A Holistic Approach to Advancing and Securing ASEAN’s Net-zero Future
Reading Time: 5 minutesPhD student Manuja Dayanath works on the photobioreactor, part of the research aimed at developing sustainable biotechnology applications. Climate change can sometimes feel like a problem too large and distant for ordinary people to grasp. But increasingly, it is showing up in everyday life — in hotter days, heavier rainfall, floods, changing weather patterns and […]
Are Malaysians Missing the Real Risk Behind Heart Disease?
Reading Time: 3 minutesFrom Left: Ms Celeste Lau, Assistant Director, Dietetics; Dr Lim Bee Chian, Consultant Cardiologist; and Ms Nathalie Goh, Physiotherapist, during the Sunway Medical Centre in partnership with Novartis Malaysia media roundtable Malaysians who exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet may still face a significant risk of heart attack and stroke if elevated “bad” cholesterol […]
From river menace to green gold: Dalat turns water hyacinth into opportunity
Reading Time: 4 minutesDALAT, Sarawak: For generations, the Batang Oya River has been a lifeline for communities in Dalat, carrying villagers to farms, sago plantations and neighbouring settlements. But the same river has also brought an unwelcome passenger. Thick mats of water hyacinth, known locally as terparok, often drift along the waterways, clogging narrow passages, obstructing boats and […]
Double Jeopardy: Chronic illness may raise risk of severe dengue
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary vector responsible for transmitting dengue, is seen in this file photo. World Mosquito Day, observed on Aug. 20, highlights the continuing global threat posed by mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue. Dengue may be a familiar illness in Malaysia, but for people living with chronic conditions, the infection can carry […]
Rediscovered firefly puts Bukit Kiara’s urban ecology under the microscope
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe rediscovery of a rare firefly, Gombak bent-winged firefly (Pteroptyx gombakia), a species believed to have gone unrecorded for more than a century, has prompted the Malaysian government to pursue a 300-metre ecological buffer around Bukit Kiara Federal Park, highlighting the scientific importance of protecting increasingly fragmented urban habitats. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department […]
From a Father’s Kitchen to a Village Enterprise: How Ubi Kayu Is Helping Build Healthier Diets and Stronger Communities
Reading Time: 4 minutesWhat began as one father’s search for safe food for his child has grown into a small but promising example of how local agriculture, food innovation and community livelihoods can work together. In Siak, Riau, Indonesia, Wibowo Nugroho, 33, founded Telarasa after struggling to find suitable food for his child, who has sensitivities to gluten […]
A Tiny Sensor Could Transform How We Monitor Gut Health
Reading Time: 3 minutesFor years, measuring a key indicator of gut health has required expensive laboratory equipment, specialist expertise and days of waiting for results. That may soon change. Researchers in Singapore have developed a fluorescent nanosensor capable of detecting indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a molecule produced by beneficial gut bacteria that is increasingly recognised as an important indicator […]
CRISPR-Crafted Super Fungi Could Redefine Sustainable Protein Production
Reading Time: < 1 minuteScientists have engineered a groundbreaking strain of fungus that could transform the future of sustainable protein. Using CRISPR gene-editing tools, researchers have redesigned Fusarium venenatum—already known for its meat-like texture and flavour—into a far more productive, nutritious, and environmentally friendly food source. The achievement, reported in Trends in Biotechnology, comes as the world searches for […]
Sharper Tools for Gene Editing: TALEN and Zinc Finger Make a Safer Cut
Reading Time: 3 minutesSharper Tools for Gene Editing: TALEN and Zinc Finger Make a Safer Cut Gene editing using artificial restriction enzymes (also known as artificial nucleases) has revolutionised the life sciences, with far-reaching applications across agriculture, medicine and biotechnology. By editing the genes of microorganisms, plants and animals, scientists can introduce specific mutations such as deletions or […]
A Dying Symphony: Insects Vanishing Even in Protected Forests
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA Dying Symphony: Insects Vanishing Even in Protected Forests Ecologists are raising alarm bells as nearly half the tree of life could vanish within a few decades due to accelerating planetary warming, The Guardian reported. One of those voices is Daniel Janzen, a veteran ecologist who has spent decades studying Costa Rica’s lush rainforests. In the 1970s, he recalls, […]