Will microorganisms solve the problems of the earth's environment and life in space? -Free announcer Remi Enomoto x Euglena Kengo Suzuki

There are a wide variety of microorganisms on the earth. Its existence is also a symbol of the affluence of the earth. Recent research has revealed the possibility of solving environmental problems such as global warming and space business problems by utilizing microorganisms.

This time, we invited Remi Enomoto, a freelance announcer who has a deep knowledge of microorganisms and space business, as a guest, and talked with Kengo Suzuki, a researcher of microalgae Euglena, which is one of the microorganisms, about a new future utilizing microorganisms. We had you talk.

I want to take advantage of my strength as an "announcer who is strong in science and engineering"

— When did Mr. Enomoto become interested in microorganisms?

Remi Enomoto (hereinafter referred to as Enomoto): Ever since I was a kid, I've loved science experiments. Did you become interested in microorganisms after you entered the Department of Bioscience, Faculty of Science and Engineering at university?
I'm excited just to imagine that hundreds of millions of microorganisms are moving at my feet, and I feel a little bit of my troubles, and I feel energized.

Kengo Suzuki (hereinafter referred to as Suzuki): That's the "something" of people who are interested in microorganisms (laughs). By the way, after studying at university, why did you choose to become an announcer without getting a research job?

Enomoto: I wanted to get a research job, but when I was about to get a job and visited a photo studio to take an ID photo for an entry sheet, I happened to meet a high school friend who took an announcer exam. When I took the exam while being invited to take it together because I was lonely, I passed the exam, and when I realized it, I felt like I was stepping into this world.

However, even after becoming an announcer, my quest for science and engineering has not diminished, and I have always thought, "I want to do a job that will eventually convey the fun of science and physics." That wish has come true, and since last year we have been able to set up a section called "Space Day" in a certain program. Once a month, we invite people who are active in the space business field to talk to us, but it's fun and unavoidable.

Suzuki: I first met Enomoto-san around March 2019, when Enomoto-san began to play an active role as an "announcer who is strong in science and engineering."
Mr. Enomoto was the moderator of the event of a project called "Space Food X", which was started by JAXA and Real Tech Fund, and Euglena Co., Ltd. is also participating. The character "I am an announcer but strong in science and engineering" was unique, and the story was very good and left an impression on me.

Enomoto: After meeting Mr. Suzuki there, I decided to invite him as a guest on "Space Day" at a later date. At that time, you taught us a lot about the space business.

Food / medical / environment. Euglena is the key to solving various problems

-The theme I would like you to talk about today is "microorganisms and the universe," but could you tell us how the two genres, which seem to be separated at first glance, are connected?

Suzuki: At this point, it has not yet been clarified whether or not microorganisms exist in the universe. However, Euglena believes that microorganisms are very important in human life in space.
Euglena, which is the subject of our research, contains animal nutrients in addition to the biological characteristics of "increasing by photosynthesis" and "absorbing carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen", and in human life in space. I think it is very useful.

EnomotoEuglena, a microorganism, is cultivated in space and exerts its power as a human nutrient. It's a very big story, isn't it?
Moreover, I heard that only a small amount of space is needed to grow Euglena It may not be long before a new species called "Euglena

Suzuki:is that so. Water is needed to cultivate Euglena Euglena that one person can live in, 400 liters of water, about two drums, is needed every day. It can be said that this can be supplied in a relatively small space compared to other foods. I definitely want to try "Euglena space".

Euglena is also believed to contribute to global warming. Recently, there has been a lot of research on "how to succeed in reducing CO2 emissions", but by making Euglena absorb CO2 and Euglena as biofuel, etc., we can solve global warming. Isn't it a clue? Efforts are also underway.

Enomoto: The power of Euglena is immeasurable to clean the air of the earth.
I was studying immunology in a university laboratory, Euglena would also work on cells in the human body. I'm hoping that it will be effective in cancer treatment in the future.

Suzuki: The Euglena will live up to its expectations may come someday.
It has been found that malignant tumors such as cancer can be prevented from developing or progressing by controlling a specific immune system. And it is thought that the polysaccharides that are abundant Euglena
The development of medical products needs to be considered over a fairly long span, but I think that we can immediately work on contributing to maintaining and improving health from the field of food. I am trying to strengthen research in this area with the staff of Tohoku University School of Medicine, which is conducting similar research.

Enomoto: Right now, research is progressing in an ongoing system. I was surprised.

Suzuki: Furthermore, when linked to space, maintaining the health of astronauts will become important when manned flight becomes commonplace in the future. Given the unavoidable risks of cosmic radiation and weightlessness on the human body, how to make people feel comfortable both physically and mentally will become an important issue in the future.
In the field of healthcare in space, Euglena should be able to contribute greatly through food. We would like to hold discussions with a wide range of people involved in space development and food, not just us researchers, and lead to better development.

I want to change the image of "space business" to catchy

— It will be an issue for the future to make people aware of the potential of Euglena

Suzuki:That's right. To be honest, there is a limit to what we can say "Euglena is wonderful! Euglena Researchers tend to be seen by people who are biased.
Therefore, if someone like Mr. Enomoto who has knowledge and skills to convey more can convey the charm of Euglena Euglena will be very good. I think I will be saved.

Enomoto:Thank you. Actually, I got the qualification as "Starry Sky Associate Guide" last year, and one of the reasons I got the qualification was "I want everyone to listen to me properly".
It's similar to what researchers see as biased, and just saying that they like the universe and microorganisms from my point of view is regarded as a "strange child" and "mysterious chan." Will end up.

I felt that it was very disappointing, so ... By getting a qualification, I had a strong desire to increase the number of people who could listen to me as seriously as possible.

— Mr. Enomoto's own strong feelings were the motivation. By the way, what kind of qualification is a "starry sky quasi-guide"?

Enomoto: It is a qualification to give a lecture on how to assemble a telescope, the formation of constellations, myths, etc. at events such as astronomical observation. I had a hard time studying because it is a qualification from astronomy that is different from the genres of big bang, dark matter, space development and space business that I was originally interested in.

Suzuki: If anything, it's a form of study that you can remember (laughs).

Enomoto:That's right. But by getting the qualification, I feel that the world has really expanded.
For me, the small prejudices I mentioned earlier have been reduced, through the planning of "Space Day," and the fact that I was able to meet researchers like Mr. Suzuki at the event. It was a big harvest. I would like to ride this wave and increase the number of friends who are interested in space.

Suzuki: In particular, many women may feel that it is a story of a world that is still far away.

Enomoto:that's right. Many of the people who actually come to the event are enthusiasts who really love space, and many businessmen who want to participate in the space business in the future, but I feel that there are still many men.
The threshold for "space business" is still high, so I want to lower the hurdles in the space category so that women can be more easily interested. What should I do, Mr. Suzuki?

Suzuki: After all, it would be better to have a familiar theme such as "food" x "universe". I think food is a genre that is easy to get interested in regardless of gender or age, and it is also a field that Euglena

Enomoto: Certainly the food is strong, isn't it? Also, I feel that some people will be interested in it by combining it with beauty. Whether it is unknown multiplies the universe in any wind, here also Euglena ask you to commercialization in the company's.

Suzuki: That's also a good idea (laughs). It would be fun if we could imagine a new culture with the theme of space and embody it one by one like this.

Enomoto:It is just like you said. In the future, I would like to set up more and more projects that will make you intuitively feel "it looks interesting!"

* Honorific titles omitted in the text

Composition: Tomoko Hatano / Photo: Yuji Tanno / Editing: Yu Oshima