Environment

A material aims to deliver a one-two punch: recycling atmospheric carbon dioxide for the production of more sustainable hydrocarbon fuels.

A biodegradable biopolymer containing turmeric oil could help extend food shelf life.

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has found that the effective population size and genetic diversity of Singapore’s Cynopterus brachyotis, believed to remain widely unaffected by urbanisation, has shrunk significantly over the last 90 years – revealing that the current biodiversity crisis may be much broader than widely assumed, affecting even species thought to be common and tolerant of fragmentation and habitat loss.

Rivers in southeast Asia transport more plastic to the ocean than some rivers in Europe, evidence from a new study in Environmental Research Letters suggests.

IAP outlines a set of measures to protect forests and fight climate change in response to the ongoing global crisis surrounding deforestation and forest burning

Cold waves triggered by sea ice loss in the Arctic are memorized in the Eurasian Continent, amplifying cooling in the winters to follow, according to a joint research team between Hokkaido University and Niigata University in Japan.

A team of engineers from the National University of Singapore has developed a highly sensitive system that uses a smartphone to rapidly detect the presence of toxin-producing algae in water within 15 minutes. This technological breakthrough could play a big role in preventing the spread of harmful microorganisms in aquatic environments, which could threaten global public health and cause environmental problems.

Report on Thinktank Roundtable at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 2019 - by Wei Chian, with additional reporting by ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE)

Biennial ‘Primates in Peril’ Report Spurs Critical Support for Conserving Most Imperiled Species Globally.

Ministry of Energy joins forces with six other ministries, GAT International and Deutsche Messe to organize SETA 2019, now in its 4th year, under the concept of “Integrated Sustainable Energy Solutions For Asia”

1st October 2019 - MITEC Kuala Lumpur, malaysia

Call for Proposals - deadline 10 November 2019

A new study has estimated for the first time how the eruption of Mount Tambora changed the probability of the cold and wet European ‘year without a summer’ of 1816.

Researchers from China, France and the USA have evaluated China’s success in stemming emissions from its coal-fired power plants (CPPs).

Do you have new research to share about anthropology, archeology, paleontology, sociology, climate change or endangered species? You could win the opportunity to highlight your research in Asia Research News 2020.

Variations in the depth of snow cover in the Arctic region from late winter to spring determines the summer temperature pattern in Eurasia, according to Hokkaido University researchers. In particular, deeper-than-usual snow cover in Western Russia enhanced the likelihood of summer heat waves in Europe and Northeast Asia in recent years.

Japanese scientists have found a new way to successfully detect the efficiency of crystal semiconductors. For the first time ever, the team used a specific kind of photoluminescence spectroscopy, a way to detect light, to characterize the semiconductors. The emitted light energy was used as an indicator of the crystal's quality. This method potentially culminates in more efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and solar cells. Additionally, it could usher in several other advances in electronics.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has successfully proven the presence of invasive crayfish in almost all the small streams around Lake Akan in Japan, suggesting that eDNA analysis is an efficient and highly sensitive method to assess the distribution of aquatic organisms.

UK Research and Innovation and its partners are funding 13 research programs, building collaborations across 10 countries, including Japan, China, Singapore and India.

Now in its 12th edition, the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) is a premier platform in Asia for energy insights, partnerships and dialogues, which brings together the world’s leading conferences, exhibitions and roundtables in one week, one location.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today announced the signing of a collaborative framework agreement with Wuyi University (WYU). The two universities will join hands for research on the development of green and healthy textile materials over a span of three years.

Researchers at Convergence Research Center for Solar Energy at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), South Korea, have achieved the confirmed highest single-junction cell efficiency in the world. Expects to be commercialized by using low cost, ecofriendly materials.

The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) (PolyU) organised an international forum, titled “Translational Research Forum on Sustainable Urban Development in the Greater Bay Area” on 26 and 27 April 2019

Using advanced computer models, researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) found that intercropping enables higher productivity in crops with less synthetic fertilizers and hence reduces the air pollutants being volatilized from the cropland soil.

A one-step method enables scalable and more environmentally friendly production of plant-derived plastic monomers, paving the way towards the mass production of a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based materials.

The composition of mixed brominated/chlorinated dibenzofurans (PXDFs) and diphenyl ethers in soils from an e-waste site in Ghana suggests a formation of PXDFs through condensation of the flame retardant PBDEs and subsequent bromine-to-chlorine exchange. PXDFs were substantial contributors of toxic equivalents among dioxins from e-waste burning.

Evidence of historic marine life present in Alaskan permafrost is helping scientists reconstruct ancient changes in the ice cover over the Arctic Ocean.

WorldFish, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) signed a five-year tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today.

Glaciers extending into freshwater lakes can form long, submerged terraces that menacingly rise above the surface when icy chunks fall into the water.

New research found that some man-made chemicals bind more easily to a key protein receptor in Russia's Baikal seals than it does in humans, in part because of the physical structure of the chemical.