Press releases

Neurobiological factors and stressful life events can trigger and prolong smoking habits in adolescents, especially in individuals with depression.

In Nature China this week - A genetic association study reveals the key to exceptional longevity in a Chinese population

Canada’s IDRC, CIDA, and Australia's AusAID are pleased to announce a CA $8 million research collaboration in Southeast Asia on infectious disease emergence and prevention.

How did love begin? How about Scotch tape, teeth, the artificial heart, the vibrator? And clocks, the paper clip, diamond, chocolate? Origin of the Universe; Origin of the Mind; Origin of Life on Earth; Origin of Computing

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Hope for hepatitis C treatment, Fighting cartilage loss in osteoarthritis, Immunology: Mediator of multiple sclerosis, Spaser finds the light, Genetic risk factors for childhood leukemia, Identifying candidate genes by targeted sequencing, Single-direction winds on Titan

A total of 30 researchers benefited from an in-house training workshop on “Understanding the Media” held at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) on 30 July 2009.

A Joint ISIS and RIKEN Muon Facility Developments Symposium was held on May 18 of this year in response to recommendations of RIKEN’s International Advisory Committee.

Mechanically trapped molecules throw light on energy transfer within artificial photosynthetic systems

Radiation bursts from thunderclouds may not always be associated with lightning

Groundwater in northwestern India is being depleted at an unsustainable rate, which could lead to severe water shortages and reduced agricultural productivity.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Stormy weather in Titan’s tropics, Climatic influence on mountain height and Homosexuality in yeast

In Nature China this week - Researchers in Beijing demonstrate that induced pluripotent stem cells derived from mouse fibroblasts are capable of generating live mice

Professor Cathy Hsu, Associate Director of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has recently been honoured by the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education with the John Wiley & Sons Lifetime Research Achievement Award.

10 August 2009, UiTM signed a memorandum of agreement with four organizations. The signing was organized by the Research Management Institute of UiTM and witnessed by Dato’ Mukhriz Tun Mahathir, Deputy Minister of Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Tan Sri Prof Ibrahim Abu Shah, Vice Chancellor of UiTM.

Think Tank Initiative invites eligible institutions to apply for financial and technical support

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Instigator of type 1 diabetes?, p53 as a barrier to pluripotency, Inhibiting lymphatic vessel growth, How diverse is the microbial biosphere? and Mutations in rare human diseases

Mutual controllability of electricity and magnetism in a weak magnetic material points the way to low-power electronics

Controlled positioning of nucleic acids on gold nanoparticles creates new possibilities for bottom-up nanotechnologies

Summaries of newsworthy papers Astronomy: Unravelling an enigma, Virology: HIV architecture on display, Astronomy: Galaxy evolution a massive mystery and Economic boost, fertility bust?

PENANG, 3 Aug. – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has once again created history by emerging as the only university in Asia selected to participate in the “Global Design Challenge 2009’ which will commence on Saturday, 8 August 2009 in the United States.

In Nature China this week - Composite fibres reinforced with a reticulate network of carbon nanotubes are ten times stronger than conventional composite fibres

FRIM organized a second seminar on karas (Aquilaria spp.) plantation and agarwood (gaharu) production in Miri, Sarawak on 14 July 2009

WMO Secretary General, ICTP Director to sign agreement on Thursday 6 August, 9 am, ICTP Adriatico Guesthouse, Trieste*

In the new academic year, the faculty members at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) may interact with their students not just on the campus, but also via the virtual world of Second Life.

The 18th International Symposium on Transportation and Traffic Theory (ISTTT) has come to a fruitful close by bringing together leading academics to discuss transport-related topics.

Japanese scientists have grown teeth in mice. This research is expected to advance the development of "tooth regenerative therapy" which have the potential for replacing diseased or damaged teeth with bioengineered teeth. The research is expected to evolve into a wide variety of organ regenerative technologies for liver, kidneys and other organs.

Summaries of papers From gorilla to human: a new immunodeficiency virus found, 'Trojan horse' deliveries by HIV, Recovery after spinal cord injury, Immune cells worsen brain damage after stroke, New genetic variants associated with cancer, Mice generated from reprogrammed cells, A new progenitor cell population in breast cancer

Subtle structural changes can markedly affect one protein’s toxic impact, and may help explain the distinctive pathology of Huntington’s disease

Neurons communicate more efficiently when neuronal activity causes inhibitory receptors to diffuse away from the synapse

With the rise of (H1N1) cases around the world, there is a pressing need at medical institutions to detect infections. As a part of emergency government research aimed at addressing this need, RIKEN and University of Tokyo, are developing an H1N1 detection technique based on its SmartAmp technology.