Peer Reviewed

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

In-depth interviews with over 100 entrepreneurs in Bangalore suggest that deficiencies in the performance of basic governmental functions (such as in collecting taxes and maintaining land records) play a significant role in discouraging businesses from starting at or expanding to an economically efficient scale of operation.

Although signs have emerged that some of the forces that caused the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis have begun to diminish and progress has been made in macroeconomic affairs, 10 years after the meltdown Indonesia's recovery is still among the slowest in Asian crisis countries.

This paper contributes to the debate on the use of temporary controls on capital outflows as a crisis resolution measure by examining the outcome of Malaysia's radical response to the 1997–98 financial crisis.

This study shows that India's export performance is still far behind that of China. The implication of this study is that India's reform measures need to be bolstered effectively to catch up and to overtake China.

A protein with an important role in regulating gene expression may have other duties relating to chromosome maintenance

Researchers unravel how specific connections result in the layering of neurons in the brain

High-energy gamma rays from thunderclouds may help us to predict when lightning will strike

India started on a program of reforms, both in its external and internal aspects, in the mid-1980s. This book examines in detail these aspects of post reform India and discerns the changes and trends that these new developments have created. The book launch is on February 19 in New Delhi.

The biennial Digital Review of Asia Pacific is a comprehensive guide to the state-of-practice and trends in information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) in Asia Pacific.

IDRC is partnering with the UK’s One World Trust to strengthen the accountability of research institutes.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Astrophysics: Progenitor of a type Ia supernova, Genomes: Last of the single cells, Mineralogy: What’s in the transition zone of Earth’s mantle, Food webs: Chaos reigns and Energy scavengers for power dressing

The article discusses issues of patents, role of WTO, issues in New Drug Approval and R&D strategies adopted by Indian pharmaceutical companies and provides the basic understanding of the key success factors vital in the pharma industry.

Prof.Yoshiyasu Takefuji was the first person with the idea of camera-equipped cellular phones using satellites and is now taking on the challenge for new public transportation services with unique ideas including floors for passengers to generate electricity, speakers for noisy stations and GPS inside trains.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Undetectable ocean trends, Physics at the beach, DNA proves its potential, Genome-wide view of prostate cancer risk, fMRI tracks monkey ‘voice’ area, How HIV ravages gut immune cells

The future of computing may emerge not from electronics, but from ‘spintronics’. This new technology relies on the transport of electrons whose quantum spin states—or internal angular momentum—are all the same.

Researchers at RIKEN’s Discovery Research Institute in Wako, in collaboration with researchers from Cornell University in the US, and Kyoto University, have refined a method that measures small electronic excitations in superconductors.

RIKEN scientists have discovered a new state of matter with unusual magnetic properties—its constituent electrons are in a continuous state of flux, even at incredibly cold temperatures.

Scientists might be better served by spending their time working with their representatives on Capitol Hill rather than trying to get candidates together for a debate.