Peer Reviewed

A new study on social cognition has clarified a key role for the medial frontal region of the cerebral cortex in differentiating between the actions of oneself and the actions of others.

New findings reported this week in Science by researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI) shed first-ever light on the neural mechanisms that enable board game experts to quickly generate optimal moves.

‘Social’ robots with human-like mannerisms allow for more natural interactions with human users.

Forensic scientists have developed an automated system to extract volatile data from mobile phones

Computer-aided molecular design can help scientists find more efficient catalysts for polymerization reactions

Photonics and microelectromechanical systems fabricated separately on different wafers can now be aligned precisely by finishing with a single processing step

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Social evolution: Small farmers; Comment: Prenatal genetic testing is here at last; Social evolution: Small farmers; Quantum physics: Solid-state spins entangled by the billions; Social evolution: Too risky to succeed?; And finally… To sleep, perchance to dream.

Officials of international health agencies are recommending a pilot roll-out of cholera vaccination in Haiti, despite the fact that even using the world’s entire stockpile of doses would leave most Haitians without vaccine.

Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology have managed to sustain the growth of chicken embryos outside the egg.

Neuroscientists have uncovered why relatively minor details of an episode are sometimes inexplicably linked to long-term memories.

Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is pleased to announce the first projects to be supported under the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund.

As food prices rise around the globe, Africa faces increased challenges to feed its citizens. IDRC’s grant will support AGRA’S innovative research to improve agricultural productivity and access to markets.

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Geoscience: Reduced climate cooling from snow and ice; Geoscience: Sea ice impedes mercury breakdown.

Researchers from Hong Kong Polytechnic University have carried out a pioneering study on the factors behind motorcycle accidents.

In November last year, the UN reported that there are many more people with cellphones in the Indian population than those with access to a toilet.

Humanized mouse models help clarify the origins of leukemia and the cellular processes that lead to its recurrence, providing hope for a cure for this intractable blood disease.

Simulations have explained the peculiar nature of molecular hydrogen vibration under high pressure

A newly proposed superconducting device could lead to the first observation of particles that are their own antiparticles

Showing of “The Tiger Factory” during the Directors' Fortnight Section

The release of “Biographies of the Great Men of Saga, Shigenobu Okuma” (To be published January 2011).

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has developed a software application to test soil strength and gradient in order to help the government tackle the problem of landslides in the country.

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Astronomy: Clustering galaxies seen in the very early Universe; Comment: Counting the cost of corruption in earthquake zones; Neuroscience: Modelled tinnitus treatment rings true; Quantum physics: Entangled light stored in crystals; And finally... Teething trouble .

In a timely review paper, scientists from Japan, Germany, and Spain provide a highly relevant overview of the history, physical interpretation and applications of plasmons in metallic nanostructures.

Malaysian research students at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) found that if there is more organic content in sewage sludge it is possible to generate more methane.

In celebration of the International Year of Chemistry (IYC) 2011, nearly 70 scientists from across the globe will speak at a two-day conference on research that can greatly impact technologies in health, lifestyle, high-value manufacturing and sustainability.

Summaries of newsworthy papers - Neuroscience: Chills of musical pleasure; Nature: A massive black hole in a nearby dwarf galaxy; Geoscience: Origin of lunar water; And finally…Chemical Biology: To screen and protect

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University will, through its partnership with Sichuan University in establishing China's first Training Institute on Disaster Management and Reconstruction, bring in its programmes and expertise to support the reconstruction and sustainable development of Sichuan province.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) School of Accounting and Finance hosted on 4-5 January the JCAE (Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics) Symposium 2011.

To identify the future direction of education and research, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) jointly organized a cross-discipline international forum.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has recently won one Gold and three Silver Medals at the 62nd International Trade Fair "Ideas - Inventions – New Products" (IENA) of Nuremberg, Germany, for its innovations in health technology, novel use of optical fibres and digital image processing.