早稲田ウィークリー

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	Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ Japanese

The moment we opened the laboratory door, our eyes caught a brown fossil, which looked like the head of the dinosaur. All the walls were the covered with bookshelves, displaying many figures and models of dinosaurs and reptiles. It was like a small museum.

Professor Hirayama solemnly took out something from the back of the shelf. But it was just Tupperware. “Inside this sleeps the only thing in the whole world,” he said. Surprisingly the simple case contained a “skeleton specimen of the oldest sea turtle,” found in Brazil ten years ago. The specimen was taken out with the greatest care. “First, it was just a cake of rock. I melted it with acid little by little, and took out the bones. I devoted about three months to doing that…”

At first, he did not guess that he could find such a good sample in the cake. He already knew that it was from 110 million years ago, by the survey of the geology, but he was very excited when the whole skeleton appeared. “I could not help trembling.” There was something very small, but shaped like a fin in the foreleg. “I thought this could be a sea turtle.” In those days, sea turtles were identified only a hundred million years ago. The fossil in front of him just showed the existence of the sea turtles, more than ten million years ago. “It was literally a find.” Then, he published an article on it in “Nature,” a British science journal, and the fossil was admitted as “the oldest fossil of a sea turtle in the world.”

At university, Professor Hirayama majored in economics. What prompted his study of the turtle was an encounter with Professor Setsuo Kamei, at the Graduate School of Kyoto University. “There are fossils of turtle. You could do that.” This was the beginning of his study of old vertebrate. “Once I started, it caught me strongly. You see, there are so many real materials that show processes of evolution. It is interesting because I can understand. The interests drive me to study. Such interests never end.”

It is not rare for him to warm up while talking about turtles in his email with his research cohorts abroad till dawn. There is no end to material of studying the world of turtles. “The way the turtle came is the way for my whole life.” In front of the oldest fossil of a turtle in the world, he gave a hearty smile..

	My Favorite Things
	The Only Turtle in the World! This time, “My Favorite Things” invites Professor Ren Hirayama, professor of the School of International Liberal Studies. He is a specialist in Stratum and Paleontology, and his favorite item is an old-looking fossil of a sea turtle.

	The moment we opened the laboratory door, our eyes caught a brown fossil, which looked like the head of the dinosaur. All the walls were the covered with bookshelves, displaying many figures and models of dinosaurs and reptiles. It was like a small museum. Professor Hirayama solemnly took out something from the back of the shelf. But it was just Tupperware. “Inside this sleeps the only thing in the whole world,” he said. Surprisingly the simple case contained a “skeleton specimen of the oldest sea turtle,” found in Brazil ten years ago. The specimen was taken out with the greatest care. “First, it was just a cake of rock. I melted it with acid little by little, and took out the bones. I devoted about three months to doing that…” At first, he did not guess that he could find such a good sample in the cake. He already knew that it was from 110 million years ago, by the survey of the geology, but he was very excited when the whole skeleton appeared. “I could not help trembling.” There was something very small, but shaped like a fin in the foreleg. “I thought this could be a sea turtle.” In those days, sea turtles were identified only a hundred million years ago. The fossil in front of him just showed the existence of the sea turtles, more than ten million years ago. “It was literally a find.” Then, he published an article on it in “Nature,” a British science journal, and the fossil was admitted as “the oldest fossil of a sea turtle in the world.” At university, Professor Hirayama majored in economics. What prompted his study of the turtle was an encounter with Professor Setsuo Kamei, at the Graduate School of Kyoto University. “There are fossils of turtle. You could do that.” This was the beginning of his study of old vertebrate. “Once I started, it caught me strongly. You see, there are so many real materials that show processes of evolution. It is interesting because I can understand. The interests drive me to study. Such interests never end.” It is not rare for him to warm up while talking about turtles in his email with his research cohorts abroad till dawn. There is no end to material of studying the world of turtles. “The way the turtle came is the way for my whole life.” In front of the oldest fossil of a turtle in the world, he gave a hearty smile..	The skeleton specimen of the oldest sea turtle in the world

		Professor Hirayama in his laboratory with his precious fossil of a turtle.

		From 2008 May 8th Issue

The Only Turtle in the World!

This time, “My Favorite Things” invites Professor Ren Hirayama, professor of the School of International Liberal Studies. He is a specialist in Stratum and Paleontology, and his favorite item is an old-looking fossil of a sea turtle.