Press releases

In Nature China this week - A colorimetric sensor based on hydrogen bonding could allow on-site, real-time detection of melamine in dairy products

Professor George Woo, internationally renowned Optometry expert and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has recently taken the helm of the World Council of Optometry for a term of two years.

The QuEST Bioherba programme was initiated in 2006 to strengthen the capacity, understanding and scientific knowledge of aspiring entrepreneurs in herbal industry, as well as to assist them in enhancing the quality, safety and efficacy of their products through use of safe technology.

A beam 100 times stronger than any other in the world has allowed　an international research group to demonstrate in only eight hours what it would take other scientists more than six months to achieve.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Diversity dynamics, Decoding bilharzia, Diversity without barriers, An inverse photoconductor, Sea ice in the Eocene Arctic, Look south, A new window on the past

PENANG, 14 July: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is prepared to share its expertise with Perusahaan Automobil Kedua Sdn. Bhd. (PERODUA) in the production of more efficient engines in terms of performance and oil consumption.

"Changing Borders" contains the work produced by 16 journalists from Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam as part of their fellowship under the sixth cycle of the Imaging Our Mekong media programme (2007-08).

The Tokyo University of Science concluded an agreement related to a graduate school Master's double degree program with the Institut Teknologi Bandung in Indonesia.

A team of Japanese scientists has uncovered anatomical clues charting the developmental path by which the turtle acquired its shell.

The swine-origin H1N1 influenza viruses responsible for the recently declared pandemic cause more lung damage than a seasonal influenza strain in animal models, but are still sensitive to antiviral drugs, finds a study published online this week in Nature.

Professor Timothy W. Tong, President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has recently led a delegation to visit Hangzhou, the city of Zhejiang Province.

PENANG, 9 July: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) once again created history when a team of seven students from the School of Computer Sciences, USM won the first and third spots for the category, 'Unlimited Potential Design for Development Award' at the Imagine Cup World Finals, organized by software giant, Microsoft Corp. in Egypt recently.

In the Championship, the group presented their invention, an innovative software programme known as the ‘Mobile Desktop Grid’ that was created through the use of open source software produced by Sun Microsystem.

A naturally occurring population of dendritic cells reduces the incidence and severity of graft-versus-host-disease in mice

A timid knockout mouse separates conflicting emotional behavior for the first time

‘Metamaterials’ — artificially created materials with nanostructures designed to control light — are attracting considerable attention for the development of a range of new technologies, such as very thin eyeglass lenses, optical microscopes that will allow the observation of atoms and optical fibers with no transmission loss.

RIKEN has implemented significant changes since the previous external evaluation in 2006 by the RIKEN Advisory Council (RAC). At the seventh meeting, held in April 2009, the RAC made several new recommendations. RIKEN President Ryoji Noyori and RAC Chair Zach Hall discuss RIKEN’s progress and future directions.

Universiti Sains Malaysia recently hosted two programmes on national television, the Gen Y TV1 Programme on Green Technology for a Sustainable World and a Forum on Islamic Issues on the topics 9 Doors to Good Fortune and Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Ummah.

According to the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Omar Osman, USM is providing this service in view of the fact that some of the participants at the Asia Pacific Regional Symposium (APPS 2009) held in one of the hotels in Penang from 26 June till 1 July 2009 were confirmed positive for the H1N1 flu virus last week.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Going the distance, Drug extends lifespan of mice, The greening of the Earth, Getting the most out of nanotechnology, The role of black holes in galaxy evolution, Late Cretaceous ocean flux and Sorting nanotubes with DNA

In Nature China this week - A novel class of nanoparticles formed by the self-assembly of antimicrobial peptides is extremely effective against brain infections

Scientists are a step closer to pinning down the functions of the different regions of the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for high level cognitive behaviour such as decision making and social conduct.

It may be a poor choice of words, but I have always lived by going with the flow. I have written what I wanted to at my own pace, and all of the sudden I became known as an author. However, I never even once felt the desire to become an author, and I have never promoted myself or taken actions to become an author.

The situation encompassing Japanese returning from China has changed greatly in the last 20 years. In the past, returning to Japan meant giving up the entire lifestyle built during many years of living in China.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Disrupting viruses, microRNA implicated in cell fate decisions, Methane bubbling up, Action representation in the autistic brain, A common susceptibility locus for several types of cancer, Getting to the root of oculo-facial-cardio-dental syndrome, A tale of two spores and Specialized skin helpers

In the process of exploring the formation of primordial germ cells (PGCs), the precursors to both sperm and ova, RIKEN researchers have uncovered findings which could have a profound effect on fertility research and help scientists to better understand the earliest stages of reproductive development.

A team of RIKEN researchers has synthesized a key fragment of the natural product called physalin B, which shows both antitumor and anti-inflammatory activity. The work will make an important contribution towards the goal of synthesizing the whole compound, which has eluded chemists since its discovery in 1969.

A chance observation leads to potential insights into the basis for cell damage associated with disorders like Alzheimer’s disease

Three papers in Nature this week provide new insights into genetic variation and schizophrenia risk. Using combined data from three large cohorts, the papers jointly reveal significant associations to individual loci that implicate immunity, cognition and brain development.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Heart progenitors yield diverse cell types, Cells remember where they came from, Plant power, ‘Ethical’ stem cells under the spotlight, How cells get a LIF to pluripotency, A single-molecule optical transistor and A black hole not too big and not too small