The emergence of connectin, also called titin, a muscular spring and the largest protein in living organisms, is critical in metazoan evolution as it enables striated muscle-based locomotion. However, its evolutionary history remains unclear. Here, we investigated the evolutionary process using genomic analysis and deduced the ancestor of connectin. The region between the HOX and WNT clusters in the human genome, where the con...

The Kuroshio south of Japan exhibits bimodal variations between large meander (LM) and non-LM paths. The Kuroshio LM drastically changes the distribution of currents and water temperature in the surface and subsurface layers, affecting atmospheric conditions, marine ecosystems, and fisheries resources. The most recent Kuroshio LM event occurred in August 2017 and is still continuing as of March 2025 (LM2017). Through studies o...

Sedimentological and biochronological analyses were undertaken on carbonate deposits from 20 seamounts belonging to the Marcus–Wake Seamount Group, the Magellan Seamounts, and the Marshall Islands Seamounts in the JA area, northwestern Pacific Ocean. Deposition of carbonates on the JA seamounts varied markedly with age. The oldest carbonate deposits are Lower to middle Cretaceous shallow‐water limestones containing mollusks (i...

Hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts are widespread on the floor of the northwestern Pacific Ocean, south and east of the Japanese Islands, despite vigorous tectonic activity, such as subduction and back‐arc spreading, since at least the Mid‐Paleogene over the Philippine Sea Plate region and nearby. The crusts occur mainly at water depths shallower than 3000 m, but also at greater depths of up to 6000 m. Fine‐scale 10 Be/ 9 Be d...