To answer this, the team studied five hot springs in Japan, which are rich in varied water chemistries. In four of the five hot springs, the team found microaerophilic iron-oxidising bacteria to be the dominant microbes. The only exception was one of the Akita hot springs, where non-iron-based metabolisms were surprisingly dominant. Given that hot springs contained very little sulfur compounds, this was a surprising discovery. Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) was established on October 1, 2024, following the merger between Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), with the mission of "Advancing science and human wellbeing to create value for and with society."