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Nakayama Lab
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A lab that explores human diversity and disease susceptibility from an evolutionary perspective.
AboutAbout the lab
Reading modern human diseases through ancestral adaptation to the environment.
The Nakayama Lab studies how diversity in human physiological traits has been shaped over time.
In particular, it focuses on the relationship between the genetic adaptation of ancient people to environmental challenges such as cold and famine, and the diseases that are common in society today.
The lab combines experiments that measure physiological traits, measurement of DNA sequences and chemical modifications, and population genetic analyses.
Key terms
- Brown adipose tissue
- A specialized fat tissue that burns fat to produce heat. It helps maintain body temperature in the cold.
- DNA methylation
- The attachment of small chemical marks (methyl groups) to DNA. It is involved in regulating whether genes are active.
- Natural selection
- The mechanism by which individuals with genetic traits suited to their environment leave more offspring, causing those traits to spread through a population.
NewsLab news
A doctoral student received the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, Department of Integrated Biosciences Doctoral Dissertation Special Encouragement Award
A doctoral student received the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 17th International Congress of Physiological Anthropology
A doctoral student received the Paper Encouragement Award from the Japan Society of Physiological Anthropology
A doctoral student received the Excellent Presentation Award at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Physiological Anthropology
ResearchResearch themes
Human diversity, such as skin color and body build, is one result of the evolutionary path our ancestors took, and some of it is linked to diseases in modern humans. Through measurements of physiological traits and DNA analysis, the lab aims to uncover the history by which this diversity was shaped.
*Illustrative imageIndividual differences in heat production by brown adipose tissue
The activity of brown adipose tissue, which produces heat in the cold, varies greatly among Japanese individuals. The lab is conducting genetic analyses to find the genomic regions underlying these differences, as well as comparisons between Japanese and Chinese populations.
*Illustrative imageExploring adaptation to the environment through DNA methylation
The lab uses techniques that can measure DNA methylation, which regulates gene activity, even from DNA samples collected many years ago. It has found traces of the stress of a nomadic lifestyle, and applies these techniques to experiments and field surveys investigating the mechanisms of adaptation to high altitude.
*Illustrative imageTracing the origins of common diseases through the genome
Using analyses that detect natural selection in population genomic data, the lab investigates how genomic diversity linked to susceptibility to common diseases such as obesity and myopia was shaped during human evolution.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Nakayama Lab include faculty, project researchers, doctoral and master's students, and graduate research students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorKazuhiro NakayamaPublications ↗
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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: “Snow in the Gobi Desert (MODIS )” MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC / Public domain (cropped)
- Individual differences in heat production by brown adipose tissue: “Brown fat cell” https://www.scientificanimations.com/ / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Exploring adaptation to the environment through DNA methylation: “DNA methylation” Christoph Bock, Max Planck Institute for Informatics / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Tracing the origins of common diseases through the genome: “Cdnaarray” Mangapoco / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
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