In digital education ‘human touch’ goes missing

Reading Time: 2 minutesHas anyone thought why would children in primary schools need to be on WhatsApp groups to stay in touch with their teachers, for monitoring homework and other instructions? Isn’t this the age to keep them safe from smartphones? The rise of digital education has led to this trend, but it raises concerns about children’s well-being. […]

Soft Robots Nature-Inspired Innovations for Durability, Flexibility, and Versatility

Reading Time: 2 minutesResearchers are increasingly interested in developing soft robots, which are often safer and more adaptable than those with only hard surfaces. Those qualities make soft robots highly appealing in many applications, including working with humans or grasping delicate objects. Nature provides frequent inspiration for these projects, particularly as developers consider the most feasible ways to […]

ABEATS 2023: Humanising technology for resilient and sustainable futures

Reading Time: 2 minutesPENANG: Following the two days of insightful discussions and proactive participation, the 5th ASEAN Business, Engineering, and Technology Symposium (ABEATS 2023) concluded on 2 December 2023, leaving a profound impact on the discourse surrounding “Humanising Technology for Resilient and Sustainable Futures”. Hosted on 1-2 December 2023, the symposium brought together diverse participants of esteemed scholars and industry experts from […]

Hubble spots farthest star ever seen

Reading Time: 2 minutesNASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has established an extraordinary new benchmark: detecting the light of a star that existed within the first billion years after the universe’s birth in the big bang — the farthest individual star ever seen to date. The find is a huge leap further back in time from the previous single-star record holder; […]

NTU S’pore produces oil from microalgae to replace palm oil in food production

Reading Time: < 1 minuteA TEAM of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed a method to effectively produce and extract plant-based oils from common microalgae, using a newly discovered method that could serve as a healthier and greener alternative to palm oil. Palm oil is the world’s most popular vegetable oil, used in around half […]

Plant tissue culture: FGV’s contribution to industry

Reading Time: 3 minutesFELDA Global Ventures Holdings Berhad (FGV)’s involvement in tissue culture began in 1980s and since 2010, the FGV Innovation Centre (FGVIC) has successfully produced 1.0 million tissue-cultured oil palm ramets annually. In addition to oil palm tissue culture planting materials, FGVIC has also actively produced banana ramets to accommodate the varied needs of customers. The […]

UPM launches ultra-compact electric vehicle

Reading Time: 2 minutesBY AZMAN ZAKARIA SERDANG:  Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) through its Faculty of Engineering has embarked on an innovative transportation system using electric vehicles, MyCOMS, the first of its kind in Malaysia, for use by staff and students in its ongoing efforts to promote green technology in its campus. The project was realised through the sponsorship […]

Microbe buddies convert heat- trapping methane to energy

Reading Time: 2 minutesResearchers from the Department of Energy at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have recently discovered that the ubiquitous heat-trapping methane gas can be converted into beneficial and environmental-friendly energy by simply creating a harmonious environment for two very different microbes. Per biotechnology news portal Bionity.com on April 13, the discovery published in the Bioresource Technology journal […]

Something’s fishy about new canola project

Reading Time: < 1 minuteA joint research between Nuseed, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) have developed canola containing omega-3 oil through plant-to-plant gene transfer. Genes from microalgae were transferred to canola for it to produce canola oil which is rich with long chain DHA, at level equal or better […]