A juvenile zebra finch (right) learns songs from a tutor (left). Through this interaction, the tutor conveys not only the sounds of the song, but also that the song is important and needs to be memorized.

On June 29 and 30, the International Conference on Climate Change and Coral Reef Conservation (organized by the Ministry of Environment and Okinawa Prefecture with the support of OIST and the University of the Ryukyus) was held at the OIST campus. Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara was guided around the OIST campus and visited the Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit (led by Prof. Yabing Qi), in which new solar energy materials are being developed. He also stopped by at the Marine Genomics Unit (led by Prof. Noriyuki Satoh), which conducts genome research of marine organisms such as corals.

Students in the OIST Research Intern Summer Program visited the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park on the annual memorial service day (June 23rd).

Students in the OIST Research Intern Summer Program took part in a survival Japanese class.

The Marine Genomics Unit of OIST has decoded the genome of the algae Symbiodinium minutum. The paper was published in the online version of Current Biology on July 11. This is a major advance in understanding the complex ecology of coral reefs.