Peer Reviewed

The excited energy state of an oxygen nucleus could consist of a condensate of alpha particles

Summaries of newsworthy papers include An engine for social change, Taking the rough with the smooth and Cancer stem cells leave their mark

The person who did more than any other to build the world's newest and most powerful particle accelerator is named as Nature's newsmaker of 2008 and Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy has revolutionized the field of molecular and cell biology.

While current events may not mark the end of capitalism, its golden age is surely over. It is time to allow other systems to emerge and co-exist. Here, the Islamic option, as a whole or in part, must be seriously considered.

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Neuroscience: Loud and clear, Lullaby learning, Neuronal function implicated in obesity risk, Live, fast, die old, A rotating surface shell on Mars, Avoiding overreaction and Vaccine mystery solved

The complex arrangement of spins in a magnetic oxide gives rise to a magneto-electric effect

An analytical survey maps out the genetic connections of the flavonols. Flavonols are health-promoting, dietary antioxidants. In plants, they are involved in defense responses, such as reactions to pathogens and UV radiation.

A color-shifting fluorescent protein allows researchers to observe immune cell migration that occurs in living animals

Magnetic fluctuations may play an important role in the mechanism for superconductivity in the iron-pnictides

Highlights from the Asia Media Forum include Thailand Bans 'The Economist', LEBANON: New Provocative Magazine Defies Norms, INDIA/PAKISTAN: Hoax Call Hyped by Media - Get Hostilities to Brink, Corruption in the Eyes of a Young Journo and Media Complicity in Mumbai Terror

Sandra Blakeslee, a science writer for The New York Times who specializes in the brain sciences, recently interviewed Atsushi Iriki of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI), Wako, Japan.

Journalist and news anchor Tetsuya Chikushi lost his battle with lung cancer in November 2008. He was a lecturer in Waseda University. His colleague and fellow news anchor, Yasuhiro Tase remembers his legacy.

Water vapour in ‘hot-Jupiter’ atmosphere?, Heating far-off oceans, The stage is set for another food crisis, Antibody therapy helps SIV-infected monkeys, Changing its spots, Mirror image molecules made with ease, Melanoma mutation, Solid-state storage device for single photons and Bacterial clean-up job

The Malaysian Solid State Science and Technology Society (MASS) presented this award to Prof. Taufiq Yap Yun Hin from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) for his work on using vanadium phosphorus oxide (VPO) as a catalyst for light oxidation hydrocarbon reaction to produce high value added petrochemical product.

Minister of Higher Education, Dato' Seri Khaled Nordin informed the media that the ministry has allocated grant worth of RM25mil to GSM-UPM with a budget of RM13.5mil for infrastructure and the other RM11.5mil is intended for developing human capital.

Decentralization has sometimes been presented as a magic bullet for both development and democracy. Is successful decentralization making government more accessible, accountable, and responsive to women.

The HUMI Project has earned a reputation internationally for its technique of photographing rare books using a special book cradle and a camera mount.

Vietnam aims to be a developed country by 2020. With foreign direct investments hitting the record level of more than US$60 billion this year the goal is most likely to be achieved. Still, Vietnam cannot totally ignore the many other challenges that accompany development

The theme of the conference - Sustainable Built Environment Bridging Theory & Practice - was particularly apt because the world is facing various problems related to sustainability.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) successfully developed the first microelectronic chip for academic and research development in Malaysia. CEDEC or Standard Cell Library is a computer chip with the potential of accelerating the digital design process.

The growing demand for cognitive enhancement within a healthy population requires a response, say leading figures in neuroscience, ethics and regulation. Their arguments are stimulated by the previously documented off-label use of such drugs by students and professors.

Meteorite impacts may have helped spawn life on Earth, Melatonin and risk of type 2 diabetes, Cone starvation in retinitis pigmentosa, Seeing cancer specifics, New inherited factors influencing blood lipid levels, Tropical nitrogen fixation and Blood stem cells require editing

Professor Morikawa from Waseda University analyzes the love affairs of college students and the era of the “marriage hunting” that is expected to materialize in the near future.

Visual information from both eyes finally comes together when it is transmitted to the primary visual cortex. Transport of the Otx2 protein from the eye to the brain may initiate visual cortex plasticity

Eliminating signaling molecules from tissue culture results in the generation of hypothalamic neurons from embryonic stem cells

Tracking and halting the making of new neurons shows that continued neurogenesis is needed for spatial memory

The search for improved ‘multiferroic’ materials may benefit from a new discovery in an iron-based oxide compound

Additions to the genome map yield important clues on how plants respond and adapt to adverse environmental conditions

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Into the clouds, Tycho’s supernova classified, Education and well-being, Cancer stem cells and melanoma, Arctic freezing triggers methane burst, Video captures stem cell niche, On–off switch for a superconductor, Core fold in animal egg coats and Mechanism for a stress-free, low-calorie, long life

IDRC and partner organizations will convene policy-makers, researchers, grassroots organizations and journalists from Canada and across the globe at the International Ecohealth Forum 2008 in Mérida, Mexico, December 1-5.