Research Highlights

News

21 Mar 2024
Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School have identified a gene that plays a crucial role in regulating energy supply to cells that drive kidney failure. This discovery concerning the gene, named WWP2, offers a new target for therapies aimed at mitigating kidney scarring and damage.
19 Mar 2024
In the late 1930s, French archaeologists discovered a large and remarkable group of ivory sculptures, in Afghanistan's Begram (present-day Bagram). Stipulated to have been used as accents or embellishments for wooden furniture, these carved objects showcase a blend of Greco-Roman, Central Asian, Mediterranean, and Indic stylistic influences. Despite the political upheavals in the region, some of these ivory artefacts still survive. Explore how ongoing scholarly efforts shed light on the historical significance of these art objects, highlighting the cultural connections that were built and flourished along the Silk Road.
04 Mar 2024
In the early seventeenth century, the royal ateliers of the Mewar kingdom, in present-day western India, witnessed the emergence of a new miniature painting tradition. The Mewar School, as it is known, was patronised by the ruling Sisodia dynasty. Stemming from manuscript illustration, this tradition evolved to encompass intricately detailed portraiture. Delve into the evolution of the Mewar School, tracing its distinct styles, aesthetic influences, master artists, and the shifting preferences of its royal patrons.
19 Feb 2024
Dated to the fourteenth century, the Chandayana is a Sufi romance that narrates the story of the lovelorn protagonists — Chanda and Laurik — in rhyming couplets. It was composed in the Awadhi dialect of Hindi, by the Chishti poet Mulla Daud. Five illustrated manuscripts of the poem were created between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and they are housed in five different locations worldwide. These illustrated texts provide a lens into the history of manuscript paintings in the Indian subcontinent.
29 Jan 2024
Nestled in northern Karnataka, the Badami cave temples of India are adorned with a unique blend of intricate carvings that draw religious motifs from Shaivite, Vaishnavite and Jain traditions. Learn more about these 2nd-century rock-cut shrines that bear testament to ancient Indian royal patronage and religious syncretism.
15 Jan 2024
Research by Assistant Professor Edison Ang Huixiang and his team from National Institute of Education/Nanyang Technological University Singapore
15 Jan 2024
The Punjab regions of India and Pakistan bear witness to a centuries-old, laborious tradition of embroidering cloth with silk threads. Called Vari da Bagh and Bagh, meaning “‘garden”’, these textiles are ritually significant and are adorned with geometric patterns or motifs that draw from the everyday life and culture of the region.
01 Jan 2024
In the 16th and 17th centuries, religious ivory statuettes sculpted in colonial Goa sported a unique amalgamation of European and ancient Indian symbolisms. Discover the history of this Indo-Portuguese iconography and its ties to local evangelism, slavery and colonial export.
18 Dec 2023
Amongst the earliest objects unearthed from Gandhara are carved stone dishes depicting guardian spirits, mythical creatures and scenes of merrymaking. Despite the carvings being rich in artistic and cultural information, they reveal little about the functions of these objects. Learn more about these enigmatic artefacts, and the material history of ancient Gandhara.
Flax
15 Dec 2023
A new study have compared the reinforcing efficiency of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and cultivated flax fiber in poly(butylene succinate) composites. PALF, a less explored but potentially sustainable alternative, outperformed flax at 20 wt.%, showcasing its potential in high-performance bio-composites and aligning with environmental goals.
stomach cancer
11 Dec 2023
Scientists uncover genetic factors allowing for the early prediction of intestinal metaplasia patients who may have higher risks of developing stomach cancer, enabling early detection, diagnosis and targeted prevention.
07 Dec 2023
Chronic wounds cost Singapore an estimated SGD$350 million a year, accounting for approximately 0.07% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The amount is a significant economic burden, considering that the country spends 4% of its GDP on healthcare. This is according to the first local study that has quantified the national cost of chronic wounds in a multi-ethnic Asian population. The research, conducted by scientists and clinicians at eight institutions in Singapore, was led by Duke-NUS Medical School and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
06 Dec 2023
A research team led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has developed a novel drug delivery system for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The researchers have engineered exosomes, extracellular vesicles released by cells, to effectively carry the bioactive compound Corynoxine-B extracted from the Chinese herbal medicine Gouteng to the brain of mice with AD. As Corynoxine-B can induce autophagy, a process that maintains the health of cells, this new drug delivery system using exosomes can improve cognitive function and movement while reducing the symptoms of AD.
04 Dec 2023
Since nearly the twelfth century, painters, called ‘patuas’, lived around the Jagannatha Temple at Puri in Odisha, painting tales from Hindu and Islamic religious mythologies, and local legends onto cloth scrolls. Discover how the rituals and festivals of the temple, and its principal deities — Jagannatha, Balabhadra, and Subhadra — inspire these paintings.
20 Nov 2023
Created by western India’s nomadic Vaghri community, mata ni pachedi is a tradition of cloth painting dating back 300 years. Originally meant as canopies for shrines and as objects of ritual worship, these textiles depict a pantheon of local goddesses surrounded by regional motifs. Read on to understand how printing, painting and cloth come together in religious consumerism.
13 Nov 2023
Steel and aluminum are key players in supporting economic growth, yet materials joining them remain unexplored due to their fusion zones’ brittleness. A new 3D printing method’s fix may be a step toward a steel-aluminum hybrid renaissance.
Camera trap photo of Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna
10 Nov 2023
Expedition led by Indonesian NGO YAPPENDA with Cenderawasih University students finds two species lost to science: Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna—one of Re:wild’s most wanted lost species—and Mayr’s honeyeater.
09 Nov 2023
The School of Chinese Medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) found that 55% of the patients who sought medical treatment from the “HKBU Chinese Medicine Telemedicine Centre Against COVID-19” during the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to experience at least one long COVID symptom for six months to a year after diagnosed with an infection. The most common symptoms are fatigue, brain fog and cough.
09 Nov 2023
A research led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has discovered that hyodeoxycholic acid (HDCA), a bile acid generated in human intestine, can reduce fat accumulation and inflammation in the liver, demonstrating its strong therapeutic potential for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The research also found that HDCA’s intervention in NAFLD works by reshaping the population of beneficial gut bacteria, which affects the metabolic interactions between the gut and the liver. The result highlighted the critical role of gut health in liver disease.
06 Nov 2023
Since the 3rd century CE, master puppeteers of southern India have brought the epics of the subcontinent to life through Tholu Bommalata, a form of shadow puppetry performed with elaborate, life-sized leather puppets. Come discover this intricate musical theatre tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation and continues to thrive to this day.
20 Oct 2023
The Cholamandal Artists' Village was established in 1966 to encourage self-sufficiency, community living and the creation of a South Indian visual identity. Since then, it has undergone a transformative journey. Discover its history and achievements.
20 Oct 2023
A huge step forward in the evolution of perovskite solar cells recorded by researchers at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) will have significant implications for renewable energy development. The CityU innovation paves the way for commercialising perovskite solar cells, bringing us closer to an energy-efficient future powered by sustainable sources.
09 Oct 2023
Between the seventh and ninth centuries, south peninsular India experienced a cultural renaissance, resulting from the extensive patronage of a powerful dynasty, the Pallavas. Discover their unique contributions to the arts and literature of the time, which led to the creation of a new, Dravidian idiom of temple architecture in South Asia.
24 Sep 2023
Amidst the political tumult of nineteenth-century colonial India, Abanindranath Tagore — an artist from Bengal — set out to invent a new ‘Indian’ visual language, rejecting European artistic ideals. He pioneered a style that combined themes from mythology, history, and rural life, with elements from India’s miniature painting traditions. This would evolve into the Bengal School — a movement that reimagined a distinctly Indian approach to art. Tagore influenced an entire generation of artists and left a lasting impact on the quest for Indian identity during the struggle for Independence.
11 Sep 2023
In the mid-sixteenth century, Mughal emperor Humayun brought two Persian master painters to India, who not only established an imperial atelier but also began a major tradition of miniature painting in South Asia — Mughal manuscript paintings. This painting tradition flourished for centuries, enjoying royal patronage and resulted in the illustration of significant literary texts, scriptures, biographies, dynastic histories and scientific literature. Known for their naturalism and intricacy, Mughal paintings also combined a range of influences — Persian, Indian and European — and were often made collaboratively by artists and other specialists in the imperial ateliers, known as kitabkhanas. Discover the legacy and lasting influence of this painting tradition and its eventual decline in the late eighteenth century.
08 Sep 2023
Study addresses gaps in understanding of swine influenza A virus evolution and highlights need for early warning of disease emergence
28 Aug 2023
Traditionally woven in Gujarat, India, mashru — meaning ‘lawful’ or ‘permitted’ in Arabic — was invented to allow Muslims to wear silk garments despite injunctions against it in the Hadith, an important Islamic religious text offering teachings and moral guidance. The fabric’s innovative weaving technique, where each silk warp crosses six cotton wefts, keeps silk from touching the body when worn. Whilst the earliest visual references to mashru date back to the seventeenth-century in the Deccan region of southern India, the fabric has lived many lives, gaining popularity amongst Islamic populations in India, West Asia and Africa as it was traded along Indian Ocean maritime routes.
24 Aug 2023
Study suggests broad-spectrum vaccines with wide coverage necessary to achieve effective immunity against future, functionally-distinct variants.
14 Aug 2023
In the early seventeenth century, a new painting tradition — characterised by its use of bold colours, gilding and gem-setting — emerged in the Thanjavur region of southern India. While Thanjavur paintings originally featured gods and saints, the tradition grew to incorporate secular subjects owing to a range of influences over the next several centuries, including Mughal, Maratha, and European art. Thanjavur paintings continue to be popular as memorabilia and worship objects, and are one the most recognisable South Indian painting styles today.
07 Aug 2023
A research led by scientists of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) found that isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a flavonoid isolated from the Chinese herbal medicine licorice, can inhibit pancreatic cancer progression. It may also enhance the efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs in treating pancreatic cancer. It is the first time that a research group reported the anticancer potential of ISL in treating pancreatic cancer.

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