Because necessity is the mother of inventions
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY P. KANDIAH The inconvenience of fitting and using a dust bag in a vacuum cleaner inspired Sir James Dyson (as he is referred to now) to develop a bag-less vacuum cleaner which innovation has brought much comfort to those tashed with vacuuming floors. Dyson’s bagless vacuum cleaner has taken the world by suprise. Pharmaceutical […]
Mitsubishi Corp and SBC explore use of algae as feedstock gears up
Reading Time: 2 minutesSEMENGOH, SARAWAK: Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) will move into the next phase of a research collaboration which started in year 2012. The collaboration between MC and SBC has reached Phase 3 (Demonstration and Validation of Commercially Viable Microalgal Biomass Production Technologies) which will implement an outdoor facility to demonstrate and […]
Transforming spinach leaves into beating human hearts
Reading Time: 2 minutes BY LUKA ZUPANČIČ US scientists have managed to transform spinach leaves into functional beating heart tissues with their own vascular networks, possibly opening up a new branch of tissue engineering science based on plant mimicry. The scientific field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine emerged in the last decade as an answer to the […]
Watsons, Bayer jointly promote healthy living in conjunction with World Allergy Week
Reading Time: 3 minutesPETALING JAYA: Watsons Malaysia and Bayer Co. (Malaysia) collaborated for a health public forum held in conjunction with World Allergy Week 2017. World Allergy Week is an annual initiative of the World Allergy Organisation to raise awareness of allergic disease and related disorders. Themed “Healthy Living”, the forum organised by Watsons Malaysia and Bayer Co. […]
From flask to field: How tiny microbes are revolutionising big agr
Reading Time: 5 minuteshttps://theconversation.com BY MATTHEW WALLENSTEIN, Associate Professor and Director, Innovation Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Colorado State University Walk into your typical U.S. or U.K. grocery store and feast your eyes on an amazing bounty of fresh and processed foods. In most industrialised countries, it’s hard to imagine that food production is one of the greatest challenges […]
Britain’s top weatherman comes under our radar
Reading Time: 5 minutesRob Varley, Britain’s top weather man holds court at the Met Office in Exeter as the Chief Executive. He started his career as a weather forecaster, then spent 10 years as trainer of Britain’s weather forecasters and also project-managed the construction of the current Met Office headquarters. In a recent sojourn to Kuala Lumpur, The […]
US-based Malaysian scientist scores a first
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe prestigious UK-based Journal of Medical Microbiology has a new face in its editorial bench. For the first time in the journal’s history, the senior position of Co-Editor-in-Chief has been bestowed to a scientist outside of the UK – and quite fittingly to a formidable Malaysian researcher, Prof Kalai Mathee who hails from Ipoh. The […]
Polar region expedition yields novel bacteria
Reading Time: 2 minutesBacteria found by Malaysian expedition team has cancer fighting potential BY DR CHEAH YOKE KQUEEN SERDANG: A new microbe discovered during an expedition to the polar region of Antarctica in November 2007 by a Malaysian research team can produce a compound that is active against pathogens and cancer cells, in particular colorectal and breast cancer […]
What is shark skin made of?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteEver touched a shark before? A shark’s skin appears rather smooth and sleek. However, it feels very rough, similar to a sand paper. Most fishes are covered with scales that are designed to provide protection and free movement. Sharks, being cartilaginous fishes have cartilages made up of dermal denticles rather than scales to wrap their bodies. […]
What is a Komodo dragon?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteKomodo dragons are the largest and heaviest lizards on Earth. The name ‘Komodo dragon’ originated from rumours claiming that a dragon-like creature inhabited the island of Komodo. Local people call them ‘ora’ or land crocodile. They are powerful-looking reptiles with long and flat heads, scaly skin, arched legs, as well as huge and muscular tails. […]