Professor Shogo Tachibana of the UTOPS was interviewed for the National Geographic article “This Asteroid Is Spilling Secrets About the Origin of Life on Earth.”

The article discusses recent research on asteroid samples such as Ryugu and Bennu, and how these materials provide clues to the origin of water and organic compounds related to the emergence of life on Earth.  

For more details, please see the article:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/asteroid-bennu-ryugu-life-origins-earth

Professor Shogo Tachibana of the UTOPS gave a special lecture at the Yanagida Star Observation Center “Mantenboshi” in Ishikawa Prefecture.

The lecture, titled “The Voices of the Stones Returned from Asteroid Ryugu by Hayabusa2,” introduced research on samples returned from asteroid Ryugu. Participants of various ages attended the event and engaged in discussions during the Q&A session.

Professor Shogo Tachibana of the UTOPS delivered a four-part public lecture series at the Waseda University Extension Center titled “Ryugu Samples Returned by Hayabusa2: Exploring the Origins of the Solar System and Ourselves.”

Across the four sessions, he introduced the Hayabusa2 mission and explained how samples returned from asteroid Ryugu provide insights into the formation and early evolution of the Solar System. The lectures also discussed analytical techniques used to study extraterrestrial materials and what these studies reveal about the origins of planetary materials.

For more details, please see here.

Professor Shogo Tachibana of the UTOPS gave two lectures as part of the Kawasaki Citizens’ Academy course “From the Universe to Volcanoes and Earthquakes in Japan.”

The first lecture, “The Universe, the Solar System, and the Origin of Ourselves,” was held on October 21, 2025, introducing scientific approaches to understanding the origins of the Universe and the Solar System. The second lecture, “The Recipe of the Solar System – The Frontier of Its Understanding,” was held on October 28, and discussed recent advances in research on asteroid Ryugu and planetary materials.

For more details, please see the Kawasaki Citizens’ Academy website:

https://kawasaki-c-academy.jp