Peer Reviewed

The ratio between the second and fourth digits is linked to stretched penile length according to a study published online this week in Asian Journal of Andrology. This finding suggests that digit ratio can predict adult penile size and that the effects of prenatal testosterone may in part explain the differences in adult penile length.

Synthetic cell membranes invented at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), may improve the way we identify and develop drugs by speeding up and reducing the cost of the drug screening process.

A genome-wide study by in Japan has identified a genetic variant associated with the development of liver cancer in chronic hepatitis C virus carriers.

Highly aggregative and neurotoxic amyloid peptide Aβ43 points the way to new approaches for AD diagnosis and treatment

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Geoscience: Warmth projected for subsurface oceans; Medicine: The myelin fix; Geoscience: Metal-rich mud; Generation of dopaminergic neurons from fibroblasts

Cultures of embryonic stem cells can be coaxed to spontaneously develop into a mature, properly organized retina

A newly discovered natural product produced by a fungus prevents cancer cells from becoming malignant

Numerical simulations reveal that deliberately engineering defects into ultrathin oxide films enhances catalytic water-splitting reactions

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Cancer: Defining new subtypes of ovarian cancer ; Astronomy: Discovery of a distant luminous quasar; Immunology: The Vpx factor for HIV-1 replication; Africa Special: Population pressures; Africa Special: The battle against wheat rust and more

Researchers from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the University of Tokyo and Tohoku University suggested a possibility to control a magnet's behaviour

Researchers from Institute for Solid State Physics, the University of Tokyo and RIKEN (Institute of Physical and Chemical Research) have succeeded in the magnetic control of anomalous Hall effect (AHE) induced by spin chirality, which might be a step toward non-volatile memory based on the AHE.

Researchers from Tohoku University and Osaka University made a remarkable step toward a next-generation energy-conservation device

The Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), a research institute of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), hosts the first AtMol workshop for the world’s experts in the advanced tools needed to build a molecule-sized chip.

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Medicine: Treating snakebite; Chemical Biology: Plutonium poisoning; Nanotechnology: Turning the heat up on cancer; Neuroscience: Reversing brain damage in neonates; Geoscience: Insensitive climate models; Nature: Editing the genome to correct genetic diseases and more

Doha, Qatar, June 25, 2011 – Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) will be at the World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ). IDRC participation will showcase the ways in which Arab scientists are strengthening their societies’ chances for peace, order, and good government.

A full-color three-dimensional hologram has been created by harnessing electron density waves in thin metal films

Signaling proteins that help immune cells develop also enable those cells to mount an effective counterattack against infections

RIKEN researchers show how the effects of stress can be passed down the generations by mechanisms outside genetic inheritance. Published in the journal Cell, the results mark a major advancement in our understanding of non-Mendelian inheritance.

Summary of newsworthy papers - Animal Behaviour: Young monkeys aren't for turn-taking; Marine Science: In search of lost salmon

Researchers from Singapore’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) and the University of Michigan have developed a blue organic light emitting diode (OLED) with an efficiency level that is double the maximum theoretical limit. This paves the way for longer-lasting, more efficient and vivid OLED displays for the consumer market.

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Marine science: Keeping tabs on Pacific predators; Planetary science: Saturn’s salty moon; Outlook: Biofuels seed African economy; Chemistry: Building blocks of bioactive molecules; Physics: The difficulty in defining quantum systems ; Biology: Antihistamine research not to be sneezed at

Award winning contact lens combat childhood myopia

A new technique for producing artificial bone implants has been developed by Korean researchers. By mimicking natural bone, it is hoped the implant material will better complement the natural regeneration process.

RIKEN and Fujitsu have taken first place on the 37th TOP500 list announced at the 26th International Supercomputing Conference (ISC'11) held in Hamburg, Germany. This ranking is based on a performance measurement of the "K computer," currently under their joint development.

FXMedia Internet, A*STAR’s first licensee of the 3D Face Modeling technology, will launch the e-greeting card application – e-motions at CommunicAsia 2011.

Organized by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) as a major initiative to embrace internationalization, innovation and entrepreneurship, PolyU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Student Challenge (GSC) 2011 has attracted more than 190 teams from secondary schools and universities from 27 countries and territories.

Organized by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, PolyU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Student Challenge (GSC) 2011 has come to a fruitful close. After rounds of keen competition, the Gold Award of the University Division went to Purdue University, US. As for the Secondary School Division, ‘Iolani School, US snatched the Gold Award.

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Materials: Targeting tumours through nanoparticles that scout, broadcast and recruit; Geoscience: Marginal temperature benefits from forest regrowth; Climate Change: Tell-tale signs of tipping; Climate Change: A push from pathogens; And finally…Neuroscience: Flies learn to smell friend from foe

Memories are more likely to stick if learning includes regular periods of rest. Now researchers think they know why

Long before the term “global warming” appeared in headlines, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) was supporting research on climate change.