Abuse of antibiotics takes us one big circle to square one
Reading Time: 4 minutesBY SADEQUR RAHMAN The story of the discovery of penicillin is enchanting. An overworked microbiologist goes on holiday, opens plates with bacteria growing on them, a spore (or seed) landing on the plates and then the observation on return from the holiday that the mould growing from the spore could kill bacteria. The purification and […]
Who discovered the existence of galaxies other than our Milky Way?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIN the early 1900s, astronomers were debating the makeup of spiral nebulae — cloudy, spiral-shaped objects found throughout the night sky. Were they gas clouds located within our Milky Way galaxy, or were they vast groups of stars located far beyond our galaxy? In 1919, American astronomer Edwin Hubble tackled the question. His keen astronomical […]
Why are clownfishes not stung by sea anemones?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe partnership between clownfish and sea anemones is one of the most iconic in the animal world. Unlike in Pixar’s film Finding Nemo, clownfish seldom stray far from their anemone. The clownfish live within the sea anemone’s poisonous tentacles. Those tentacles keep would-be predators at bay, including morays, scorpionfishes and snappers. In return, the […]
Bangladesh agriculture leaders keen to adopt biotech cotton
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBangladesh,the first country to plant biotech eggplant, is ready to adopt biotech cotton. This was expressed by the research and development leaders of the country during the seminar launch of ISAAA’s Global Status of Commercialised Biotech/GM Crops for 2016, held on July 9, at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) in Dhaka. Chief Guest Additional […]
REMDII Sensitive helps in healing eczema
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY AZMAN ZAKARIA A group of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) researchers have successfully developed a product to treat skin disorder or eczema without involving the use of steroids and managed to reduce itchiness, flaking and intensively repair despaired skin conditions within just two weeks. The product, a deep moisturising cream – REMDII Sensitive, is formulated […]
Forensic scientists recover human DNA from mosquitos
Reading Time: 2 minutesA Nagoya University research team shows that human blood extracted from mosquitos remains viable for DNA analysis up to two days after feeding. Most people would agree that painful mosquito bites are an especially annoying part of summer. Except perhaps forensic scientists, who can examine human blood from a mosquito’s stomach and match the DNA to […]
Chocolates are more than just a snack treat
Reading Time: 2 minutesA balanced diet is chocolate in both hands – a phrase commonly used to justify ones chocolate snacking behaviour. A phrase now shown to actually harbour some truth, as the cocoa bean is a rich source of flavanols: a class of natural compounds that has neuroprotective effects. In their recent review published in Frontiers in Nutrition, […]
Accessing DNA in the cell’s powerhouse to treat disease
Reading Time: 2 minutesFOR the first time, a synthetic compound has been made that can bind to DNA in the cells’ energy powerhouses, suppressing a gene associated with nerve and muscle disease. Pyrrole-imidazole polyamides (PIPs) are compounds that can read specific DNA sequences inside living cells and silence dis-ease-causing genes. They prevent proteins, called transcription factors, from binding […]
What is the risk of flying?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBY SCIENCE BRIDGE ACADEMY During holidays, many of us will take the opportunity to travel somewhere, perhaps overseas. With low cost air-lines abundant, many of us can afford to fly instead of having to drive or take the train. But would it in fact, be safer to do the latter? Since the occurrences of various […]
Authorise and support GMOs, science and innovation, says advocacy group
Reading Time: 2 minutesBRUSSELS: It is time for the EU to authorise GMOs as well as support science & innovation, says the Brussels-based advocacy group, Europabio. The group is urging European decision-makers to play by the rules and endorse the evidence. This is in view of the expected vote on March 27, by EU member states on whether […]