Press releases

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Return of North Atlantic deep convection, Family ‘friendly’ bacteria, Lessons from New Orleans, Reviving exhausted immune cells, Unbreak my heart, Molecular arms race, Snowball Earth or open oceans? and Sexual cycle of a fungus

A method for deriving complex neuronal tissues from embryonic stem cells could yield major benefits for clinical research and the development of new therapeutics

A common mechanism may explain cognitive dysfunction during both aging and Alzheimer’s disease

A genetic variant highly associated with diabetes is found in both East Asian and European populations

A new large high-precision mirror is capable of focusing x-ray radiation to spot sizes of just a few nanometers

Molecular imaging is expected to help in the detection of lifestyle-related diseases, such as cancer, dementia, and diabetes, at an early stage, as well as in developing good new drugs with the fewest side-effects far more quickly.

Researchers at the RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology (RCAI) have begun bridging research for a vaccine to prevent and treat pollen disease caused by cedar pollen. Human clinical trials are still needed, but a vaccine appears to be in sight.

PolyU is working closely with the Russian Space Agency in designing a state-of-the-art space tool which will be carried onboard a Russian spacecraft for the Red Planet in the 2009 Sino-Russian Space Mission.

Fed up of years of arguments about the pros and cons of GM crops, the African Union brought together key individuals and institutions to discuss the issue ; A new generation of lithium-ion batteries, coupled with rising oil prices and the need to address climate change, has sparked a global race to electrify transportation.

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Protein complex influences body clocks and metabolism, The rise and fall of thermotolerance, Photons drive tiny device, Binding too tight, Atom economy raises the stakes, Earliest evidence of subduction?, Iron storage in phytoplankton, Unexpected organic-matter-munchers live in deep waters and Heroes in a half shell

SERDANG, 25th Nov – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and a leading company Sunzen Biotech Berhad agreed on academic collaboration in research and development involving animal health products (R&D).

The association formed by Asian fisheries experts is intended for developing the fisheries sectors by enhancing collaboration among researchers, engineers and share holders from the fisheries industry and aquaculture production.

Researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) successfully seized 9 medals in Brussels Innova 2008 in conjunction with 57th International Innovation exhibition held in Belgium recently. This included a special award for the Best Invention Produced by a Woman.

“The outcome of the research done by the Bangladeshi scholars will also improve the research discoveries of UPM in aid of their quest to become the best research university in the region.”

The agreement marks the first MBA double degree set up by Keio Business School with a school from another country at MBA level, as well as this is the first time that ESSEC has established such a partnership with a Japanese Business School.

In Nature China this week - Derivatives of a Chinese medicinal plant may inhibit the growth of cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and more

Summaries of newsworthy papers: Sticky seizures, Predicting vaccine immunogenicity, Inside-out antivirals, Uncoupling cannabinoid effects, Wind-resistant ocean currents and Making connections for face recognition

The origin of superconductivity in iron-based materials can now be studied using a basic theoretical model

The discovery of an inhibitor of the production of bone-resorptive cells opens new possibilities for regulating bone loss.The work is important because an excess of osteoclasts has been implicated in diseases like osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and bone cancer.

A RIKEN-led research group has uncovered another class of plant hormones involved in regulating shoot branching. The identity of the compounds suggests a means by which plant form can be linked to the level of nutrients in the soil.

RIKEN researchers have uncovered the significant role played by a little-known gene regulator in determining which cells in developing mammalian embryos eventually give rise to sperm and eggs in the adult.

The first integrated database of terahertz data in the world opened on September 15 at RIKEN and the Next Generation Network Center at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)

Some interest facts on Okinawa is how 4 different languages have developed in such a small geographical area. Okinawa is a perfect field in which to consider the question of "what is language?" There is also the tradition in which only women have spiritual vocations and perform Shinto rituals.

Herbert von Karajan, who was called the "Caesar of the conductor' s podium" , was born in Salzburg in 1908. Beginning with his first trip to Japan in 1954, he visited Japan 11 times.

The study by the researcher at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak investigates the service quality provided in Bako National Park by evaluating tourist’s expectation relative to their actual experience while visiting the park. Complaints from tourists have been heard indicating that the services provided need attention from its management.

This UNIMAS project investigates the feasibility of automatic real-time translation of text on a street sign and displaying it within the user’s field of view using a head-mounted display. The system has been developed for street and road signs, and can be expanded to constrained environments such as museums.

A workshop was held at the Belum Rainforest Resort, Banding Island working on the Integrated Management Plan for the magnificent 130 million year old Belum-Temenggor Forest Complex.

IDRC’s regional office for Southeast and East Asia celebrated the power of photography this fall with its “Research and Development in Pictures” photo competition, and the results are in.

This book addresses the growth of regional trade agreements (RTAs) which have mushroomed since the 1990s, and considers their potential as a tool for reducing inter- and intra-state conflict.

Nurses on the front lines against AIDS, Countries unite to battle bird flu, mines of information, Tobacco and taxes: A winning strategy, Deadly delays and other health inequalities