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Human Ecology Lab
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The lab explores the health problems of different populations through the relationship between humans and their environment.
AboutAbout the lab
Go all in on what you find interesting
The Human Ecology Lab studies how humans live in relation to their environment.
Environmental change affects human health in many ways, such as through chemical pollution and the breakdown of symbiosis with the gut microbiota.
The lab conducts fieldwork in places such as Papua New Guinea, Laos, and rural areas of Japan, exploring the ecological and cultural factors behind the health problems of each population.
The lab values its guiding principle: "It's fine to fail, so go all in on what you find interesting."
Key terms
- Gut microbiota
- The community of many kinds of bacteria living in the intestines. Also called gut flora.
- Fecundity
- Pronounced "ninyoryoku" in Japanese. The biological ability to conceive.
- Birth cohort study
- A study that follows children and their parents over a long period to examine the relationship between environment, lifestyle, and health.
NewsLab news
Paper published in PLoS ONE showing that dietary fiber and the gut microbiota are involved in fat preference
Paper by a doctoral student on asymptomatic infections and gut bacteria among residents of northern Laos published
ResearchResearch themes
From the perspective of how humans live in interaction with their environment, the lab studies the ecological and cultural factors behind the health problems seen in different populations. Its main current themes are the health risks of environmental factors, the gut microbiota, low fertility, population decline, and subsistence and nutrition.
*Illustrative imageLow-Protein Adaptation and the Gut Microbiota
In the highlands of Papua New Guinea, there are people who develop well-built muscles even though their sweet potato-centered diet provides too little protein. The lab investigates the mechanism of this "low-protein adaptation," focusing on the role of the gut microbiota, in a joint team with bacteriologists, genome scientists, and others.
*Illustrative imageAdaptation to Aging and Population Decline
The lab is interested in how humanity will creatively adapt to the difficult challenges of aging and population decline. It conducts research that combines quantitative data collection with on-site observation in rural Japan, which is experiencing these changes ahead of the rest of the world.
*Illustrative imageFactors Behind Low Fertility in Developed Countries
Focusing on fecundity, the biological capacity to conceive when pregnancy is desired, the lab explores the factors behind low fertility. It does so through surveys that follow couples from pregnancy planning to childbirth, assessments of the effects of chemical exposure, and studies using Japanese demographic statistics.
*Illustrative imageEnvironmental Pollutants and Maternal and Child Health
The lab focuses on the possibility that environmental pollutants passing from mother to fetus spread health risks to the next generation. It is also involved in birth cohort studies in Asian countries and in research using data from a health promotion project carried out jointly with the Hirosaki COI (Center of Innovation).
MembersFaculty
The members of the Human Ecology Lab consist of faculty, support staff, doctoral and master's students, undergraduate thesis students, and visiting researchers.As of 2026
- ProfessorMasahiro UmezakiPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorShoko KonishiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorKyi Mar WaiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorMihoko Kibe
- Assistant ProfessorMomoka MasudaPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Village in Eastern Highlands Province Papua New Guinea” Toksave / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Low-Protein Adaptation and the Gut Microbiota: “Ipomoea batatas - Tubers” Filo gèn' / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Adaptation to Aging and Population Decline: “Japan, countryside north of Kyoto” Marie-Sophie Mejan / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Factors Behind Low Fertility in Developed Countries: “Ultrasound examination of woman” Scott / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Environmental Pollutants and Maternal and Child Health: “Air pollution by industrial chimneys” NPS / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (生物統計学教室): “Tabuleiros de Galton (antes e depois)” Exhibit made by Estes Objethos Atelier, photo by Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (精神保健学教室): “Bench in park” Nirmal Bhagwani / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (医療倫理学分野): “HippocraticOath” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (臨床情報工学): “Personal Health Apps for Smartphones” Intel Free Press / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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