The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) is an interdisciplinary graduate school located on Okinawa, Japan. The school offers a 5-year PhD program in Science. Over half of the faculty and students are recruited from outside Japan, and all education and research is conducted entirely in English. The university has no departments—OIST researchers conduct multi-disciplinary research in neuroscience, mathematical and computational sciences, physics, chemistry, integrative biology and molecular, cell, and developmental biology. According to the Mission Statement, OIST's objectives are to "conduct internationally distinguished education and research in science and technology in Okinawa, to contribute to the promotion and self-sustaining development of Okinawa and to contribute to the development of science and technology worldwide."
Scientists crack genome of superfood seaweed, ito-mozuku
Along the tropical coastline of Okinawa, Japan, farmers raise rows of delectable seaweed and harvest thousands of tons of the crop each year. Unfortunately, scientists predict that pollution and rising ocean temperatures ...
Mar 14, 2019
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Machine learning tracks moving cells
Both developing babies and elderly adults share a common characteristic: the many cells making up their bodies are always on the move. As we humans commute to work, cells migrate through the body to get their jobs done. Biologists ...
Small brains, big picture: Study unveils C. elegans' microscopic mysteries
It's the small pieces that make the big picture, and in this case, the pieces can't be seen by the naked eye. New research at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) used microscopy techniques ...
Too-tight membrane keeps cells from splitting
Cells divide to grow new tissues or patch up damaged ones, but when cell division goes wrong, it can cause more harm than good. To avoid dire consequences, namely disease and unwanted cell death, cells employ a suite of failsafes ...
Questions in quantum computing—how to move electrons with light
Electronics rely on the movement of negatively-charged electrons. Physicists strive to understand the forces that push these particles into motion, with the goal of harnessing their power in new technologies. Quantum computers, ...
Adaptive models capture complexity of the brain and behavior
For the scientists that study animal behavior, even the simplest roundworm poses huge challenges. The movement of squirming worms, flocking birds and walking humans changes from moment to moment, in ways that the naked eye ...
Scientists boost stability of low-cost, large-area solar modules
Scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have resolved a fundamental weakness in a promising solar technology known as Perovskite Solar Cells, or PSCs. Their innovations appear ...
Bizarre 'bristle-jaw' creatures finally placed on tree of life
Chaetognaths, whose name means "bristle-jaw," can be found all over world, swimming in brackish estuaries, tropical seas and above the deep dark ocean floor. Also known as arrow worms, the creatures have been around since ...
Mobius kaleidocycles: Sensational structures with potential applications
Kaleidocycles are found where science, math, and art meet. The objects resemble geometric sculptures that might be found in a modern art museum, but it is the motions they undergo that really capture the imagination. Ring ...
Tale of two trees: New web tool estimates gene trees with ease
Gene trees, much like family trees, trace the lineage of a particular gene from its deep ancestral roots to its still-growing branches. By comparing gene trees to species trees, which map the evolutionary history of species, ...
