, the world is expected to face protein supply shortages in the near future. However, increasing our existing dependence on livestock for the production of meat is an unrealistic option due to its environmental impact. Accordingly, scientists are conducting research and development aimed at obtaining new forms of protein that will transform conventional concepts, including cultured meat produced from the cultured cells of cows, pigs, chickens, and fish, meat alternatives that use protein from plants such as soybeans and algae, and even insect-based food.

Infectious diseases occur without fail in places where people are crowded together. However, it is impossible to avoid crowded environments at an evacuation shelter when disaster strikes. How, then, should we control the inevitable infectious diseases? Experts say appropriate countermeasures and systems for monitoring signs of outbreaks are crucial. At the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake, experts and a local government infection control team conducted a survey of trends in the outbreak of infectious diseases in Iwate Prefecture and succeeded in minimizing the size of disease clusters. Meanwhile, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, measures to combat the spread of infectious diseases in crowded environments have become prevalent throughout society. We must not let this experience go to waste.

Major floods are becoming a frequent occurrence across the globe. Even in Japan, floods and landslides occur across the country. Accurate information is essential to ensure that people take appropriate action to evacuate in an emergency. Various kinds of reliable information about disaster risk reduction can be obtained via the mass media and online, including the KIKIKURU real-time hazard map provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). You can also gain an understanding of the risks around you beforehand by viewing the hazard maps published by local governments. To ensure appropriate action, the most crucial thing is to make comprehensive use of the available information.

As a disaster-prone country, Japan has some of the world's most advanced systems for observing earthquakes, tsunami, and volcanic activity. In 2017, the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) launched a network called Monitoring of Waves on Land and Seafloor (MOWLAS), to integrate observation data from around 2,100 sites nationwide, covering land and sea, and facilitate the efficient sharing of this information with the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and other relevant organizations (Figure 1). An Earthquake Early Warning alert is transmitted immediately after an earthquake strikes and information about the seismic intensity is sent about 90 seconds later. Japan is the only country in the world with this capability.

Climate change driven by global warming is causing frequent large-scale floods, not only in Japan, but across the globe. This situation means that disaster risk reduction measures in Japan have reached a major turning point. The field is about to enter a more practical, advanced phase of efforts to respond to meteorological disasters in the form of typhoons, linear rainbands, and the localized downpours of torrential rain over a short period–known as guerrilla rainstorms. In addition to more accurate forecasting, these responses include flood control plans based on the assumption of flooding. At the same time, appropriate risk communication that conveys uncertainties is also required.

Blood vessels play a part in the transport of nutrients and oxygen to cells and tissues, while vascular endothelial cells themselves preserve the body's homeostasis by secreting substances that contribute to tissue maintenance in the process of their differentiation and proliferation (blood vessel formation). Cancer cells are able to multiply because they generate blood vessels in cells that did not originally have blood vessels and therefore become able to take in nutrients. Vascular abnormalities are said to be closely connected to infectious diseases such as COVID-19, along with a variety of other diseases. Shedding light on blood vessel formation will undoubtedly become a new approach to treating disease.

The extracellular environment —— that is to say, the environment outside the cell —— is composed of proteins secreted by cells and is deeply involved in cell function. The same can be said of vascular cells: it has been discovered that in arteries, which are exposed to the stresses of blood pressure and blood flow, rubberlike elastic fibers principally composed of a protein called elastin, which is secreted by vascular cells called smooth muscle cells (SMCs), are deeply involved in the development of arterial diseases such as aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection. Also underway is research into biomarkers for predicting the onset of disease using the knowledge obtained on the extracellular environment.