Science View

Cells Making Waves! (2x10)

:

J-Innovators: Microballs and Auto Parts It is a small business with a staff of only 19, but possesses revolutionary knowhow now being used by every automaker in Japan. It is even being used at the pinnacle of car racing, in Formula One. Our innovator this week is the man behind this technology. His company makes components such as gears and shafts. They may look ordinary, but something sets them apart. Tiny microballs are used in the manufacturing process. Their use extends from car to airplane parts, and beyond to yet more surprising areas. Find out more as we explore the secret strength of the microball. Reporter Michelle Yamamoto also explores the motivations of the innovator behind them. Science News Watch: Hair Cells Improve your Hearing? Over 10% of the world's population has a hearing impairment, according to WHO figures from 2004. Science Watcher John Gathright focuses on a story that will bring hope to the auditorily-impaired: a drug that can regenerate auditory hair cells! Is that really possible? The man behind the research is Professor Hideyuki Okano of Keio University, who is also well known for successfully using iPS cells to enable mice with spinal injuries to walk. Tune in to learn how his team is now on the path to enabling hearing to be restored. The horizons for regenerative medicine just keep on expanding! The Leading Edge: Cells Making Waves! This topic might sound a little challenging, but is sure to intrigue any amateur scientists or animal lovers out there. We focus on the striped patterns on animals. Have you ever wondered how those patterns are formed? A Japanese scientist delved deep and found an answer. His breakthrough findings made the cover of a prestigious scientific journal, and overturned the accepted view that these patterns are encoded in the genes. We also look at the contribution of brilliant British mathematician, Alan Turing, whose own ideas anticipated this new finding. A mathematician? Join us to connect th