Latest news with #Hayashi
News18
07-07-2025
- Health
- News18
Birth Without Pregnancy: Lab Eggs And Sperm Closer To Reality Than You Think
Last Updated: In-vitro gametogenesis (IVG) could allow humans to create eggs and sperm from skin or blood cells within 5 to 7 years, revolutionising reproduction and challenging norms What was once the stuff of futuristic fantasy is now on the verge of becoming a reality. Scientists around the world are racing to develop in-vitro gametogenesis (IVG) — a revolutionary technology that could allow humans to create eggs and sperm from skin or blood cells, potentially enabling childbirth without traditional pregnancy. At the forefront of this scientific frontier is Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi of Osaka University, Japan, whose lab is pushing the boundaries of what we know about human reproduction. The Promise Of IVG: A New Era Of Parenthood In an interview with The Guardian, Professor Hayashi revealed that his lab could produce fully functional human eggs and sperm in just seven years. This means a future where: A woman gives birth without ever being pregnant Two men become biological fathers A person creates a child using only their own DNA While this may sound like science fiction, it's fast becoming a scientific possibility. Global Race To Revolutionise Fertility Japan isn't the only country investing in this bold future. In the United States, Conception Biosciences, a Silicon Valley startup led by Matt Krisiloff, claims their lab-based fertility solutions could reach clinics in as little as five years. Armed with significant funding, their aim is not just to treat infertility but to reshape the very idea of family and reproduction. In a landmark mouse experiment, researchers successfully created a female mouse using the sperm of two males, a proof-of-concept that's now being translated to human biology. IVG begins with stem cells derived from human skin or blood. In Professor Hayashi's lab, scientists have created tiny testicular and ovarian organoids — 1 mm sized structures that mimic real reproductive organs. These lab-grown organs are already producing precursor sex cells, though challenges remain in sustaining their growth. Current hurdles include ensuring oxygen supply, cell stability, and avoiding genetic defects. Another breakthrough includes the development of ovary organoids, which are now capable of progressing toward full human egg development. What The Future Holds: Hopes And Controversies If successful, IVG could radically alter options for people struggling with infertility or those traditionally excluded from biological parenthood. It opens the door for: But with innovation comes uncertainty. IVG raises serious ethical, legal, and religious questions. Issues of genetic health, societal acceptance, and long-term effects remain largely unanswered. Global Status And Ethical Landscape Currently, IVG is banned in the UK, though the US and Japan continue to fund and accelerate research. Professor Saito of Kyoto University and several American startups, including Conception Biosciences, are actively competing in this rapidly evolving space. While the timeline is uncertain, experts believe that within a decade, the first child born from lab-made eggs or sperm could become a reality, marking a profound shift in how we understand human life. First Published: July 07, 2025, 12:25 IST
Business Insider
28-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Morgan Stanley Keeps Their Buy Rating on Olympus (OCPNF)
In a report released today, Ryotaro Hayashi from Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating on Olympus (OCPNF – Research Report), with a price target of Yen2,000.00. The company's shares closed last Tuesday at $13.03. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Hayashi covers the Healthcare sector, focusing on stocks such as Asahi Intecc Co, HUGroup Holdings, and Olympus. According to TipRanks, Hayashi has an average return of 1.1% and a 40.00% success rate on recommended stocks. Currently, the analyst consensus on Olympus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $14.75. Based on Olympus' latest earnings release for the quarter ending March 31, the company reported a quarterly revenue of $272.11 billion and a net profit of $41.47 billion. In comparison, last year the company earned a revenue of $260.5 billion and had a net profit of $7.35 billion
The Mainichi
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Japan stays silent on Trump likening Iran strikes to WWII A-bombs
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi on Friday refrained from commenting directly on U.S. President Donald Trump's recent remark likening his nation's airstrikes on Iran nuclear sites to the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tetsuo Saito, the head of the Komeito party, the junior coalition partner of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party, described Trump's remark as "extremely regrettable" adding that he believes it "was meant to justify the atomic bombings." Asked again about Trump's comment, Hayashi, who serves as chief Cabinet secretary, described the calamity and suffering wrought by the atomic bombs that the United States dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki toward the end of World War II. "It's important to build up efforts, from a realistic and practical standpoint, toward creating a world free of nuclear weapons based on the belief that the devastation seen in Hiroshima and Nagasaki should never be repeated," he told a press conference, without directly addressing the president's remark. During his visit to the Netherlands for a NATO summit, Trump said Wednesday, "I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war." When Hayashi was asked Thursday about the view that the U.S. atomic bombings precipitated the end of World War II, he said it is up to historians to make such judgments. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the war's end. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and of Nagasaki three days later killed more than 200,000 people by the end of that year. In the decades since Japan's defeat, the country has become a close ally of the United States.
26-06-2025
- Business
Sense of Burden behind Calls to Scrap MOF: Govt Spokesman
News from Japan Politics Jun 26, 2025 21:36 (JST) Tokyo, June 26 (Jiji Press)--An increasing sense of being burdened in daily life appears to be a factor behind demonstrations in Japan demanding that the Ministry of Finance be scrapped, a top government spokesman said Thursday. At a press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi pointed to rising prices, especially for food, that are outpacing wage growth. Hayashi stressed the importance of maintaining essential public services such as social security, education and national defense. "We want to clearly explain the importance of balancing economic recovery with fiscal soundness, basing our discussions on solid data," he said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Business Insider
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Buy now, pay later loans will soon hit credit scores — and experts think Gen Z could be at risk
Experts fear this could cause trouble for the biggest users of BNPL: Gen Z. BNPL loans don't behave like traditional credit: they break a purchase down into four interest-free payments over six weeks, making them harder to factor into credit scores. But there's an increased emphasis on monitoring the BNPL space, and FICO's move to incorporate BNPL loan data into its scores follows Affirm's move in April to start reporting new loans to Experian and TransUnion. Concerns about the impact of BNPL have risen alongside its rise in popularity. Research from EMARKETER predicts total US BNPL transactions to reach $108 billion in 2025, up from $94 billion in 2024. According to a Lendingtree report, 41% of BNPL users reported paying late, up from 34% a year ago. Users are increasingly leaning on BNPL to pay for essentials, with 25% of users buying groceries and 33% seeing BNPL as a "bridge" to their next paycheck. Gen Z and millennials have been the biggest adopters of this payment plan method. Lendingtree found that Gen Z was more likely to have multiple BNPL loans at the same time. The lack of impact on credit scores up to this point have been an attractive factor, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. "BNPL is convenient because you don't need to pay credit interest, but that can also nudge young people to spend more and overextend," Fumiko Hayashi, vice president of economic research at the Kansas City Fed, told Business Insider. Aditi Routh, economist at the Kansas City Fed, attributes Gen Z's high usage to their tech savviness and openness to adopting new payment technologies. Gen Z in particular has exhibited weaker credit card spending growth compared to older generations, according to David Tinsley, senior economist at the Bank of America Institute. This could be a sign that rising living costs are putting pressure on younger consumers, and Gen Z could be relying on BNPL to help them avoid racking up credit card debt and hurting their credit scores. With credit scores no longer shielded from BNPL activity, Gen Z could be affected more than other cohorts. "The benefit is that the good repayment behavior may improve your credit score, but BNPL is unsecured credit. Multiple lines of unsecured credit use usually leads to a negative credit score," Hayashi said. While BNPL can theoretically be used in a low-risk way to manage cash flow, Hayashi and Routh found that BNPL users were significantly more likely to face financial constraints than non-users. BNPL users who paid late exhibited even higher levels of financial constraint. Given the fact that BNPL users tend to be younger and more financially vulnerable, increased regulation in the payments space could reveal consumer weaknesses and hit credit scores. Hayashi and Routh said they plan to continue monitor Gen Z spending habits to gather more information on the extent of the risk. "As a researcher, we don't know much about Gen Z behavior," Routh said. "We know boomers and Gen X behavior relatively well, but there's a lack of knowledge about young people."
