Japan

Sleeping in a culvert generally means you've fallen on hard times, but that's not the case with this unique project by Nendo. The minimalist dwelling is built using the precast concrete box culverts usually used to construct waterways and tunnels.

Japanese scientists have successfully cloned mice from freeze-dried adult cells, which can be stored easily for long periods of time. The cloned mice were later able to have their own offspring, potentially aiding conservation of endangered species.

Japan's solar potential isn't great, but it does sit right next to one of the world's most powerful ocean currents – so the country is searching for novel ways to bulk up its green energy generation in the form of giant deep ocean turbines.

A six-year round trip to an asteroid has yielded unprecedented insights into the formation of the solar system. Scientists have analyzed samples returned from asteroid Ryugu, finding a detailed history starting with the oldest material ever found.

Researchers in Japan have clocked a new speed record for data transmission – a blistering 1.02 petabits per second (Pb/s). Better yet, the breakthrough was achieved using optical fiber cables that should be compatible with existing infrastructure.

Engineered timber continues to grow in popularity around the world as a sustainable building material. The latest notable work comes from Foster + Partners, which has revealed plans to build a nine-story department store in Japan mostly from timber.

Researchers in Japan have developed a new method for making 2-in wafers of diamond that could be used for quantum memory. The ultra-high purity of the diamond allows it to store a staggering amount of data – the equivalent of a billion Blu-Ray discs.

The West Japan Rail Company has released video of its new humanoid heavy equipment robot. Mounted on the end of a crane, this gundam-style robot torso mimics the arm and head motions of a human pilot, who sees through the robot's eyes via VR goggles.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has plenty of experience mass-producing industrial robots, and now we get to see some of its early progress into service robots, multi-purpose humanoids, and, for some reason, a rather silly-looking ride-on robot goat.

Immunotherapy is a promising new form of cancer treatment, but the supercharged immune cells it employs can become exhausted in the fight. Researchers in Japan have found a way to keep them going for longer, by rejuvenating them with stem cells.

At a glance, the Imago Iter may look like a typical tiny house, but its interior is better thought of as a simple cabin. It does without a lot of the features we often see in such models to offer a very compact and easily towable living space.

A project in Japan is seeking ways to grow vegetables in subtropical monsoon conditions. A consortium, composed of the Japanese government, academia and private companies is developing a plant factory system to supply produce despite the climate.