Press releases

A grant has just been awarded to University Malaysia Sarawak for the development of a microarray which will allow simultaneous detection of all enterovirus serotypes in a single test, allowing rapid public health decisions on EV71 outbreaks. Current technologies are slow and tedious in that each virus serotype must be ruled out one by one.

On June 27th, 2007, Tokyo University of Science signed an Academic Exchange Agreement with the University of Applied Sciences Jena in Germany.

The researchers have found that despite the differences of disasters involved and their technologies, they exhibited common characteristics and that socio-technical disasters are not sudden cataclysmic events but evolved in phases with long developmental period.

Very few sustained efforts to develop scenarios for the future of higher education have been undertaken. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is a bit of a trend-setter in this respect, and this book is to be welcomed by those interested in exploring the future of universities.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Behaviour: Of mice and man-eaters, Cancer: Gene reduces severity of lung cancer, An unfolding antibiotics story, How inflammatory lymphocytes develop, Seeing transcription in living colour and Virus-based screen for ion channel modulators.

An important stage in the early development of an embryo is the formation of the dorsal–ventral axis, which distinguishes the front (ventral) side of the animal from the back (dorsal). RIKEN researchers are identifying the genes and proteins that contribute to this process in Xenopus laevis, the African clawed frog.

Repairing damaged retinas is now a possibility. Japanese researchers from RIKEN and Kyoto University have demonstrated retinal regeneration in a mammalian model. It is a discovery that may ultimately lead to new therapies for retinal diseases including the degenerative disease called retinitis pigmentosa.

Japanese researchers identify genes controlling health-giving compounds in common food crops. Vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are anti-carcinogenic with antioxidant properties and offer a natural defense against crop pests, potentially reducing the need for synthetic pesticides.

This study explores how the state defines “indigenous people” and determines their position in the Philippine society. Through cultural productions by indigenous performing troupes, cultural difference is established which also results to cultural brokerage. (Audio links are available).

Bangka, Kaluluwa at Katutubong Paniniwala - Bangka is the general Philippine term for all kinds of seacraft. The rituals involving the bangka reveal that it is more than a water vessel in Philippine culture: it is a repository of an entire belief system in indigenous society.

This recently completed project aimed to develop a mobile telemedicine system in Indonesia using existing Internet communication technology. This system will allow remote patients to receive a routine check-up using a mobile phone and local hospitals to respond faster by being able to contact specialists in spite of geographic barriers.

The haze of air pollution over the Indian Ocean may be causing as much lower atmospheric warming as the recent increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gases, a Nature study suggests. Summaries of newsworthy papers include Earthquakes: Love and stress, Deep brain stimulation in a minimally conscious state and Tunable light sources lose their mirrors

Concept notes should be specific on what linkages between migration and Natural Resources Management are to be researched and with what methodology. Concept notes should be submitted to [email protected] before 31 October 2007. Concept notes will be accepted in English, French and Spanish.

Universiti Science Malaysia (USM) became the first public institution of higher learning in the country to offer the Harvard Book Prize to outstanding students.

The symposium combined the themes of “ubiquitous network society” and “industry-academia collaboration” to discuss examples of how information communication technology and related R&D are being used to make daily life more convenient and to solve various problems in society.

Keio’s project aims to create communities in a comfortable, safe and creative living and communication space in which everyone will be able to live and communicate with each other. The “Co-mobility Society” combines the latest technologies to provide practical solutions for improving various difficulties and problems of daily life.

As a facility to carry out their joint research, Keio University and Dentsu plan to establish the Keio University Second Life Campus within Virtual Tokyo, which Dentsu will open in August this year as a virtual city within the Second Life metaverse.

Various organizations and government agencies involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country gathered to share success stories and challenges at a workshop that launched the latest Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded project against the epidemic.

Researchers in the Philippines have revealed that a fast and low cost photographic method is just as effective as the more expensive videographic method in assessing the condition of coral reef benthic communities.

Most of the cross-arms of the 275 kV and 123 kV electricity transmission lines in Malaysia and other countries are made of hard wood. Due to natural weathering the wood decays over time. For safety and maintenance, it is useful to have a simple, accurate non-destructive decay detection system.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Genetic risk factor for multiple sclerosis, Graphene senses single molecules, A new twist on the AFM, To mend a broken heart, A genetic variant enhances emotional memory, Transporting immune cargo

A team of Japanese molecular biologists has determined the structure of a protein complex that plays a key role in the initiation of one of the most fundamental of biological processes: the replication of DNA.

Researchers from the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Harima, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the universities of Tokyo and Virginia have discovered how changes to the crystal structure of the oxide material HgCr2O4 correlate to its magnetic state

RIKEN scientists have accurately measured a tiny voltage produced by segregating electrons according to their spin1, a result which could help to usher in a new era of spin-based computing.

Prof. Dr. Peter M. Palese of Mount Sinai School of Medicine will be speaking on improvements of vaccines at the upcoming Bangkok International Conference on Avian Influenza 2008: Integration from Knowledge to Control (23-25 January 2008) in Bangkok, Thailand. Registrations are now open.

An exclusive interview in this week's Nature Podcast with Simpsons head writer Al Jean, also includes Homer, Lisa and, er, Stephen Hawking. Together they explain why the Simpsons is the most scientifically literate show on TV, and now at the movies. The interview is supported by a feature in this week's issue of Nature.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Climate change: Don’t blame the weatherman, Pressure in the Amazon, Tectonics: Rift of difference, Materials: Graphene oxide ‘paper’ is super strong and Quantum physics: Entangling atom pairs

A microscope imaging technique for visualizing and analyzing semiconductor integrated circuits developed by a team of scientists from the University of the Philippines’ National Institute of Physics was awarded a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Highlights from Nature China include Organogels: Stick and shine, Autoimmune disease: A balanced approach, Forestation: Carbon storage in soil, Papaya ringspot virus: Coat variations, Frustrated magnets: Seeking stardom

Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region are collecting and analysing large amounts of biological data but have their progress is impeded by low network bandwidths. This project addresses the problem of low bandwidth and reliability through the introduction of third generation P2P protocols.