Environment

The first-ever Lingnan-Yuanpei STEM Summer Academy, organised jointly by Lingnan University in Hong Kong and Yuanpei College of Peking University (PKU), held a seven-day Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Camp-cum-STEM Competition from 22 to 28 June. Thirty of the best students from both universities formed five teams to compete on various innovative and entrepreneurial smart green technological projects. After a tight race, the project “Sustainable Green Building” team won the championship prize, and the chance to be nominated for the Lingnan University Entrepreneurship Fund, and will be put up for an application for seed or incubation funds.

Study suggests mycoviral infections affect the ecology of host oomycete

Researchers have proposed using the levels of caffeine, a common household pollutant that isn’t otherwise found in the environment, to find likely sources of leaks in wastewater systems.

A research paper titled ‘Disaster, survival and recovery: the resettlement of Tanegashima Island following the Kikai-Akahoya ‘super-eruption’, 7.3ka cal BP’ co-written by Hokkaido University GSI’s Professor Peter Jordan has been awarded the prestigious Ben Cullen Prize 2024 for making an “outstanding contribution” to World Archaeology.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how drug-resistant bacteria survive in space, omnipresent microplastics, and a glowing treatment for brain tumors.

In the same way that the number of rings in a tree can tell us its age, the characteristics of rocks such as breccia can tell us about the history of a region. The breccia around Ichinokawa Mine (located in Ehime prefecture) are of particular interest, as the mine is located south of the Median Tectonic Line. Researchers at Tohoku University uncovered how breccia can provide valuable evidence to estimate the energy of past earthquakes in the area.

Machine learning helps find advantageous combination of salts and organic solvents

On the occasion of World Environment Day today (5 June), the Science Unit of Lingnan University and Friends of the Earth (HK) (FoE (HK)) have signed a partnership agreement to launch the first Executive Certificate in Sustainable Finance & ESG Analytics for executives of higher education institutions in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and aligned with the CESGA global certification. Acting in response to our era of digital transformation, this executive certificate training programme not only explores the concepts of Sustainable Finance, but also incorporates Lingnan’s expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) analytics, reflecting the global shift towards Sustainable Finance and the increasing integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors in financial decision-making.

To overcome issues associated with real-life testing, SUTD researchers successfully demonstrated the use of digital twin technology within robot simulation software in assessing a robot’s suitability for deployment in simulated built environments.

To mitigate global warming, the Hong Kong Government is striving to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. A relatively concentrated energy and resource consumption industry, catering's carbon emissions cannot be overlooked, and Lingnan University's Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies (HKIBS) recently released a series of Hong Kong Catering Industry Carbon Neutrality Challenge reports. Their survey found that over 90 per cent of consumers are willing to patronise low-carbon restaurants, but few respondents understand the meaning of carbon footprint. Restaurant managers said that high costs and technical difficulties are the most common problems in implementing low-carbon operations.

An urgent call for increased international support and collaboration for science in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) has been released in a declaration by the International Science Council (ISC) SIDS Liaison Committee at the 4th international conference on SIDS in Antigua and Barbuda.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, enhance land surface maps to identify sloping landscapes in which vegetation changes are associated with slight elevation and water gradients.

Japanese washi paper is renowned for its aesthetic beauty and its wide-array of usages. Now, a group of Tohoku University researchers have made a green composite material from washi which boasts a 60% increase in strength as well as being more biodegradable. They hope that their research will revive interest in this traditional craft.

Paper-based battery for wearable devices, To pass or not to pass? Kirigami hydrogels rise from cellulose, Climate impact on mountains, Effects of space weathering. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are the lifespan of different cat breeds, the possibility of regrowing teeth, and how small creatures can help maintain our environments.

Researchers from Osaka University developed an in silico library comprising 54 potential triarylborane catalysts for the functionalization of amino acids and peptides with molecular hydrogen as a reductant. This library, together with chemometric machine learning, was used to identify the best candidates. Based on this process, an optimal catalyst was identified and found to promote the alkylation of aniline derivatives with exceptional functional group tolerance and produce only water as a coproduct.

The mini air purifier PureAura, designed and developed by Lingnan University's Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI), has received the 2024 iF Design Gold Award in the Product - Building Technology category. The iF Design Award is widely regarded as the Oscars of the design industry, and Lingnan University is the sole Hong Kong institution, and one of only eight universities worldwide, to be given this honour since the Gold Awards' inception in 1954.

Chemical and heat treatment of sewage sludge can recover phosphorus in a process that could help address the problem of diminishing supplies of phosphorus ores.

As wildfires in Siberia become more common, global climate modeling estimates significant impacts on climate, air quality, health, and economies in East Asia and across the northern hemisphere.

The recently concluded Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Conference convened tiger range countries, private and public sector donors, international development agencies, the Tiger Conservation Coalition, and other conservation organisations to discuss innovative solutions to sustainably finance tiger landscape conservation.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are the discovery that baby stars “sneeze”, how to increase panda reproduction and detect fiddler crab signals, and how being slightly overweight in our older years can be beneficial.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a floating platform that needs no energy, how shredding your anger can make you feel better, and an automatic lid that can help reduce bacteria in your bathroom.

Zika virus vaccine targets brain cancer, 120-year quest to farm lobsters, Arctic nightlife bursts with sound, Eating a robot, Molecular orientation is key & New treatment for ALS and dementia. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Meandering ocean currents play an important role in the melting of Antarctic ice shelves, threatening a significant rise in sea levels.

Species living in 17 mountains around the world are facing the risk of extinction due to the rapid rate of warming attributed to climate change. However, the establishment of additional meteorological monitoring stations in mountainous areas globally is essential for a deeper understanding of the extent of these threats.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are where music affects our bodies, a battery powered by the oxygen inside our bodies, and the largest bird family tree to date.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are spiders that join together to transform into a flower, birds giving the right of way, and a potential natural treatment for hair loss.

A case study on the effects of open waste burning on air quality in Northwestern Greenland calls attention to the importance of no-one-left-behind sustainable air quality monitoring in the Arctic region.

Cellulose, abundantly available from plant biomass, can be converted into molecules used to make a new class of recyclable polymers, to sustainably replace some plastics.

The 12th Starch Value Chain ASIA conference was held in Vientiane, at Crowne Plaza Hotel, from February 27 to 29, 2024. The conference encompassed four key themes: Asia’s starch markets, industrial and food-grade tapioca starch in Laos with expansion plans, sustainable climate-smart agri-technology for rice and cassava cultivation, and challenges for future growth in Asia's biogas-to-energy sector.