Genome sequence of polar alga explains adaptation to extreme climates
Reading Time: 2 minutesAn international team of researchers has identified the genetic mutations which allowed microalgae (phytoplankton) from the Southern Ocean to adapt to extreme and highly variable climates – a step towards understanding how polar organisms are impacted by climate change. The team led by Prof Thomas Mock from the University of East Anglia (UEA) School of […]
Woolly Boolly! They’re resurrecting the Woolly Mammoth
Reading Time: 2 minutesResearchers from Harvard University announced their plan to bring the woolly mammoth back to life using CRISPR/Cas9 within two years’ time. This would not only allow us to learn more about the prehistoric behemoth, but would also represent a first step towards preservation of endangered species. Eminent geneticist George Church and his team at Harvard […]
Lettuce in February: The hidden cost of buying fresh vegetables all year round
Reading Time: 4 minutesBeginning with this issue we will be publishing articles on food security from THE CONVERSATION. We find these articles that come with academic rigour, but journalistic air appropriate to be presented as a series. We believe this series will bring awareness on the subject which is a critical global issue. We are indebted to THE […]
Oil and gas deposits could be located with help of DNA soil analysis
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWHILE a lot of sciences are involved in finding oil and gas, biology might not be the first science that leaps to mind. But researchers at Repsol are working on changing that mindset. The team is focusing on the concept of “bioprospection,” studying how the presence of certain microorganisms on the surface can be an […]
Seagrasses greatly reduce bacteria, benefiting humans and marine life
Reading Time: 2 minutesSEAGRASS meadows reduce bacteria pathogenic to humans and marine life by up to 50%, a new study shows. What’s more, corals located near seagrass meadows exhibit only half the prevalence of disease. These findings highlight the importance of seagrass ecosystems to the health of humans and other organisms; not only could they help with improving […]
Engineers shrink microscope to dime-sized device
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE University of Texas at Dallas have created an atomic force microscope on a chip, dramatically shrinking the size — and, hopefully, the price tag — of a high-tech device commonly used to characterise material properties. “A standard atomic force microscope is a large, bulky instrument, with multiple control loops, electronics and amplifiers,” said Dr […]
Genetically modified foods: Nothing to fear
Reading Time: 4 minutesGENETICALLY modified crops (GMOs or genetically modified organisms) have existed for thousands of years, but now that we know how to splice genes in the laboratory, there is concern over food safety. Much of that concern is unwarranted. Nevertheless, there are campaigns to require product labeling when some foodstuffs contain GMOs. The food industry is […]
PRINTABLE SOLAR CELLS JUST GOT A LITTLE CLOSER
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDr Hairen Tan and his team of University of Toronto, Canada have cleared a critical manufacturing hurdle in the development of a relatively new class of solar devices called perovskite solar cells. This alternative solar technology could lead to low-cost, printable solar panels capable of turning nearly any surface into a power generator. The scientsts […]
Looking back at the Morocco meet
Reading Time: 4 minutesROBYN WILSON was a delegate representing Monash University Malaysia at the COP22 (Conference of Parties – UN Climate Change Conference) hosted at Marrakech, Morocco recently. In this piece she reflects on the sights, sounds and the social arithematic that made it happen. I WAS one of eight delegates selected to represent Monash University Malaysia at […]
Rectal surgery made easy through latest speculum
Reading Time: 2 minutesSERDANG: Surgeons will find it easy to examine human rectum and conduct operation by using a tool, named Self Retaining Anal Speculum (SRAS), an innovative product developed by researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). When this bio-composite tool is inserted from the anal lining to the rectum of a patient, SRAS will open up the […]