Notes:
see-through 透明な;
the Bronze Age 青銅器時代;
silica シリカ;
lime 石灰;
alkali アルカリ;
crystals 結晶

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Glass is an incredible material made from simple ingredients. It can be colored or clear, plain or decorated with many colors. Glass can be see-through, slightly see-through, or not see-through at all. It’s light and doesn’t let liquids through. It can be cleaned easily and used again. Glass is strong but can break easily, and it often looks very beautiful. It’s used in many ways – for drinking glasses, containers, in buildings, and for designing things. Glass has been used since the Bronze Age, about 3000 B.C. It was first made from silica, lime, and an alkali like soda or potash. Even today, these are still the main things used to make glass. When heated, these things get soft and can be shaped into many different shapes and sizes. Glass is different from metals because it doesn’t have crystals in it. Instead, it keeps a random liquid-like structure. This is why glass can break easily and why it changes over time, especially if it gets wet.
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A study from the University of Tsukuba and Hirosaki University found that giving small amounts of money to many researchers is better for big discoveries than giving a lot of money to a few scientists. The study looked at about 180,000 life science and medical projects funded by the government since 1991. It checked how much money projects got and how many important papers they published.

The results showed that giving less than ¥5 million to many scientists helps them make big discoveries, like the creation of iPS cells. This is better than giving more than ¥50 million to a few researchers, who then published fewer important papers.

Ryosuke Oniwa, who led the study, said it’s better to give money to different researchers, not just those with past successes. This approach helps more in achieving innovative results, like those worthy of a Nobel Prize. (For further details, please refer to the September 26th edition of The Yomiuri Shinbun.)
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