DISCOVERING THE
UNTOLD STORIESOF EVOLUTION: ONE WOMAN’S CHALLENGE

Evolutionary biology has made great strides in recent years through advancements
in technologies such as DNA analysis. Working actively at the frontlines of this headline-making
field is Dr. SAITOU Marie of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Here she speaks about
the fascination of using science to unravel the mysteries of life and the new challenges she plans to take on.

YUICHIRO CHINO/GETTY IMAGES

Evolutionary biology employs the vast power ofscience to answer riddles about how living things haveevolved since time immemorial. It is a field of intenseinterest, having made significant advancements in recent
years due to innovations in technologies such as DNA
analysis. Dr. Svante Pääbo, an evolutionary biologist who
was the first in the world to successfully sequence theNeanderthal genome, was awarded the Nobel Prize inPhysiology or Medicine in 2022. Ambitious research iscurrently underway around the world, and one Japanese
researcher working actively on the frontiers of this field isDr. SAITOU Marie, principal investigator (equivalent toassistant professor) at the Norwegian University of LifeSciences. “Since we can now analyze DNA contained inancient bones, we are gaining a deeper understanding of
extinct plants and animals. The true joy of evolutionary
biology is to use this data to discover the unknown stories
behind evolution,” she says.
A study on Neanderthals published in 2021, based on
research Saitou carried out during her postdoctoral period
in New York, focused on the fact that analysis of DNA
contained in their ancient bones exhibited a mutation of“Genome sequencing and editing technologies are making advancements dayby day, so I have to keep on learning. I often exchange opinions withresearchers from other countries, who give me insights into their knowledge
and expertise,” says Dr. SAITOU Marie of the Norwegian University of Life
Sciences. LISA MARIE BAUGE FJELLSBØ

the growth hormone receptor gene, which is associatedwith metabolism and growth. A study was conductedon children with malnutrition in Africa, where many
people today carry this mutation, and it was found thata lower percentage of those children with the mutation
had developed serious symptoms than those without it.
Meanwhile, in a test in which both genome-edited micewith the same mutation and regular mice were fed a lowcalorie diet, the male genome-edited mice became smaller

than the regular mice, and the females
larger. Those results led Saitou to theconclusion that a similar phenomenon
may have occurred in Neanderthals’bodies, increasing their chances ofovercoming starvation, with menbecoming smaller to save energy andwomen storing energy more efficiently
to get through pregnancy.
Though analytical techniques areconstantly advancing, such research
Joining Saitou (sixth from left) are researchers from her research center at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences
still involves the ongoing process of hailing from such countries as Jamaica, the U.K. and South Korea. In addition to managing a research budget andtrial and error. According to Saitou, recruiting talent for her research team, Saitou lectures in a graduate course attended by some 80 students. “Although it’shard work, it is also very rewarding because I can make various decisions at my discretion.” DOMNIKI MANOUSI“We often get results that were totally
unexpected. But it’s fascinating to see our studies develop researchers from around the world in her team to take onin directions we had never imagined.”
new challenges. “Since I regularly interact with people
Saitou became interested in evolutionary biology of different nationalities and backgrounds, my horizons
when she was a college student. “I’ve always loved literature have broadened both personally and research-wise, and I
and the natural sciences, and I thought evolutionary have become able to think more freely.”
biology had the double appeal of being a field of scientific
She now plans to expand her research to include thestudy and one that looks at evolution as the long story study of life forms other than human beings, such asof life.” After earning her doctorate from the University salmon. Understanding the evolution of living thingsof Tokyo, she went to the United States to pursue her can benefit a wide range of fields, from medicine to thestudies further. Her research on Neanderthals and other environment. “Cancer cells, for example, develop fromendeavors were highly appraised by the Norwegian mutations. Evolutionary biology could be very helpful in
University of Life Science, and in 2020 she established elucidating their mechanisms and causal factors. In such
her own research group there.
a way, I want to contribute to industry and society,” says
Since she had always been shy and not particularly Saitou. “I wish to continue using modern technology toadept at English, Saitou never dreamt that she would be unlock long-unsolved mysteries. And someday, I hope toactive on the global stage someday, but she is now leading discover facts that have never crossed anyone’s mind.”

In 2022, Saitou (front row, far right) was awarded the Recognition Prize ofthe First Marie Sklodowska Curie Award, which was established tocontribute to the further advancement of female Japanese researchers. “Thiskind of award is very significant as the first step in promoting women in thesciences. I hope there will be more awards that put a spotlight on a broad
range of people—not only those in academia, but also dedicated researchersin companies and those in outlying regions of the country.”
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND IN JAPANWhen working as apostdoctoral fellow inthe United States,
Saitou studied underProfessorOmerGokcumen (right) at
the State University of
New York in Buffalo,
where she immersed
herself in her research,
including the study of
Neanderthal DNA.
Behind her is a poster
describing the resultsof her research.