Adrian Skov

A photograph of a white oval squid hiding by a clump of algae in a research tank.

Research Update

The ingenuity of white oval squid camouflage brought to light

New study documents the full palette of camouflaging behaviors that white oval squid selects from when hiding from predators.

21 November 2025

Photograph of a tan kimono suspended on a dark, wooden rack standing on tatami mats, in front of fusuma room dividers.

Research Update

Understanding sustainable textiles through climate-adapted traditional crafts

Bashofu textiles have kept Okinawans cool and comfortable for more than 500 years. New study catalogues the science behind the craft.

10 November 2025

Composite image of a satellite photo of a typhoon and a page from da Vinci’s manuscripts containing an ink sketch of turbulent eddies.

Research Update

Paradox of rotating turbulence finally tamed with world-class ‘hurricane-in-a-lab’

Scientists have solved a long-standing contradiction in fluid dynamics, setting a new baseline for theoretical and practical research on turbulence.

06 November 2025

A photograph of a black graphite disk floating above a stack of three, round magnets.

Research Update

Freely levitating rotor spins out ultraprecise sensors for classical and quantum physics

With a clever design, researchers have solved eddy-current damping in macroscopic levitating systems, paving the way for a wide range of sensing technologies.

10 October 2025

Photograph of a section of a large, silvery machine, with circular openings like portholes emitting bright lights. Multiple tubes and wires are attached, and more machinery is visible in the background.

Research Update

Shining a light on dark valleytronics

Using one of the most advanced spectroscopy setups worldwide, researchers have created a recipe for research into next-gen quantum information technologies.

25 September 2025

An underwater photograph of two SCUBA diver investigating corals in a reef with various scientific equipment. Colorful corals are seen in the foreground.

Institutional News

OIST recognized as an Organizational Member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences

As the first and only AAUS Organizational Member in Japan, OIST is committed to the highest international standards for scientific diving.

01 September 2025

An illustration of the arrow worm Paraspadella gotoi on a background of strings of DNA.

Research Update

Charting the evolution of life through the ancient chaetognath

In a new Nature study, the genomic, epigenomic, and cell-level characteristics of the mysterious arrow worm have been tied together.

Graphic illustration of the main findings of the paper, showing a Neanderthal skull on the left and a modern human head on the right. The 3D protein structure of the ADSL enzyme is visualized in the background.

Research Update

Tracing brain chemistry across humanity’s family tree

Small changes to an enzyme suggest how modern humans differ from Neanderthals and Denisovans in biochemistry and behavior.

Graphic illustration of the research story, showing a stylized crown-of-thorns starfish in a coral reef under attack getting baited with a cloud of nice-smelling pheromones to an awaiting diver with an injection rod.

Research Update

Deciphering starfish communication may help protect coral reefs

By mimicking one of their own scents, researchers have found an efficient method of a controlling the highly destructive Crown-of-Thorns Starfish.

A group of smiling PhD graduates in academic dress are throwing their hats in the air inside the main OIST auditorium.

Institutional News

A heartfelt congratulations to the OIST graduates of 2025!

The 2025 ceremony saw the conferment of forty PhD-degrees to graduates from across the sciences.

Abstract illustration of human-centered machine learning. A blocky representation of a human head in the foreground, followed by an illustration of a neural network, on a background of binary numbers.

Research Update

Learning at peak efficiency

Optimizing transport, trust, and tutelage.

Graphical illustration of a natural scene viewed through a video camera viewfinder, with the focus indicator on a fish. Next to the fish is an energy meter. Other, small animals are visible in the background: squirrels in a woodland and birds in the sky.

Research Update

Animal energy usage made visible through video

Pairing video with simple, lab-based oxygen measurements vastly expands the study of movement energy in ecology, physiology, and beyond.