きゅんです！サイエンス ‐ 小林武彦先生（2025.8.10）

In this episode of ‘Kyun desu! Science’, the host interviews Professor Takehiko Kobayashi from the University of Tokyo, a specialist in genetics. The conversation begins with casual talk about summer activities and fireworks, then shifts to the impact of the Trump administration on global science, particularly on research funding and international collaborations. Professor Kobayashi, who is involved in the Science Council of Japan, explains how budget cuts and restrictions on foreign students are affecting scientific projects, especially in fields like physics that rely on large-scale facilities. He expresses concern about the future of science if the US reduces its leadership role, and suggests that Japan and other countries need to strengthen their own collaborations. The second half focuses on his book ‘Why can only humans not be happy?’ He discusses the biological basis of happiness, proposing that the common denominator for all living things is maintaining a state of being alive and avoiding death. He contrasts this with human anxiety about the future, which can make humans less happy than other animals. He also touches on the mismatch between our genes, adapted for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and modern society, using examples like boasting, which was originally beneficial for sharing resources but now often leads to social friction. The book aims to reassure readers that many personal struggles are not their fault but a result of this evolutionary mismatch.