“What is ¹⁴C?!”

The science comic book What is¹⁴C?!, which offers a clear and accessible introduction to ¹⁴C, was published with support from the MEXT Promotion of Development of a Joint Usage/Research System Project: Coalition of Universities for Research Excellence Program (CURE) program. Authored by Hayanon, a science-related manga artist, in collaboration with the Science Manga Production Office, the comic was supervised by Prof. Masayo Minami and Associate Prof. Fusa Miyake of the Office for the Promotion of Transdisciplinary Network.

Let’s explore the world of ¹⁴C together with Hayanon’s original characters, “Moru,” a girl passionate about science, and “Milbo,” a robot dog.

“Archaeomagnetism!?”

We have published a science manga titled “What Is Archaeomagnetism!?” that explains the concept of archaeomagnetism in an easy-to-understand way.
The Earth’s magnetic field gradually changes in both direction and intensity over long periods of time. By utilizing these geomagnetic changes, it is possible to determine when archaeological materials—such as pottery, roof tiles, and fired clay unearthed from excavation sites—were last heated or produced. This archaeomagnetic dating method is widely used as an effective tool for reconstructing past human activities and understanding changes in the Earth’s environment.
The manga was created by science manga artist Hayanon, who has worked on this series since 2002, together with the Science Manga Production Studio. Readers explore the world of archaeomagnetism alongside Hayanon’s original characters: Moru, a science-loving girl, and Mirbo, her robotic dog companion.
This publication was produced with support from the “Transdisciplinary Network linking Space–Earth Environmental Science, History, and Archaeology (TranSEHA)” of the MEXT Promotion of Development of a Joint Usage/Research System Project: Coalition of Universities for Research Excellence Program (CURE).
Production was carried out with the cooperation of Prof. Tadatatsu Hatakeyama (Okayama University of Science), Assistant Prof. Chie Kato (Research Center for Asian Archaeology, Kyushu University), Project Assistant Prof. Yu Kitahara (same center), and Prof. Masayo Minami (Office for the Promotion of Transdisciplinary Network, ISEE).
The newly published volume, “What Is Archaeomagnetism!?”, as well as other titles in the “…What Is!?” science manga series, are available on the ISEE website.

Booklets | ISEE Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University