Nipah virus threat escalates
Reading Time: 3 minutesSINGAPORE: The threat of infectious diseases, such as Nipah virus, spreading across borders has increased substantially as a result of the ease of global travel. Nipah virus experts and stakeholders recently gathered here at the first international conference to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the virus’ discovery and to discuss innovative and effective solutions to […]
Kenya gives nod for Bt cotton
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE Kenyan Cabinet, chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta, has approved the commercial planting of Bt cotton after the 5-year field trials showed positive results. The biotech crop is expected to increase the cotton production of Kenyan farmers and thus boost the manufacturing pillar of the Big 4 Agenda where it is stated that Kenya aims […]
Study: Asian rivers transport more plastic than Europe’s waterways
Reading Time: 2 minutesIN the first study of its kind, researchers from the Netherlands examined the amounts of floating plastic debris at 24 locations on rivers in seven European and Asian countries. Lead author Caroline van Calcar, from Delft University of Technology, said: “Land-based plastics, washed into the ocean by rivers, are believed to be the main source […]
Researchers finds genes conferring resistance to multiple leaf rust in barley
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAN INTERNATIONAL team led by researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has identified genes that confer resistance to multiple leaf rust species in barley. Simon Krattinger from KAUST’s Center for Desert Agriculture refers to their findings as nonhost resistance, the resistance of an entire species against all strains of a […]
ISAAA: Biotech crops fastest adopted crop technology
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBIOTECH CROPS are considered as the fastest adopted crop technology in the history of modern agriculture, according to ISAAA Pocket K 16: Biotech Crop Highlights in 2018. From the initial planting of 1.7 million hectares in 1996 when the first biotech crop was commercialized, the 191.7 million hectares planted in 2018 indicates a ~113-fold increase. […]
Growing popularity of agribiotechnology in Vietnam
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDESPITE being a progressive scientific achievement of the world during the past decades and accepted by many countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, and many other developed countries, but biotechnology and genetically modified crops and their applications are still not well known in Vietnam. It is undeniable that biotechnology and GM foods have […]
COP 25 ends on a low note
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHE United Nations Climate Talks sat for 12 days in Madrid but ended on a low note on Dec 15 – without any strong conclusive consensus. Delegates from nearly 200 nations attended the 2019 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) and were kept 40 hours past their planned deadline. But some of the […]
Self-cleaning surface repels even the deadliest superbugs
Reading Time: 2 minutesA TEAM of researchers at McMaster University has developed a self-cleaning surface that can repel all forms of bacteria, preventing the transfer of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and other dangerous bacteria in settings ranging from hospitals to kitchens. The new plastic surface – a treated form of conventional transparent wrap – can be shrink-wrapped onto door handles, […]
Human teeth as jewelry in Turkey 8,500 years ago
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAT a prehistoric archaeological site in Turkey, researchers have discovered two 8,500-year-old human teeth, which had been used as pendants in a necklace or bracelet. Researchers have never documented this practice before in the prehistoric Near East, and the rarity of the find suggests that the human teeth were imbued with profound symbolic meaning for […]
Developing market oriented rice hybrids
Reading Time: 2 minutesRECENT research and technological advancements have significantly improved the quality and viability of hybrid rice. Still, the lack of awareness among value chain actors on these improvements threatens to impede its full potential as a climate resilient alternative to traditional varieties. Characteristics like poor grain quality, lower head rice recovery percentage, chalkiness, high insect, pest, […]