Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

Research from Stanford University and others has revealed that the human brain — which looks like a single continuous organ — actually developed from two different origins at its front and back, making it, in effect, “two organs.” At an extremely early stage, just about a week after fertilization, the researchers found that the cluster of cells destined to become the forebrain and midbrain, and the cluster destined to become the hindbrain (which governs breathing and heartbeat), had already branched apart by activating separate genes (Otx2 and Gbx2). On 5ch’s Science News+ board, the thread filled up with quips like “well, the brain started as gut anyway” and trivia about whether the brainstem or the cerebrum is evolutionarily older, alongside a lively philosophical debate over which brain actually produces consciousness.

What We Call the “Brain” Turns Out to Be a Combination of Two Different Organs — Front and Back Grown From Separate “Seeds”

Research conducted at Stanford University and other institutions in the United States has revealed that our brain, which appears to be one continuous whole, actually grew from cells that form two separate “seeds” at the front and the back.

The front, which handles language and thought, and the back, which handles life-sustaining work like breathing and heartbeat, go their separate ways from the very moment the brain’s precursor forms — making them, in effect, two organs.

Source: nazology.kusuguru.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Science News+) thread “[Nazology] What We Call the ‘Brain’ Turns Out to Be a Combination of Two Different Organs — Front and Back Grown From Separate ‘Seeds’.”

A service that once symbolized Japan’s technical prowess quietly shut down this past March without so much as a ripple of attention — that revelation, from a Daily Shincho article, sparked a lively debate on 5ch’s News Express+ board over “why Japan got overtaken by China and South Korea in cameras and smartphones.”

In the thread, opinions varied widely: some blamed a labor culture where the spread of non-regular employment has entrenched a “working is for losers” mentality, others pointed to the neglect of STEM fields and underfunded universities, and still others questioned Japan’s shift toward a tourism-driven industrial structure. No single explanation won out. Posters also traded specific claims about China’s development system and technology transfer, and the discussion branched out into labor, education, and industrial policy.

Daily Shincho, September 22

Turn on the TV or glance at your phone, and all that greets you is one depressing headline after another. Looking at the sorry state of things, who wouldn’t be tempted to mutter, “things used to be better”? This piece takes a close look at the many faces of a “sinking Japan,” whose cracks have grown too numerous to hide.

The smartphone, now more common in households than the television, has come to “rule” modern life. But did you know that behind the endless stream of new gadgets hitting the market, a service that once showcased Japan’s technical prowess to the entire world quietly closed its doors this past March?

Source: dailyshincho.jp / Read the original article

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “‘Even Our Signature Cameras Have Been Overtaken by China…’ ‘Total Defeat to China and Korea in Smartphones’ — Why Has Japan Become a Has-Been?.”

A confidential presentation OpenAI showed to investors has revealed that the company expects a cumulative free cash flow (FCF) deficit of $278 billion (roughly ¥43.6 trillion) over the five years from 2026 through the end of 2030. On 5ch, the figures sparked discussion about the poor profitability of generative AI businesses, the electricity and water consumption tied to building data centers, and the differing revenue structures of rivals like Google, which has other income streams such as search and advertising.

87AnonymousSep 21, 2026 17:56

LLMs are burning through cash at a rate that dwarfs past tech giants

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyo G) thread “OpenAI: ‘Sorry investors! We’re going to be in the red for 5 more years and need close to $300 billion in debt lol’“.