Dr. Svante Pääbo, this year's Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, was often invited to Kyoto University's research meetings. He has attracted many researchers not only for his unique achievements in genome analysis, but also for his friendly personality which led him to willingly take the role of a lively guest at various functions.

Hiroo Imai, a professor at Kyoto University's Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior (EHUB), Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, has invited Dr. Pääbo to Japan many times and been in touch with him by holding research meetings and other events, as they are in the same research fields.

Prof. Imai served as an interpreter for Dr. Pääbo and helped him prepare Japanese slides for the 40th anniversary celebration of the Primate Research Institute, the predecessor of EHUB, held at Kyoto University Clock Tower Centennial Hall, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, in 2007.

Prof. Imai reminisced about Dr. Pääbo going out for karaoke with Japanese researchers after the research meetings and singing rock songs to everyone's delight. He is well versed in Japanese culture and is particularly interested in Zen. Prof. Imai heard from him directly that he has visited Japan many times unofficially.

Upon receiving the news that Dr. Pääbo had won the Nobel Prize, Prof. Imai offered his congratulations, saying, "It is wonderful that he tackled something no one had ever done before, such as extracting genes from fossils. I am very happy that he got the prize."

Photo= Dr. Pääbo (left) and Prof. Imai at karaoke party after a research meeting held at the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University, Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, in March 2010 (courtesy of Prof. Imai)