Why do crab walk sideways?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSTRANGELY enough, there is absolutely nothing wrong with crabs moving sideways. In fact, crabs walk sideways for the same reason humans walk forward! Crabs have their legs situated underneath their bodies, with their knees bending outward. Intrinsically, crabs walk sideways because their legs are positioned in such a way. If crabs were to walk forward […]
Why do snakes shed their skin?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteALL animals shed their skin. It isn’t obvious in mammals such as humans as it is an on-going process that occurs throughout one’s lifetime in which dead cells are constantly discarded. Skin shedding is unique among reptiles as it occurs periodically. In the case of snakes, they shed a layer of skin in one continuous […]
UPM turns cooking oil into biodiesel
Reading Time: 2 minutesSERDANG: Don’t discard used cooking oil because it can still be utilised. A research by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has succeeded in turning cooking oil into biodiesel for use for heavy machinery and vehicles. Those who give used cooking oil to UPM will be paid RM1 for every 1kg of such oil. The processing of […]
Way forward with information technology in oil palm fields
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Informatics Department of FGV R&D Sdn Bhd (FGVR&D) was established with a vision to exploit and maximise the use of information technology in research and development. One of FGVR&D’s strength is the great resources and experience it has in oil palm research, especially breeding new planting materials. The foundation of FGVR&D research is grounded […]
Climate-smart rice key to farmer resilience, says IRRI head
Reading Time: < 1 minuteChennai,India: Stress-tolerant rice varieties can help make farmers more resilient against the increasingly destructive effects of climate change, said Matthew Morell, director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Delivering the Millenium Lecture at the M.S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Chennai on 10 February, Morell described rice as “the engine of food security,” […]
Offshore security surveillance gets serious attention
Reading Time: 3 minutesSafety and security has been a growing concern recently throughout the world. The main reason being is accidents – fire and explosions and criminal activities, such as act of terrorism and piracy. Land is not the only place for such threat, seas and oceans are getting the same as well. In past years, different ways and/or […]
Turning food waste into tires
Reading Time: 2 minutesResearchers at The Ohio State University have discovered that food waste can partially replace the petroleum-based filler that has been used in manufacturing tires for more than a century. In tests, rubber made with the new fillers exceeds industrial standards for performance, which may ultimately open up new applications for rubber. As Katrina Cornish explains […]
Scientists rewarm large-scale tissues preserved at freezing temperatures
Reading Time: 2 minutesA research team led by the University of Minnesota, has discovered a groundbreaking process to successfully rewarm large-scale animal heart valves and blood vessels preserved at very low temperatures. The discovery is a major step forward in saving millions of human lives by increasing the availability of organs and tissues for transplantation through the establishment of […]
Food security looks very different depending on where you are sitting
Reading Time: 5 minutesIn 1974, the World Food Conference declared that: “Every man, woman and child has the inalienable right to be free from hunger and malnutrition in order to develop their physical and mental faculties.” The conference set as its goal the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition within a decade. Two decades later, in 1996, the […]
Gene editing for PRRSV resistance in pigs
Reading Time: 2 minutesPorcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), a disease that reared its head in the 1980s and has been the bane of both pigs and their farmers on a global scale ever since. Most vaccines have failed to cease the spread of the virus in which it continues to evolve rapidly. In addition to causing respiratory […]