Let's begin animal science!!

Chairperson of Department of Animal Resource Sciences
Yasuyuki GOTO, PhD

　The question that led me to pursue a career in life sciences was "What is disease?" I have had the question since I was young, but I don't know how I came to carry such a thought. It may be originally from a feeling like "I don't want to be sick because I can't go out and play." But gradually, I began to ask myself, "How do we get sick?" and "Why are some types of diseases so difficult to cure?" I know there are benign and malignant tumors, but I still don’t have a clear idea on what factors discriminate them. I was a math but not biology person in high school, but the thought "I want to explain phenomena in life sciences mathematically!" may have brought me to the life science field.

　Knowing how the human body functions and how cells and tissues cooperate to avoid disease states is necessary for staying healthy. Obviously, one disease can be affected by other diseases, so it is necessary to have a bird's-eye view of the target disease and its surroundings. In addition, human health depends on the well-being of other animals that are also part of nature. We also need to view animals at various levels and scales, from companion animals to ecosystem services, as well as in terms of food security and zoonotic diseases. We, therefore, aim to raise students to experts and world-class researchers who will contribute to the development of basic biology, the development of animals' multifaceted functions, and the creation of new biotechnologies by exploring the mechanisms of complex and diverse life phenomena in animals from the molecular to the individual level, with mammals as the main subject of study.

　 Returning to my aforementioned topic, I believe that all life phenomena, regardless of their scales, can be expressed in mathematical formulas. However, the formulas must be complicated and troublesome, with many coefficients and variables, and the coefficients can change under various circumstances. Research will help us to make the formulas more accurate through logical thinking and empirical experiments. The ability to set, verify, and consider issues as well as mathematical and logical thinking are necessary for successful research. Therefore, even if our students leave the field of life science in the future, they are expected to be excellent personnel who can solve problems using logical methods.

　 If you are fascinated by the charm and wonder of animals and want to discover something new about them, let's do animal science together!