Magazine

2020

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2020 Magazine articles

Is turmeric packaging the future for supermarket shelves?

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
A biodegradable biopolymer containing turmeric oil could help extend food shelf life.
Environment, Food, Materials

Gene expression pattern pinpoints high-risk colorectal cancer

City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
Testing for a gene expression pattern could reduce the number of colorectal cancer patients referred for unnecessary radical surgery.
Diseases, Genetics, Medicine
There are four fundamental forces in the physical world: electromagnetism, strong force, weak force, and gravity. Gravity is the only force still unexplainable at the quantum level.

Gravity mysteries

Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU)
Silly questions lead to surprising answers about the fundamental nature of the universe. We might have been getting it wrong this whole time.
Science, Space

Schools and media key to cutting financial illiteracy

Hiroshima University
Japan’s government should invest in financial literacy programmes in schools and the media to help people make better decisions about savings, investment and pensions.
Culture, People
“Metallurgists are very interested in analysing material microstructures because they determine their properties,” says Dmitry Bulgarevich of Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS).

Tagging for metal alloys

National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
Machine learning approaches are being used to automatically tag microscopic structures in pictures of steel alloys.
Materials, Technology

Catching cancer early

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak haematologist Kuan Jew Win is looking for ways to detect certain blood diseases and cancers early.
Diseases, Medicine
Quantum dots made of cadmium sulfide emit ultraviolet and blue wavelengths of light. Toxicity remains a concern for biological applications.

The quest for perfect quantum dot biomarkers

National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
Tiny nanoparticles can illuminate tissues and cells, but safer, more effective materials are needed before their mainstream application.
Materials, Nanotech, Technology
Bajau Laut

What makes you a citizen?

Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Debate over granting Malaysian citizenship to sea gypsies who have historically lived along the coast, long before Malaysia was a country, raises fundamental questions about citizenship.
Culture, History, People
3D heart

Bioengineering living heart valves

Qatar University
Using tissue engineering techniques, researchers are developing living heart valves that can grow after implantation in the human heart.
Biotech, Diseases, Materials, Medicine

Lizard and snake size unrelated to climate

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
The relationship between body size and climate in lizards and snakes is more complex than originally thought.
Environment, Plants & Animals
spins of light

Computing with spins of light

IOP Publishing
Vortex-like flows of light particles within an optical fibre could help solve the unsolvable.
Technology

Protein links childhood stress to irritable bowel syndrome

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)
Blocking a central nervous system protein could treat irritable bowel syndrome.
Diseases, Health, Medicine

Making new catalysts from unique metallic alloys

National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
Playing with the elements of magnetic alloys can lead to effective industrial catalysts.
Materials, Technology

Finding levers of change

International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Assessing the social science research landscape of developing countries reveals key challenges to building strong and influential research systems.
Culture, People

Gas could be insulating an underground ocean on Pluto

Hokkaido University
A gassy insulating layer beneath the icy surfaces of distant celestial objects could mean there are more oceans in the universe than previously thought.
Science, Space

Purer, safer drugs by removing the evil twin

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)
A new method could speed up drug discovery and lead to purer, side-effect-free medications.
Medicine, Nanotech
Shan women

Sparking change through research

International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Social scientists in Myanmar seeking to understand the factors that influence women’s participation in politics and the economy are finding that, before they can study, first they must inform.
Culture, People, Politics

Dual stem cell therapy for repairing failed hearts

City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
A new approach uses two types of stem cells to repair both heart muscle and blood vessels damaged during severe heart attacks.
Biotech, Medicine

Giant jellyfish genome reveals evolution of hunting

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
Analysis of the Nomura’s jellyfish genome has identified unique genetic adaptations that helped them become early, successful multi-cellular predators.
Genetics, Plants & Animals

Finding the genes that turn on Japanese encephalitis

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
A hyperactive gene response to Japanese encephalitis virus infection ultimately leads to brain inflammation.
Brain, Diseases, Genetics
holographic

Photon sieve widens view of dynamic holograms

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
The design boosts the image appeal of LCD-generated holographic scenes while retaining the popular flat-panel format.
Technology
brain memory concept

Histamine-inducing drugs improve long-term memory recall

Hokkaido University
The drugs helped mice and humans recall long-term object memories.
Brain, Medicine

Converting CO2 into sustainable fuels

Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)
A material aims to deliver a one-two punch: recycling atmospheric carbon dioxide for the production of more sustainable hydrocarbon fuels.
Climate Change, Energy, Environment

All-in-one device for better brain studies

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
An implantable device has the potential to revolutionize how neuroscientists study the brain and treat diseases.
Brain, Diseases, Technology
Andromeda Galaxy

On the hunt for primordial black holes

Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU)
Searching for tiny, ancient black holes proposed by Stephen Hawking to see if they might be dark matter.
Space

AQAMAN takes aim at rare neurodegenerative diseases

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
A small molecule could hold the key to tackling the protein build-up in nerve cells that occurs in several devastating neurological disorders.
Brain, Diseases, Medicine
child, autism, Malaysia

Getting a new perspective on autism

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Much-needed insight into raising young children with autism in Malaysia highlights the need to improve local research, awareness, acceptance and support services.
Brain, Culture, Diseases, Health, People

The gene responsible for cognitive defects in down syndrome

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
New findings could lead the way towards treatments for intellectual disability in Down syndrome.
Brain, Diseases, Medicine

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