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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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Notes
nyctinasty /ˈnɪktɪˌnæstɪ/: 夜間反応現象
clover: クローバー;
droop うなだれる;
dandelions /ˈdændɪlaɪənz/: タンポポ;
red clover: 赤色のクローバー;
water lily: スイレン；
petals: 花びら;
feather duster; 羽毛のほうき;
resemble (…に)似ている;

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Some plants sleep at night. During the day, their leaves stand up straight, but at night they droop down as if they are sleeping. This is called nyctinasty, and it happens because of changes in light and temperature. Clover and dandelions are some plants that sleep. Scientists don’t know why plants sleep, but they think it helps them save energy and protect themselves from bad weather.

Now, let’s take a look at some plants that sleep. Red clover’s three small leaves close at night to indicate it’s “sleeping”. Water lilies open up when the sun comes out but close their petals when the sun sets, signaling that they’re going to “sleep”. When dandelions sleep, their petals stand upright, resembling a yellow feather duster from far away.
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