Failed gene-edited baby experiment proves we are not ready for human embryo modification
Reading Time: 4 minutesBY DIMITRI PERRIN & GAETAN BURGIO MORE than a year ago, the world was shocked by Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui’s attempt to use CRISPR technology to modify human embryos and make them resistant to HIV, which led to the birth of twins Lulu and Nana. Now, crucial details have been revealed in a recent release […]
UNIMAS researchers find genes that turn on JE virus
Reading Time: 2 minutesINVESTIGATORS from Universiti Malaya Sarawak (Unimas) have identified the specific genes that become overactive as a result of nerve cell infection with Japanese encephalitis virus. The genes activate cell receptors and signalling proteins that attract immune cells to the brain. The finding suggests that nerve cells may play a significant immune role against the virus, […]
Genes controlling mycorrhizal colonisation discovered in soybean
Reading Time: 2 minutesLIKE most plants, soybeans pair up with soil fungi in a symbiotic mycorrhizal relationship. In exchange for a bit of sugar, the fungus acts as an extension of the root system to pull in more phosphorus, nitrogen, micronutrients, and water than the plant could on its own. Mycorrhizal fungi occur naturally in soil and are […]
PH President confers order of National Scientist to Biotech Champ
Reading Time: 2 minutesPresident Rodrigo Roa Duterte formally presented the rank and title of Order of National Scientist to Dr. Emil Q. Javier, former Minister of Science and Technology and an advocate of agricultural modernisation, during a ceremony held at Malacañang Palace on January 7, 2020. In August 2019, the president released Proclamation 781 which recognises Dr. Javier’s […]
Mosquitoes engineered to repel dengue virus
Reading Time: 3 minutesAN INTERNATIONAL team of scientists has synthetically engineered mosquitoes that halt the transmission of the dengue virus. Led by biologists at the University of California San Diego, the research team describes details of the achievement in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the insects that spread dengue in humans, on Jan 16 in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Researchers […]
New tomato variety could change urban farming and cultivation
Reading Time: 2 minutesGENE-EDITED tomato plants that can be grown in small areas and potentially even in outer space have been developed by scientists at the New York-based Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, according to a release. These new “urban agriculture tomatoes” grow in compact bunches instead of on long vines and can be harvested in a shorter period […]
Wuhan Virus
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHE new cluster of viral pneumonia cases originating in Wuhan, China, marks the third time in 20 years that a member of the large family of coronaviruses (CoVs) has jumped from animals to humans and sparked an outbreak. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] In a new JAMA Viewpoint essay, Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of […]
M’sian PhD students develop alternative plastic
Reading Time: 2 minutesA TEAM of Malaysian PhD students has won a global engineering challenge with a sustainable approach to packing dried food products. The engineers from the University of Southampton Malaysia, University of Malaya and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) have developed a prototype for dissolvable food blocks that would significantly reduce the amount of single-use plastic supermarket […]
The scientist who enabled the precise measurement of weather
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAnna Mani (23 August 1918 – 16 August 2001) was an Indian meteorologist who contributed significantly to the understanding of solar radiation, ozone and wind energy by developing a wide range of measurement tools. One of India’s pioneering female scientists, Mani excelled in the male-dominated area of meteorology and became the Deputy Director-General of the […]