The University of Tokyo / UTokyo

The mysterious origin of an impressive cloud disturbance on Venus has now been revealed by a team including the University of Tokyo. Researchers used numerical models to show that an enormous 6,000-kilometer-wide atmospheric wave front, which circumnavigates the planet for days at a time, is caused by a large “hydraulic jump.” This is when a fluid abruptly slows down, changing from shallow and fast to deep and slow. On Venus, a sudden change in airflow in the lower cloud region is coupled with the creation of a strong updraft, forcing sulfuric acid v***r higher into the atmosphere where it condenses into a massive line of cloud. Future planetary studies can consider the potential impacts of this process, and what it might mean for any exploratory missions: https://bit.ly/3R1jTKn

[Event] Building Safe AI: Transparency, Accountability, and the Future Impact of Generative AI
Date: May 15, 2026 15:00 — 16:30
Venue: Komaba Area Campus

Building Safe AI: Transparency, Accountability, and the Future Impact of Generative AI | The University of Tokyo The Economic Security Intelligence Lab (ESIL) at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo, and the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) are honored to co-host a public symposium featuring experts from OpenAI, United Nations University, and the Matsuo-...

Director Gianfranco Rosi took the stage at the 2026 Italian Film Festival! The University of Tokyo’s “Somma Vesuviana Excavation Project” team was featured!

At the 2026 Italian Film Festival held on May 4, “Sotto le nuvole”, a film by director Gianfranco Rosi—which features our archaeological excavation site—was screened!

Director Rosi spent over three years preparing for this film in Naples, and it was completed after more than 200 hours of filming.

“Mount Vesuvius creates the clouds of the world.”

— Beginning with these words by Jean Cocteau, the film quietly depicts Mount Vesuvius and the clouds, the past, present, and future of Naples spreading out below, and the layered history and daily lives of its people through beautiful black-and-white imagery.

The excavation site of the Sonma Ruins at the University of Tokyo also appeared repeatedly as a key scene in the film!

The figures of the research team unearthing history were captured with astonishing beauty on screen.

Following the screening, a Q&A session with Director Rozi was held, during which he stated:

“Even the very moment of filming becomes part of the archive. I want to capture that transition, that changing form. I want to show a narrative where time becomes history.”

Unearthing time that has become history, awakening it in the present, and connecting it to the future. That is precisely the essence of our project. I was truly delighted that the director aligned the significance and value of the act of “digging” with the theme of this film.

At the end, there was even a surprise: the director invited members of the University of Tokyo Somma Team, who appeared in the film, onto the stage to introduce them to the audience!

The director shared these heartwarming words:

“It is the utmost honor to have encountered and witnessed their truly remarkable research on ‘unearthing time.’”

And finally, he added:
“What connects Japan, a land of volcanoes, and Naples is the cloud.”

He also personally appealed for support for this project, which is currently facing a crisis of survival.

Through this film, I hope that many people will come to feel that our project, just like a “cloud,” serves as a bridge connecting the past, present, and future—and linking Japan and Italy!

The film is scheduled for theatrical release in Japan this fall. (Distributed by Bitters End)

▼Click here to support the “Somma Vesuviana Archaeological Excavation Project.”
https://utf.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/project/pjt007

“Possible Future: Case ”
This month: updated on Thursday!

[ New Article ]
Microscopic Water Science in Biological systems: Improving Sake and Tea Production
https://magazine.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en_article/p_7245

Living organisms contain a large amount of water. Around 60% of our bodies, 70 to 90% of plants, and about 80% of water-dwelling animals like fish are actually made of water. But we don’t really know enough about exactly where that water is—down to the level of specific tissues and cells —how much there is, or what form it takes inside the body.
Professor Ryo Shirakashi of is conducting research to elucidate the states of water within biological systems, based on the principles of thermal science and engineering. What insights can be gained by studying water within biological systems? We asked him to explain in detail.

How did you feel about the "Possible Future" depicted in this article? Vote on your expectations!

Possible Future: Case
https://magazine.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/

[Event] Conference on the Role of Universities in International Cooperation Based on Multilateralism
Date: May 20, 2026 13:30 — 15:30
Venue: Yasuda Auditorium, The University of Tokyo
Details:

Conference on the Role of Universities in International Cooperation Based on Multilateralism | The University of Tokyo This website is managed by the Public Relations Office. For inquiries regarding the content of individual pages, please use the contact information listed on each page.

[Event] The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley
Date: May 13, 2026 15:00 — 16:30
Venue: 3rd Floor Conference Hall, Building #13, Komaba II Campus, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo
Details:

The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley | The University of Tokyo The Economic Security Intelligence Lab (ESIL) at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan are pleased to host a public book talk titled:

[Event] Tokyo College Event: “Money in the Age of Digital Assets”
Date: May 28, 2026 14:00 — 15:00
Venue: Online
Details:

Tokyo College Event: “Money in the Age of Digital Assets” | The University of Tokyo This website is managed by the Public Relations Office. For inquiries regarding the content of individual pages, please use the contact information listed on each page.

Every month, gives away original calendar data for smartphones.

For May, it is an image of Associate Professor Eita Tochigi's research.
https://sites.google.com/g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/nanoscale-strength

Please download and use the attached image.
*Size may not fit depending on the model.
*The copyright of the data belongs to .

Please look forward to what kind of research calendars you will receive each
month!

[Event] Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China
Date: May 21, 2026 17:00 — 18:00
Venue: 2nd Floor Conference Hall, Building Number 4, Komaba II Research Campus
Details:

Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China | The University of Tokyo The Economic Security Intelligence Lab (ESIL) at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo, is pleased to host a public book talk titled:

A film featuring the University of Tokyo’s excavation site will premiere at the 2026 Italian Film Festival! — “The Somma Vesuviana Excavation Project.”
The “2026 Italian Film Festival” will be held during Golden Week (Tokyo: May 1 (Fri) – 6 (Wed, holiday) at Yurakucho Asahi Hall; Osaka: May 9 (Sat) and 10 (Sun) at ABC Hall).

One of the films being screened, “Pompeii: Living Under the Clouds” (original title: “Sotto le nuvole”) by documentary film master Gianfranco Rosi, features this archaeological excavation site as one of its filming locations! (*This film will be screened only in Tokyo on Monday, May 4 (holiday) at 3:35 PM.)
Project members also appear in the film!

▼ Click here for more information on the “Somma Vesuviana Excavation Project”
https://utf.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/project/pjt007

▼ Click here for more details on the 2026 Italian Film Festival.
https://www.asahi.com/italia/2026/