SCIENCE A Japanese research vessel carrying the world’s largest deep-sea drill has completed its first expedition after collecting data it hopes will help discover more about earthquakes, officials said Saturday. [MAINICHI]

TECHNOLOGY Japanese electronics firms are souping up their latest range of mobile phones with technology — and, crucially, branding — sourced from their flagship products, such as flat-screen TVs and cameras, which could prove an important factor in sales as the Christmas shopping period approaches. [MAINICHI]

TECHNOLOGY The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NHK have successfully taken the world’s first high-definition images of an “earth-rise” with the lunar explorer “Kaguya.” (1)

TECHNOLOGY A cigarette vending machine that can tell adults from minors by determining their approximate ages based on bone structure, wrinkles and the way their skin sags went on sale Monday. [YOMIURI]

TECHNOLOGY The 40th Tokyo Motor Show ended its 17-day run Sunday with 1,425,800 visitors, falling short of the organizer’s target of about 1.5 million. [KYODO]

SCIENCE The National Research Institute of Police Science is working on developing a new DNA analysis method to identify individuals through skeletal remains or old bloodstains, informed sources said Saturday. [KYODO]

SCIENCE Mother dolphins dramatically reduce their sleeping hours for one week after giving birth in order to focus on rearing their newborn calfs, a study by a group of Japanese researchers showed Saturday. [KYODO]

SCIENCE How old is too old for a woman to have a baby? The recent revelation that a 60-year-old Japanese woman was impregnated with a fertilized egg in the United States has highlighted several issues, including the risk of delivering a child at such an advanced age, and possible complications in the traditional parent-child relationship. [YOMIURI]

TECHNOLOGY Personal stereos have come a long way from the days of cassette tapes, with major manufacturers now battling for consumers’ attention with functions such as video capability. The market leader is Apple Inc.‘s incredibly popular iPod, but market veteran Sony Corp. is in hot pursuit with its latest range of Walkman products. [YOMIURI]

SCIENCE While colored contact lenses can be a fun and easy way to change your look, these popular fashion accessories are not always easy on the eye. [ASAHI]

TECHNOLOGY Every second counts when you’re built for speed, and the new N700 Series of Shinkansen train is the fastest yet, thanks partly to an innovative window design that cuts down on drag. [ASAHI]

TECHNOLOGY If prizes were awarded for hype, Nissan’s long-awaited GT-R would be a cinch for the Car of the Year award. Launching it Oct. 24 at the 40th annual Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn was at his showman best as he unveiled the GT-R. [BUSINESSWEEK]

TECHNOLOGY “Did you just grope me? Shall we head to the police?” That’s the message women are flashing on their cell phones with a popular program designed to ward off wandering hands in Japan’s congested commuter trains. [MAINICHI]

SCIENCE A research team has found evidence suggesting soybeans were cultivated in Japan about 5,000 years ago. [YOMIURI]

TECHNOLOGY Kaneko Sangyo Co. said Tuesday it has developed a portable toilet for use inside a car that totally conceals the user with a curtain. [KYODO]

SCIENCE Japan’s first lunar probe, SELENE, has been positioned into a lunar observation orbit and is ready to start its mission, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Sunday. [THE JAPAN TIMES]

TECHNOLOGY An expert panel established by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry to study measures to deal with spam e-mail compiled a draft for an interim report Tuesday calling for a ban on sending unsolicited advertising and publicity messages without the prior agreement of receivers. [YOMIURI]

TECHNOLOGY From egg- to gorilla-shaped vehicles, to cars so soft and squishy they can hit a pedestrian without causing much damage, Japanese auto engineers and designers have come up with some wild new designs for the Tokyo Motor Show opening next week. [ASAHI]

SCIENCE Children whose mothers smoke have about 4.5 times more cotinine–a nicotine by-product and a marker for nicotine exposure–in their urine than those exposed to secondhand smoke from their fathers, according to a survey recently conducted by a group of researchers. [YOMIURI]

SCIENCE A Tokyo University research team has identified an amino acid mutation in an avian influenza virus they believe to be the vector for a possible human influenza pandemic. [YOMIURI]