Science

Planetary scientists using ALMA revealed the secrets of the atmosphere of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.

Lattice thermal conductivities of MgSiO3 bridgmanite and postperovskite (PPv) phases under the Earth’s deepest mantle conditions were determined by quantum mechanical computer simulations. We found a substantial increase in the conductivity associated with the phase change. This indicates that the PPv phase boundary is the boundary not only of the mineralogy but also the thermal conductivity. The effect of anisotropy on the conductivity of PPv in the heat transport properties at the lowermost mantle was also found to be minor.

A calf was born from an embryo lacking cells which form a large part of the placenta, providing new insight into the regenerative capacity of mammalian embryos.

A research team from the Centre for Genomic Studies on Plant-Environment Interaction for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security recently found that some non-coding RNA can produce very short proteins (small peptides), which play an important role in regulating organismal development and stress resistances. The findings challenge the very definition of non-coding RNAs and may open a new research path for future drug and crop improvement. The research article has been published in the journal Plant Physiology. (See note)

A study by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) found that mangroves and other marine wetlands stored 23% more carbon from the atmosphere than previously estimated, which further established the importance of “Blue Carbon” and its contribution to countering carbon emission. This article has been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications. (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-14120-2)

A genetic engineering team of undergraduate students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been awarded a Gold medal at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) 2019 Giant Jamboree held in Boston, USA. Under the project named “Banana Savior: The X Sense”, they have designed a rapid test for a new disease Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW). They hope the novel design can help farmers in Africa and quarantine departments to realise early detection of the disease and help stop it from spreading. This is the sixth time that a CUHK team has won gold in the annual premier synthetic biology competition.

Scientists suggest a new strategy that uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to regulate immune reaction to transplanted tissues.

The way research in bioprinting will be taken forward has been laid out in this roadmap for the field.

Pressing issues in science and technology, including in healthcare and climate change, took centre-stage at the recent Global Young Scientists Summit 2020 where eminent scientists and talented young researchers worldwide convened in Singapore.

In a recent study from Hiroshima University, researchers turned to mathematics to predict hive patterns in humans.

Silly questions lead to surprising answers about the fundamental nature of the universe. We might have been getting it wrong this whole time.

During the early summer, corals simultaneously release tiny balls composed of sperm and eggs, known as bundles, that float to the ocean surface. Here the bundles open, allowing the sperm to fertilize the eggs where they eventually settle on the seafloor and become new coral on the reef.

Astronomers at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan have analyzed the paths of two objects heading out of the Solar System and determined that they likely originated from outside of the Solar System.

First-of-its-kind study led by Duke-NUS Medical School and National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) applies experimental methodology using human neural cells and brain organoids to investigate mechanism underlying epileptic seizures in Angelman syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder.

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

Opening plenary lecture by Sir Konstantin Novoselov, Nobel Prize in Physics (2010), at the Global Young Scientists Summit 2020.

Astronomers uncovered the true identity of the fireball spotted on April 29, 2017.

Astronomers have cataloged signs of 9 heavy metals in the infrared light from supergiant and giant stars.

A low-cost catalyst on a sulphur-doped, porous, carbon nanostructure improves the performance of lithium batteries that run on air.

Researchers observe a key gene during embryonic development in single live mouse cells for the first time, providing insight about how the precise timing of development is controlled.

Dramatically improved sensor stability with complex structural design that mimics snake motions, spider webs, and paper craft. Expected to be applied in various fields such as bio-diagnosis, smart skin, clothes, and livestock diagnosis.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Analytical Chemistry an efficient method for filling a batch of nanopipettes with a pore opening below 10 nanometer. The method is based on the application of a temperature gradient to the nanopipette tips so that residual air bubbles are driven out.

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) found a young star surrounded by an astonishing mass of gas.

NUS researchers found that chevron patterns in fish swimming muscles require physical forces to correctly develop, not only from genetic instruction or biochemical pathways.

Researchers revealed the evolutionary changes in neurotransmitter uptake of VMAT1 by reconstructing ancestral VMAT1 proteins.

Four top research academics from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) were presented with prestigious awards from the Croucher Foundation. Professor Jianfang Wang, Professor, Department of Physics received the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2020. Two scholars from the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Ronald Ching Wan Ma, Professor and Head of the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, and Professor Siew Chien Ng, Professor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Associate Director of the Centre for Gut Microbiota Research were awarded the Croucher Senior Medical Research Fellowships 2020. Professor Renjie Zhou, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering was awarded the Croucher Innovation Award 2019.

Nine professors of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have earned the honour of being named in the list of “Highly Cited Researchers 2019” as among the world’s top researchers who have demonstrated significant and broad influence reflected in their publication of multiple papers, highly cited by fellow academics.

Research groups led by Professor Swee Kuan Goh, Associate Professor and Professor Sen Yang, Assistant Professor, both from the Department of Physics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have joined forces in developing and applying colour centres in nano-diamonds as a tool for studying the characteristics of quantum materials under extreme conditions.

A distant galaxy more massive than our Milky Way has revealed that the 'cores' of massive galaxies in the Universe had formed already 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang.

The Global Young Scientists Summit 2020 in Singapore gathers new and returning eminent scientists and talented young researchers worldwide to convene in Singapore, to spark new ideas and innovations.