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Hybrid 'Janus' nanoparticles made from gold and titania have high catalytic activity and extraordinary durability

A quiet revolution is taking place in the fields of biology and chemistry. Microfluidic devices, which allow fluid manipulation in micro-scale channels, are slowly but surely finding their place on the lab bench. A new microfluidic device can operate as a mixer or a valve, improving the efficiency of micro-scale laboratory apparatus.

An abrupt cooling event in Europe about 2,800 years ago was linked to a sustained reduction in solar radiation, reports a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. The finding indicates that solar forcing may influence European climate over long, as well as short, timescales.

To mark the completion of the first two phases of the Project P.A.T.H.S., more than 900 academics, school principals, teachers, social workers, health care professionals, and university students are attending the international conference on "Youth Development in the Global Context: Emergent Issues and Responses" held from 3 to 4 May 2012.

Observations of a star being sucked into a supermassive black hole are reported in Nature this week. The data allow the mass and type of the ill-fated star and the timing of this event to be determined. Suvi Gezari and colleagues recount the discovery of a flare of radiation from a star being torn apart and consumed by a supermassive black hole.

Simulations of defects inside copper point the way to making stronger metals. Results show that there are many different deformation mechanisms occurring in nano-structured materials like nanotwinned copper. Understanding each of them will allow scientists to tune material properties.

Bin Chen of the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing and Huajian Gao at Brown University, US, have built a model to illustrate the process of skeletal muscle contraction. A combination of random protein movements and the elasticity inside muscles helps to maintain a steady force during skeletal muscle contraction.

From battling potato blight and supercomputers to nano-magnets used for cancer treatment and the Asia Research Network, the latest edition of Asia Research News features all the cutting-edge science from across Asia.

OPINION - To me, space meant NASA and the space shuttle. But last year, finally, the space shuttle was retired. Therefore, the only way to return from space now is by using parachutes.

Korea pushes research and development for global water market. Busan, a city of almost 4 million and host of the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition, will be operating the world’s largest seawater reverse osmosis plant of its kind in 2013.

The latest from Nature and Nature Research Journals Sunday 29 April

APMEN is pleased to announce two new Partner Institutions to join the Network: The Mahidol Vivax Research Center and the Malaria Research Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

House of Innovation Reopens...

"Nanotechnology Platform Program" newly starts on 2012 with MEXT support.

The latest news from Nature 25 April 2012

Master’s student Saliha Mohamad and her professor, Suhaimi Abdul Talib of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, UiTM, Shah Alam, Malaysia, discovered that sulphur and nitrogen can help us get rid of the old age problem of smelly drains.

Team hopes findings will bolster practice’s reputation as a nonpharmacolgical treatment

The signing of an agreement between The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and China Academy of Space Technology has brought together top-notch experts from both sides to work on the development of sophisticated space tool for collecting sample of lunar rock in the third phase of China's lunar exploration programme.

Latest News from Nature 22 April 2012

The Parabolic Team of Universiti Kuala Lumpur had actuated Parabolic Flights from March 23 till 28, 2012 over the airspace of Nagoya Japan. The flights were performed using a modified jet of the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA).

“ There is a need for new strategy as the world today suffers from the lack of social justice, which has become an odd attribute of most national economies”, said MARA’s Chairman Y. B. Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh.

A good example of an institution trying a new model is Albukhary International University in Malaysia. This institution just opened its doors to its first undergraduate students from 47 countries. All students receive a full scholarship and come from a low-income family and underprivileged or disadvantaged background.

On Monday, April 9, 2012, the US-Japan Higher Education Panel was held at the Rihga Royal Hotel Tokyo under Waseda University’s auspices.

Latest news from Nature 18 April 2012

Research group headed by Professor Takashi Tsuji demonstrates regenerating “functional hair regeneration from adult stem cells” Substantial advance in the development of next-generation of “organ replacement regenerative therapies”

The latest news from Scientific American 17 Apriil 2012

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) further strengthened its relationship with the universities of higher learning in Japan through the signing of two memorandums of understanding (MoU) recently.

Latest news from Nature 15 April 2012

"KineLabs" is a free software platform with three rehabilitation games for elderly people and persons after stroke to have fun while enhancing their motor skills in a 3D virtual environment.

Latest press release from Nature, 11 April 2012