Peer Reviewed

A vegetable-rich diet has been linked to a higher risk of obesity in Chinese people

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Perception of depth and depth of perception, Lifeline for tumour cells can be cut, Receptor crystallization speeds up, Rocks on film, A new drug for schistosomiasis, Adapting brain and behaviour to match the environment, Reining in lethal inflammation, Damage limitation ­and Finding allele-specific gene expression

Researchers from Keio University are working on new medical technology to balance immunological and inflammatory reactions. They are also working on monitoring chips for the critically ill patients, quick diagnostic procedures for infectious diseases and materials for prevention of in-hospital infection

Supplying electricity to the remote communities in Malaysia is difficult due to their remoteness and difficult terrain, yet most of these villages are situated near fast flowing rivers, where potential energy lies untapped. UNIMAS researchers have built a low cost system which is currently undergoing its pilot project.

Newsworthy papers: Deep impact, The worm turns, Changing nitrate sinks, Subverting a metabolic pathway for tumour growth, Missing cells to blame in Job’s syndrome, Neural coding of visual information, Partners in crime for neurodegenerative diseases, Clever catalysis in a gut microorganism and DNA Lego

In a “normal world,” the female population equals or slightly surpasses the number of males. Except in India, that is, where the situation is just the opposite, where the gender ratio — or the number of females to males — is known to be among the most imbalanced in the world.

This week in Nature China - A combination of DNA vaccination in conjunction with conventional chemotherapy may provide better control of tuberculosis

Summaries of newsworthy papers include The tree rings have it, Oncogenic microRNA and New resources to precisely map mutations in the fly – Nature Methods

This week, some 50 ICT experts from more than 30 countries in Asia Pacific came together in Singapore to brainstorm and network for the Digital Review of Asia Pacific (DirAP) 2009/2010 which is expected to be released early next year.

Research findings relating to a method for diagnosing breast cancer developed by Professor Masami Ando of the DDS Center, Research Institute for Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science were announced.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Neuroscience: Building a picture of sight, Biomaterials: Know your hydrogel onions, Information processing: Quantum interface and Where have all the midges gone?

This book is the first wide-ranging guide to the key issues of intellectual property and ownership, genetics, biodiversity, and food security.

In Nature China this week - Researchers have used a marine yeast to successfully reduce the incidence of black rot in cherry tomato harvests

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Biogeography- Cosmopolitan phages, The not-so-sweet side of malaria, An atomic force pencil, Let there be light, Genetic variants predisposing to coeliac disease, Mitochondrial DNA deletions affect lifespan, Smokers insensitive to what might have been, Bone marrow nurturers, Altered stem cells accelerate ageing ...

Researchers map genetic alterations associated with human schizophrenia

RIKEN researchers have shown that electron beams, like light, can be twisted into vortices that have useful functions

Alternating electric current can be used to precisely control tiny vortices of magnetism

Dust mite and cockroach allergens aggravate the symptoms of eczema and similar diseases by disrupting skin barrier function, a study published online this week in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology reports. The work provides a crucial step in understanding how the skin’s defenses are weakened by allergens it encounters daily.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Male and female flies wired differently for sex, A threshold for massive star formation, Completing the record, Locating what’s in the larder, An engineering material toughens up and Donning a disguise outside the theatre

Highlights from Nature China include - Scientists in Beijing have identified the gene responsible for cell-corpse degradation, A fossil found in north-eastern China reveals the smallest ever pterosaur and scientists in Beijing have assembled a logic gate using nanocontacts and nanowires made from a metal alloy

MEDIA ADVISORY - The Editorial Board and Authors of “The Digital Review of Asia Pacific ”, comprising some 50 experts from government, academe, industry and civil society, will be meeting in Singapore from March 2-4th at Sentosa’s Silosa Beach Hotel, to start planning for the 2009-2010 version of the Digital Review of Asia Pacific.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Long-distance groundwater flow on Mars, Dust in the wind, Silicon lasers march towards the mid-infrared, Drug detective kit for the cell’s powerhouse, Towards a ‘cloak’ for magnetic fields, Pathway influences human hair growth and texture, Cows as genetic models and more

Tying short RNA molecules into loops gives them a stability boost, which could lead to more effective therapeutic strategies for modulating gene expression

The neurons in the primary visual cortex processing high- and low-frequency images are distinct

RIKEN researchers find link with protein build-up

Other newsworthy papers include Renewable cell therapy for diabetes inches closer from Nature Biotechnology and Treatment-resistant depression might be in the genes from Neuropsychopharmacology.

Summaries of newsworthy papers including Mars: Understanding its water flow, Diabetes: Sugars regulate insulin signalling, Evolutionary Biology: A photosynthetic parasite, Chemistry: Reacting the unreactable, Structural biology: Defining an anti-HIV protein, Tectonics: Deep mantle penetration events, And finally… Bend me, break me

In Nature China this week - A new strain of natural antibiotic could help stop bacterial blight in rice, SARS virus: Rafting into host cells, Anticancer agents: A clue to how they work and more.

Dr. Cesar Mercado, founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Development Center for Asia Africa Pacific (DCAAP) promotes the development of social technologies in the Philippines. He has produced more than fifteen culturally adapted social technologies (CAST) which he continuously shares to interested social scientists and researchers.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Mississippi sinking, Pass the acetyl, please, New syndrome of mental retardation and epilepsy identified, Gene hunters strike oil and Reversing impaired brain function in diabetes – Nature Neuroscience