Science

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has established six interdisciplinary research laboratories that expand on the University’s existing research strengths.

(1) The development of solid state and time-step VCD methods opened a new horizon to reveal the mechanism of chirality amplification from microscopic to supramolecular scales. (2) The authors were selected as PCCP Emerging Investigators of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

This research focuses on formic acid (HCOOH) (which can be produced from carbon dioxide) as a vehicle to store hydrogen. This research brings clarity to the mechanism of hydrogen production which has befuddled scientists until now.

The generation of alkyl radicals was achieved by direct visible-light excitation of the organoborate complex, which was designed and synthesized from “boracene,” which has a boron atom in the tetracene-like skeleton. The alkyl radicals thus obtained could be used as a carbon source for chemical reactions, enabling the synthesis of complicated/bulky organic compounds. The present study offers a new protocol for organic synthesis, which is expected to accelerate e.g. drug discovery.

Nature Index 2020 South Korea, published in the May 28 issue of Nature, investigates South Korea’s strategy to become a “first mover” by investing in basic research grants and original discoveries.

Research at Kanazawa University, Theragen Etex Bio Institute and Seoul National University as reported in Nature Communications points towards pathways for the metastasis and malignant transitions that result from changes in the protein p53. The results suggest that the cooperative development of mutations in the proteins helps tumours spread and metastasis.

The group clarified for the first time whether formate dehydrogenase reduces carbon dioxide, biocarbonate ion, or carbonate ion to formic acid. Points to a catalyst in developing and designing an artificial photosynthesis system that efficiently converts carbon dioxide into organic molecules.

Hydrogen fuel cells made with coordination polymer glass membranes could produce as much energy as their liquid-based counterparts while adding strength and flexibility.

There is currently a strong demand to replace organic liquid electrolytes used in conventional rechargeable batteries, with solid-state ionic conductors which will enable the batteries to be safer and have higher energy density.

In a recent study published in Molecular Cell, researchers at Kanazawa University report the role of cellular structures called PML bodies in regulating gene function

Springer Nature and UNESCO have signed an agreement to publish open access books on a range of issues cutting across major research areas such as education, culture, the natural sciences, the human and social sciences and communication and information

Application period now open for award programme that acknowledges and celebrates outstanding women working in STEM* research and outreach

An international research team has revealed that this ‘super-rotation’ is maintained near the equator by atmospheric tidal waves formed from solar heating on the planet’s dayside and cooling on its nightside.

Researchers who have shown great courage and integrity in standing up for science and scientific reasoning can be nominated until 11 May 2020

A theoretical mineral physics approach based on the ab initio methods was adopted to determine the viscosity of hexagonal, close-packed iron at the extreme pressures and temperatures corresponding to the Earth’s inner core. The results are found to deny geophysical observations of large fluctuations in the inner core rotation rate. The obtained viscosity also rules out inner core translation and provides support that the dynamics of the inner core may be governed by solid-state convection.

A research team led by Professor Amos Tai, Associate Professor of the Earth System Science Programme at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has successfully quantified and visualised the impact of Hong Kong air pollution especially ozone pollutant on plants and the environment. Although the experiment took place in a rural area and in Spring, which would usually have a lower average ozone concentration, the pollutant level still reached high enough to do significant damage to the bioindicator plant. The finding was recently published in Atmosphere.

Researchers at Kanazawa University and Tsukuba University report in Nanoscale that the physical properties of extracellular bacterial membrane vesicles are significantly diverse. The properties for a single type of bacterium as well as for different types are found to be highly heterogeneous.

Two Kavli IPMU string theorists and a condensed-matter theorist have found a quantum mechanical anomaly in the duality between the electric field and the magnetic field, which could play a role in removing an inconsistency in string theory.

A research team led by Professor Kin-ming KWAN from the School of Life Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently discovered a novel mechanism by which extrinsic signaling factors modulate the fate transition of neural progenitors to allow the generation of specific neuronal subtypes. This work provides important insight into stem cell biology and the regeneration of neuronal cells, and contributes to the development of neurological therapy for diseases like autism spectrum disorders and hereditary cerebellar ataxia. The research is published in the renowned international scientific journal Cell Reports.

New findings show that the formation of amyloid plaques drives damage and tissue loss in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease in animals, but lithium reduces the life-shortening effects of this loss.

A Communique from the InterAcademy Partnership urges countries to collaborate, use and share science-based information, and help the developing world.

A new technique allows researchers to test how the deformation of tiny train track-like cell proteins affects their function. The findings could help clarify the roles of deformed “microtubules” in traumatic brain injuries and in neurological diseases like Parkinson’s.

The remaining “bound water” on cotton surfaces cross-link single fibers of cotton, causing hardening after natural drying, according to a new study conducted by Kao Corporation and Hokkaido University. This provides new insight into unique water behaviors on material surfaces and helps us develop better cleaning technologies.

Astronomers obtained the first resolved image of disturbed gaseous clouds in a galaxy 11 billion light-years away by using ALMA.

In a recent study published in Autophagy, researchers at Kanazawa University show how abnormalities in a gene called TPR can lead to pediatric brain cancer

A new approach could lead to “cornea-on-a-chip” devices that more accurately test the effects of drugs on the human eye.

Astronomers have captured new, detailed maps of three nearby interstellar gas clouds containing regions of ongoing high-mass star formation.

Nested in the long-running Singapore Chinese Health Study, a new study by researchers in Singapore, based on data from over 60,000 middle-aged to older adults, has found that people who suffer from diabetes and who are also underweight have a much higher risk of active tuberculosis (TB) than their heavier counterparts, supporting calls for TB screening among these patients.

・A novel pathway of L-fucose metabolism was discovered in strictly anaerobic and pathogenic bacterium. ・The genetic context in bacterial genomes and the screening for potential substrates can help identify the biochemical functions of bacterial enzymes. ・No homologous pathway is found in humans or in probiotic bacteria.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has introduced a novel technology, which allows carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to be easily observed under room temperature.