A book written by a 17-year-old student about slime molds is in the spotlight and enjoying remarkable sales.
Mana Masui, a fifth-year student at Tokyo Metropolitan Koishikawa Secondary Education School, wrote about organisms called slime molds in his natural science book "Sekai wa Henkeikin de Ippai da" (The world is full of slime molds) published by Asahi Press.
The book went into its third print run in six months after it was first published in November last year.
"I'm so glad that I can convey the attractiveness of slime molds to many people," Masui said.
Slime molds are unicellular organisms that live in such spots as the underside of fallen or rotten leaves, where they organize themselves into complex structures. Slime molds have different colors such as red, yellow and brown.
Masui started to raise slime molds when he was 6 years old. The book includes many pictures of slime molds he has taken over the years.
The book contains explanatory notes on the behaviors of slime molds and also expressions of the author's fondness for them. "The creatures are mysterious and beautiful," Masui writes. He vividly spells out a decade's worth of observation records, clarifying his own questions through experiments.
After the book was released on Nov. 10 last year, it was reprinted in December, and again in May, also earning high praise from an eminent writer.
"It's quite unusual that an unknown writer's book sells very well in the field of natural science. The book can convey to readers Masui's great sensitivity and his desire to have people learn [about slime molds]," said Aya Saito, 28, an editor at Asahi Press, who is in charge of his book.
When he was 5 years old, Masui was attracted by a TV program showing mysterious slime molds. Since then, he has participated in observation studies organized by researchers' organizations, and continued to scrutinize the creatures on his own.
Masui won the Prime Minister's Award, the top prize at the Japan Students Science Award in 2014, and has received many awards at various science competitions.
In June, his paper on his research about slime molds was carried in an international science magazine. He is quite an expert, as he has conducted a joint study with researchers of the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology at the request of the university.
"Slime molds are full of mysteries. I want people to understand the attractiveness and mysteries of slime molds by reading my book," he said.
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