關於 ten science ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

🎥 THE FULL CLIP IS NOW UP ON YOUTUBE! 🎉 @twopeersonapod - link in bio.
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In this final teaser, Mike and I discuss how the different rest time components we ran through on the last clip actually affect the results of one’s training 📈
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Yes, every minute spent in the gym resting is technically less efficient than if you’re training... but that’s ONLY if you’ve only got such a minutely limited amount of time to spend in there! 🧐
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Yes, the first set you do gets you more gains than the second set, but not TEN times more, probably not even two times more! 🤦🏻‍♂️ so it’s only not worth doing another if you genuinely don’t have time to! 🧐
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The science shows that - up until a certain point - you do get better results from longer rest periods and you do get better results from more sets per week and a big problem with the marketing content we’re discussing is that they claim you are “wasting precious time” and “destroying muscle gains”. There is no proof of either being the case.
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Honestly, even if you’ve seen all of the clips I would recommend watching the whole thing again on YouTube. They amount to less than half of the discussion and when you’ve heard something more than once you will know it better 🧠 Knowing it better means you’re less likely to fuck it up when regurgitating it to someone in a bar. Blindly repeating half-remembered facts is how we end up with myths 🗣
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It’s been so much fun producing these clips. A huge thanks to @rpdrmike for taking the time to chat to me 💪🏽 and my podcast partner / producer @myeddie345 for all the creative work involved! 👨🏻‍🎨
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Onto the next one 😉

#NFTsummer A few weeks ago, we interviewed Xixi Huang (AW#17) in Mandarin and as the AppWorks Fellow who helps us out on the blockchain side, Xixi has a lot of ideas that are worth sharing to a bigger audience. Here's his interview in English:

西西 (Xixi) 黃士晉 is an AppWorks #17 alumni and co-founder of Rydeit. His mission is to bring the applications of blockchain to everyday life because he believes that blockchain can make the world a more fair and better place. As an AppWorks Fellow, he is responsible for guiding founders to think about blockchain and providing insights on blockchain-related investment deals. Before AppWorks, he led his previous team to build more than 10 dapps, including famous games in Taiwan such as 柚子打魚 and Shrimp.Finance. Within a month of launching these games, they had amassed over NT$ 100M (~US$ 3.5M) in transactions. His favorite pastime is traveling with his grandma, and his ultimate goal is to persuade her to buy Bitcoin!

Check out what Xixi has to say about blockchain and NFTs.

#NFTevolution

I started to learn how to write smart contracts in 2016, and learned the entire logic of ERC-20 for tokens and ERC-721 for NFTs. While I was learning about NFTs, I realized that the combination of NFTs with video games was very fitting. In video games, the treasure and equipment you collect becomes virtual assets as NFTs. And the process of using smart contracts to exchange items was very efficient on the blockchain.

At the end of 2018, I designed and created a zombie video game, integrating the concept of playing and drawing cards and packs. Within a pack were 3 NFTs with zombies on them. As a player, the more cards with zombies you collect, the higher your score, and the more tokens you can ultimately earn. From this game, I got connected to other game manufacturers and publishers who were also interested in creating virtual game assets through NFTs. We all had the same idea -- NFTs can bring more meaning and value to the players.

However at the time, many people in the market still believed that tokens and games were riddled with fraud. Since the lifecycle of video games can be short, many traditional gaming companies in the end didn’t find it worthwhile to learn how to integrate NFTs or blockchain into their games.

While the nature of NFTs hasn’t changed, the market has evolved. People’s curiosities are growing, more applications are being developed, and more creators are cropping up. I think now is the right time to start talking to companies about how to integrate NFTs or blockchain into their businesses or games.

#NFTplayground

I think there are many opportunities to start a business these days, and people who want to start one should think about coming to blockchain. Not only is there a huge opportunity but the possibilities are endless. And within blockchain, NFTs currently offer the biggest opportunity. However, it can also pose a new challenge to the team’s endurance, because while easy to obtain traction and users with NFTs, the challenge lies in retaining them.

Similar to other blockchain applications in the past few years, when a new concept is invented, it’ll be flushed with many early users. However, because the surrounding infrastructure wasn’t in place, it was difficult for founders to make valuable extensions or applications. And many of these users don’t actually care about these blockchain products and they are only trying to leverage the ecosystem to make a quick buck. Once they earn all that they can, they will move on to another project.

Right now working on NFTs, you can collect a lot of data in a short amount of time and also make some income to keep you afloat. Founders should seize this opportunity to understand these users, then modify and optimize both their products and mentality to retain them.

Since there’s no geographical restriction on blockchain, I would encourage founders to look beyond your country and region in expanding your NFT products. Also, since blockchain is closely related to finance, if you don’t have a good pricing strategy (or token economics) for your NFT products, the prices might fluctuate greatly. You need to be prepared and remind your users of the risks, otherwise you’ll ultimately get scolded!!

#NFTera

This year, I finally consider myself an official NFT collector. I pay special attention to NFTs with contemporary significance, such as Hashmasks. It signals to the public that NFTs are not just for collecting but that game mechanics can also be applied to interact with users. If we look back ten years from now I’m confident to say that the project that really brought the NFT wave in 2021 would be Hashmasks.

In addition to veteran projects like Hashmasks, other collections I care a lot about are related to Metaverse, such as The Sandbox. I believe that the world will become more and more decentralized and virtual. It is very likely that the next generation will be immersed in a virtual world like Ready Player One, so I am also very optimistic about NFTs in digital worlds like The Sandbox.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to NFTs. Right now, few NFTs are connected with our daily lives. For example, I bought a Hashmask. If I want to show it in my apartment, I might still need to print it out. In the future, how will we connect NFTs to the physical world? I believe they can be applied in many ways, including frames, wallets, cars, house deeds, leases, etc. These products in daily life can be combined with NFTs. We just haven’t opened our imagination yet. It’s hard to imagine that only 20 years ago we were having a hard time believing in the power of the internet.

The development of science and technology not only relies on infrastructure, but also the user's learning curve. The world needs to talk about blockchain more, so that everyone will gradually become familiar with it and it’ll continue to evolve.

If you're a founder working in blockchain or NFTs, welcome to apply to AppWorks >> https://bit.ly/3w0WyIl

【mRNA疫苗臨床試驗95％有效! mRNA疫苗會是COVID-19的救世主嗎？】：發表在新英格蘭醫學期刊（NEJM）上的兩篇論文提到【註1】，兩個mRNA疫苗臨床研究分別收案3萬多人與4萬多人，在打完疫苗之後的兩個月追蹤當中，施打疫苗讓COVID-19感染率減少了95%！【註3】
　　
在本文開始前，在此先簡述說明一下「分子生物學的中心法則」，建立對DNA、RNA、mRNA的基礎認識。
　　
■分子生物學的中心法則 (central dogma)(圖1)
用最簡單最直接的方式來描述的話，生物體的遺傳訊息是儲存在細胞核的DNA中，每次細胞分裂時，DNA可以複製自己 (replication)，因而確保每一代的細胞都帶有同樣數量的DNA。
　　
而當細胞需要表現某個基因時，會將DNA的訊息轉錄 (transcribe) 到RNA上頭，再由RNA轉譯 (translate) 到蛋白質，而由蛋白質執行身體所需要的功能。這也就是所謂的分子生物學的中心法則 (central dogma)。
　　
對於最終會製造成蛋白質的基因來說，RNA是扮演了中繼的角色，也就是說遺傳訊息本來儲存在 DNA 上頭，然後經過信使 RNA (messenger RNA, mRNA) 的接棒，最後在把這個訊息傳下去，製造出蛋白質。【註4】
　　
■冠狀病毒的基因組由RNA構成
RNA不如DNA穩定，複製過程容易出錯，因此一般RNA病毒的基因組都不大。但冠狀病毒鶴立雞群，基因組幾乎是其他RNA病毒的三倍長，是所有RNA病毒中最大、最複雜的種類。
　　
冠狀病毒還能以重組RNA的方式，相當頻繁地產生變異，但是基因組中位在最前端的RNA序列相對穩定，因為其中有掌控病毒蛋白酶與RNA聚合酶的基因，一旦發生變異，冠狀病毒很可能無法繼續繁衍。
　　
目前抗病毒藥物的研發策略之一，正是設法抑制病毒RNA複製酶（RdRp）。而最前端的RNA序列也是現階段以反轉錄聚合酶連鎖反應（RT-PCR）檢驗新冠病毒時鎖定的目標。中央研究院院士賴明詔表示，不同病毒的核酸序列當中還是有各自的獨特變異，正好用來區分是哪一種冠狀病毒。【註5】
　　
■SARS-CoV-2是具有3萬個鹼基的RNA病毒
中國科學院的《國家科學評論》（National Science Review）期刊【註2】，2020年3月發表《關於SARS-CoV-2的起源和持續進化》論文指出，現已發生149個突變點，並演化出L、S亞型。
　　
病毒會變異的原因可略分成兩種：
▶一是「自然演變」
冠狀病毒是RNA病毒，複製精準度不如DNA病毒精準度高，只要出現複製誤差，就是變異。
▶二是「演化壓力」
當病毒遇到抗體攻擊，就會想辦法朝有抗藥性的方向演變，找出生存之道。【註6】
　　
■mRNA 疫苗是一種新型預防傳染病的疫苗
近期，美國莫德納生物技術公司（Moderna）與輝瑞公司（Pfizer），皆相繼宣布其COVID-19 mRNA疫苗的研究成果。
　　
莫德納公司在2020年11月30日宣布他們的mRNA-1273疫苗在三期臨床試驗達到94.1％（p<0.0001）的超高保護力，受試者中約四成為高風險族群（患糖尿病或心臟病等），7000人為高齡族群（65歲以上），另也包含拉丁裔與非裔族群（報告中未提到亞洲裔）。
　　
傳統大藥廠輝瑞公司，亦在美國時間11月18日發佈令人振奮的新聞稿：他們的RNA疫苗（BNT162b2）三期臨床試驗已達設定終點，保護力高達95％（p<0.0001）。該試驗包含了4萬名受試者，其中約有四成受試者為中高齡族群（56～85歲），而亞洲裔受試者約占5％。
　　
■mRNA疫苗為什麼可以對抗病毒？
為什麼mRNA疫苗會有用？就讓我們先從疫苗的原理「讓白血球以為有外來入侵者談起」。
　　
在過往，疫苗策略大致上可分為兩種：
● 將病毒的屍體直接送入人體，如最早的天花疫苗（牛痘，cowpox）、小兒麻痺疫苗（沙克疫苗，polio vaccines）、肺結核疫苗（卡介苗，Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, BCG）以及流感疫苗等。
　
✎補正
卡介苗 BCG(Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine) ：卡介苗是一種牛的分枝桿菌所製成的活性疫苗，經減毒後注入人體，可產生對結核病的抵抗力，一般對初期症候的預防效果約85％，主要可避免造成結核性腦膜炎等嚴重併發症。
　
▶以流感疫苗為例，科學家通常先讓病毒在雞胚胎大量繁殖後，再將其殺死，也有部分藥廠會再去除病毒屍體上的外套膜（envelope），進一步降低疫苗對人體可能產生的副作用後，再製成疫苗。
　　
● 將病毒的蛋白質面具，裝在另一隻無害的病毒上再送入人體，如伊波拉病毒（Ebola virus disease, EVD）疫苗等。
▶以伊波拉病毒疫苗為例，科學家會剪下伊波拉病毒特定的醣蛋白（glycoproteins）基因，置換入砲彈病毒（Rhabdoviridae）的基因組中，使砲彈病毒長出伊波拉病毒的醣蛋白面具。
　　
上述例子都是將致命病毒的部分殘肢送入人體，當病毒被樹突細胞（dendritic cells）或巨噬細胞（macrophages）等抗原呈現細胞（antigen-presenting cell, APC）吃掉後，再由細胞將病毒殘肢吐出給其他白血球，進而活化整個免疫系統，然而，mRNA疫苗採取了更奇詭的路數 - 「讓人體細胞自己生產病毒殘肢！」
　　
■mRNA 疫苗設計原理(圖2)
將人工設計好可轉譯出病毒蛋白質片段的mRNA，包裹於奈米脂質顆粒中，送入淋巴結組織內，奈米脂質顆粒會在細胞中釋出RNA，使人體細胞能自行產出病毒蛋白質片段，呈現給其他白血球，活化整個免疫系統。
　　
■mRNA疫苗設計流程(圖3)
1「科學家獲得病毒的全基因序列」
因社群媒體的發達、公衛專家、病毒研究者以及期刊編輯的努力，這次的COVID-19病毒序列很快的被發表；中國北京疾病管制局的研究團隊，挑選了九位患者，其中有八位，都有前往華南海鮮市場的病史，並從這些患者採取了呼吸道分泌物的檢體，運用次世代定序 (NGS，Next Generation Sequencing) 的方式，拼湊出新型冠狀病毒全部與部分的基因序列。並陸續將這些序列資料，提供給全世界的病毒研究者交互確認，修正序列的錯誤。
　　
2「解析病毒基因群裡所有的功能，選定目標蛋白質(Covid-19病毒棘蛋白質)」
以冠狀病毒為例，通常會選病毒表面的棘狀蛋白（spike protein）。因為棘蛋白分布於病毒表面，可作為白血球的辨識目標，同時病毒需透過棘蛋白和人體細胞受體（receptor）結合，進而撬開人體細胞，因此以病毒繁殖的策略而言，此處的蛋白質結構較穩定。
　　
3「製造要送入人體的mRNA，挑選出會製造棘蛋白的mRNA進行修飾」
挑選會轉譯（translation）出目標蛋白質的mRNA，並進行各項修飾，以提高該人工mRNA在細胞裡被轉譯成蛋白質的效率。如：輝瑞的mRNA疫苗（BNT162b1）選用甲基化（methylation）後的偽尿嘧啶（1-methyl-pseudouridine）取代mRNA裡的原始尿嘧啶（uracil, U），有助於提升mRNA的穩定性，並提高mRNA被轉譯成病毒棘蛋白的效率。
　　
4「將人工mRNA裹入特殊載體，將mRNA包裹入特殊載體顆粒中」
因為mRNA相當脆弱且容易被分解，因此需要對載體進行包裹和保護。然而，有了載體後，接踵而來的問題是「該怎麼送到正確的位置（淋巴結）？」。而輝瑞和莫德納不約而同地都選用了奈米脂質顆粒（lipid nanoparticles）包裹mRNA載體，奈米脂質顆粒通常由帶電荷的脂質（lipid）、膽固醇（cholesterol）或聚乙二醇（polyethylene glycol, PEG）修飾過的脂質等組成，可以保護RNA，並將mRNA送到抗原呈現細胞豐富的淋巴結組織。
　　
5「包覆mRNA的奈米脂質顆粒，注射在肌肉組織」
使其能循環到淋巴結，被淋巴結中的細胞吃掉。奈米脂質顆粒釋放出mRNA，使細胞產出病毒蛋白質片段，進而呈現給其他白血球並活化整個免疫系統。【註7】
　　
mRNA可將特定蛋白質的製造指示送至細胞核糖體（ribosomes）進行生產。mRNA 疫苗會將能製造新冠病毒棘狀蛋白的 mRNA 送至人體內，並不斷製造棘狀蛋白，藉此驅動免疫系統攻擊與記憶此類病毒蛋白，增加人體對新冠病毒的免疫力，最終 mRNA 將被細胞捨棄。
　　
值得注意的是，由於 mRNA 疫苗並無攜帶所有能製造新冠病毒的核酸（nucleic acid），且不會進入人體細胞核，所以施打疫苗無法使人感染新冠病毒。
　　
Pfizer、BioNTech 研發的 BNT162b2 是美國第 1 個取得 EUA 的 mRNA 疫苗，施打對象除成年人，還包含 16 歲以上非成年人。且相比 Moderna 製造的 mRNA-1273 疫苗，患者施打第 2 劑 BNT162b2 的副作用較輕微。
　　
Moderna 也不遑多讓，mRNA-1273 於 2020 年 12 月中取得 EUA，且具備在 -20°C 儲存超過 30 天的優勢。在臨床試驗中，使用 mRNA-1273 的 196 位受試者皆無演變成重度 COVID-19，相較安慰劑組中卻有 30 人最終被標為重度 COVID-19 患者。【註8】
　　
為了觸發免疫反應，許多疫苗會將一種減弱或滅活的細菌注入我們體內。mRNA疫苗並非如此。相反，該疫苗教會我們的細胞如何製造出一種蛋白質，甚至一種蛋白質片段，從而觸發我們體內的免疫反應。如果真正的病毒進入我們的身體，這種產生抗體的免疫反應可以保護我們免受感染。【註9】
　　
【Reference】
▶DNA的英文全名是Deoxyribonucleic acid，中文翻譯為【去氧核糖核酸】
▶RNA 的英文全名是 Ribonucleic acid，中文翻譯為【核糖核酸】。
　　
1.來源
➤➤資料
∎【註1】
Baden LR, El Sahly HM, Essink B, et al. Efficacy and Safety of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2020 Dec 30:NEJMoa2035389. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2035389. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33378609; PMCID: PMC7787219.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2035389
　　
Polack FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N, et al. Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2020 Dec 31;383(27):2603-2615. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2034577. Epub 2020 Dec 10. PMID: 33301246; PMCID: PMC7745181.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2034577
　　
∎【註2】
Xiaoman Wei, Xiang Li, Jie Cui, Evolutionary perspectives on novel coronaviruses identified in pneumonia cases in China, National Science Review, Volume 7, Issue 2, February 2020, Pages 239–242, https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaa009
　　
∎【註3】
▶蘇一峰 醫師：https://www.facebook.com/bsbipoke
▶中時新聞網 「mRNA疫苗臨床試驗95％有效 醫：哪國搶到就能結束比賽」：
https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20210104004141-260405?chdtv
　　
∎【註4】
( 台大醫院 National Taiwan University Hospital-基因分子診斷實驗室)「DNA、RNA 以及蛋白質」：https://www.ntuh.gov.tw/gene-lab-mollab/Fpage.action?muid=4034&fid=3852
　　
∎【註5】
《科學人》粉絲團 - 「新冠病毒知多少？」：https://sa.ylib.com/MagArticle.aspx?id=4665
　　
∎【註6】
(報導者 The Reporter)【肺炎疫情關鍵問答】科學解惑 - 10個「為什麼」，看懂COVID-19病毒特性與防疫策略：https://www.twreporter.org/a/covid-19-ten-facts-ver-2
　　
∎【註7】
科學月刊 Science Monthly - 「讓免疫系統再次偉大！mRNA疫苗會是COVID-19的救世主嗎？」：https://www.scimonth.com.tw/tw/article/show.aspx?num=4823&page=1
　　
∎【註8】
GeneOnline 基因線上 「4 大 COVID-19 疫苗大解密！」 ：https://geneonline.news/index.php/2021/01/04/4-covid-vaccine/
　　
∎【註9】
(CDC)了解mRNA COVID-19疫苗
https://chinese.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html
　　
➤➤照片
∎【註4】：
圖1、分子生物學中心法則
　　
∎【註7】：
圖2：mRNA 疫苗設計原理
圖3：mRNA 疫苗設計流程圖
　　
　　
2. 【國衛院論壇出版品 免費閱覽】
▶國家衛生研究院論壇出版品-電子書(PDF)-線上閱覽:
https://forum.nhri.org.tw/publications/
　　
3. 【國衛院論壇學術活動】
▶https://forum.nhri.org.tw/events/
　　
#國家衛生研究院 #國衛院 #國家衛生研究院論壇 #國衛院論壇 #衛生福利部 #疾病管制署 #COVID-19 #mRNA疫苗 #新英格蘭醫學醫學期刊 #NEJM

衛生福利部 / 疾病管制署 - 1922防疫達人 / 財團法人國家衛生研究院 / 國家衛生研究院-論壇

#重訓女生 #BootyWorkout #練臀課表
我知道很多女生都想要開始重訓，但很多動作都好像好複雜，
或是怕做錯做被人笑，所以遲遲不敢踏出第一步。
那這影片就絕對適合各位新手重訓女生！
我特別挑選了幾個簡單容易上手，
動作和設定都不會很複雜的訓練動作，
組成了這個初階練臀課表，每個動作都有再講解要注意的地方，
希望可以幫助你們踏出重訓這一步！

以下是課表內容：
01:38 Warm-up
1. Air squat 2sets x 10 reps
2. Lateral walk 2sets x 10reps
3. Hip abduction 2sets x 12reps
4. Leg swing 2sets x 12 reps

03:17 Workout
1. Dumbbell glute bridge 4sets x 10reps
2. Dumbbell goblet squat 3sets x 10reps
3. Dumbbell reverse lunge 4sets x 12reps
4. Hamstrings ball curls 3sets x 20reps

08:14 Finisher
1. Lying hip abduction 2sets x 15reps
2. Glute bridge 2sets x 30reps
3. Pulse sumo squat 2sets x 20reps
4. Jumping squat 2sets x 20reps

⭐Follow我的Instagram會有更多訓練影片：Leannethephysio

Music by no suits - Ten Out of Nine - https://thmatc.co/?l=B99BE08D
Music by Qveen Herby - Wifey - https://thmatc.co/?l=73912D28

Electric vehicles (EV) have made a comeback since the great EV failures of the 1990's. Today, ten countries and a handful of cities around the world have planned total ban on combustion engines. The hope is that EV's would help reduce #airpollution and oil consumption. But are #electricvehicles actually good for the environment? What about our anxieties over their range? The batteries don’t last, right? They’re too expensive, right?

In this episode, we speak to Mark Maynard, an automotive editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune who was among the first test drivers of a pilot EV program by General Motors in the 1990's. We also hear from Daniel Vickery, head of engineering of batteries and energy systems at Gogoro, a Taiwanese electric scooter company.

This is a podcast about how NOT to save the #environment. Hosted by Nature N8 (Nate Maynard), an environmental researcher working on energy, ocean, and waste issues.

Have a question? Record your question and send it to us at:
ask@wastenotwhynot.com

View this episode's show notes:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQsyUgEZfSAGZ_F95FaRajG0eGHyhSEa0zpeZrTjiiLhRYpRsG5aWKatg9c6RUHDh3shon8g8UwA7NX/pub

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SUBSCRIBE ON Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or find your player: https://ghostisland.media/#wnwn

SHOW CREDITS
Producer / Editing - Emily Y. Wu
Host - Nate Maynard
Brand Design - Thomas Lee
Theme Song - Chris Lo
This is a Ghost Island Media production.

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★ Has McDonald's Conquered Asia?: https://youtu.be/pgHiRsk2UjY
★ Where Are The Asian Borders?: https://youtu.be/vPupwlZlNMY
★ 'Asian Eyes' Are More Common Than You Think: https://youtu.be/WxTnVWgOGLc
★ How Would You Escape North Korea? (The 7 Choices): https://youtu.be/6A0ZOkMDLw0
★ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR DISASTER: https://youtu.be/HpOG4WFKBZQ
★ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About HIROSHIMA ATOMIC BOMBING: https://youtu.be/wETSBaFwzu0
★ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About 2011 JAPANESE TSUNAMI & TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE: https://youtu.be/VuWTETyzR9Y
★ 10 Things You Didn't Know About RAMUNE: https://youtu.be/4boZ1op4Zrs
★ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About NATTO: https://youtu.be/Hyuyk7GJgd8

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10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE JAPANESE EMPEROR 天皇

Just prior to Christmas, on the 23rd of December, it is the current Japanese Emperor, Akihito’s birthday. It is a national holiday in Japan (天皇誕生日).

1) WORLD'S OLDEST MONARCHY

The Japanese monarchy, The Imperial House of Japan, is the oldest, continuous hereditary monarchy in the world.

Compared to other monarchies, you have the British Monarchy starting at 1066 and the the Danish Monarchy at 935. For the Japanese Monarchy, we’re going back to 660BC, which started with the legendary Japanese Emperor Jimmu.

2) DESCENDENT OF GODS

Shinto is the largest religion in Japan, and the line of Japanese Emperors are said to be the direct descendants of several Shinto gods, the most notable being the Sun goddess, Amaterasu.

The Emperor is the ceremonial head of state in Japan, but it makes sense that with his divine ancestry, he is also officially the head of the Shinto religion itself.

3) TERRITORY-INDEPENDENT PHENOMENON

As odd as it may seem, the title of Emperor (or Tennō) has never really been about territorial designations. Contrast this with European monarchs who often wanted to conquer and control additional territory.

In fact, the position of Emperor is a territory-independent phenomenon. In other words, the Emperor is the Emperor regardless if he has followers in the whole of Japan or in only one province.

4) EMPEROR'S CAPACITY

From 1192 to 1867, the shoguns held the real power (Shoguns being the military commanders of the time). The Emperor still officially nominated the Shoguns to their positions, but this was largely ceremonial.

Today, the Japanese Constitution vests executive power in the Prime Minister and his Cabinet.

5) POLYGAMY

The Japanese imperial dynasty consistently practiced official polygamy.

Besides his empress, the Emperor could take several secondary consorts or concubines; which helped produce more offspring for the imperial clan

6) FIRST COMMONER WIFE

In the history of the Japanese Imperial Family, there was never an Emperor who had a commoner as wife or even concubine. That is, until now.

The current Emperor of Japan married Empress Michiko, a commoner! She was not from the former court nobility nor from one of the former branches of the Imperial Family. Michiko was the daughter of an industrialist

7) FISH SCIENCE

(Ichthyology = Fish Science)
The Emperor is a published ichthyological researcher, having written papers for several scholarly journals, and has specialised studies within the taxonomy of the family Gobiidae. Random

8) STOP GAP EMPRESSES

Generally, it has been males who have ascended Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne. However, if a suitable male was not available, there have been times where women have ascended the throne; almost as a stop gap measure.

Of the 125 monarchs, there have been 8 women who have reigned on 10 different occasions. 2 of them reigned twice.

Once a suitable male descendant was considered old enough to rule, many Empresses, and even Emperors, abdicated or relinquished the throne

9) CHILD EMPERORS

Over a thousand years ago, a tradition started that an Emperor should ascend young. If he had passed his toddler years, he was said to be old enough. Being a child was apparently a fine property

10) ABDICATING TREND

Abdication was very common. Actually it was more frequent than death on the throne. The Emperors tasks involved so many repetitive rituals that after about ten years of service, it was deemed a reasonable compensation to live the rest of their lives in pampered retirement!

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ABOUT
We do videos on interesting 'Asiany' topics - Asian stereotypes, Asian pop culture, Asian issues, Asian history, AMWF, and things you just didn't know about Asia!

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