MICRONES helps overcome loss of crude palm oil during extraction
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY AZMAN ZAKARIA SERDANG: Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) researchers, along with their research partners, have succeeded in developing Maceration Induced Cell Rupturing Oil Nut Extraction Synthesis (MICRONES), a new technology to help overcome the problem of loss of crude palm oil during extraction process. MICRONES will change the extraction process of crude palm oil (CPO) […]
USM Archaeology team confirms prehistoric presence on local shores
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY MAZLAN HANAFI BASHARUDIN SEBERANG PERAI UTARA: The archaeology team from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has unearthed skeletal remains estimated to be at least 5,000 years old at a construction site here. The team from the USM Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR) led by its Director, Professor Dato’ Dr Mohd Mokhtar Saidin, has provided […]
From coffee-waste to biofuels
Reading Time: 2 minutesFuture Americano, cappuccino and latte drinkers could help produce the raw material for a greener biofuel that would reduce our reliance on diesel from fossil fuels. Purpose-grown feedstocks (used to extract oils) for biodiesels are controversial because of their cost and the demand they place on land and water. However, spent coffee grounds, which have […]
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 […]
What makes leaves change colour in autumn?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteEvery autumn we revel in the beauty of the fall colours. The mixture of red, purple, orange and yellow is the result of chemical processes that take place in the tree as the seasons change from summer to winter. During the spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the food […]
Why do we get bored?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSome people never tire of doing the same thing, while others get bored very easily. According to Dr Irving Biederman, a neuroscientist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, this problem involves opioids, a chemical in the brain that gives us pleasure. A new experience will stimulate the release of opioids—a wow. The […]
Bangladesh champions GM crops
Reading Time: 4 minutesSouth Asian nation is world innovator of pest-resistant, nutritionally-fortified biotech crops BY STEVEN CERIER “Agricultural technology has been central in “making the country self-sufficient in food production,” says Bangladesh’s Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhurry. The country began adopting hybrid seeds in the mid-1990s, and in 2013 became the first nation to commercialise insect-resistant Bt brinjal (eggplant). Currently, […]
‘Womb-like’ device could revolutionise care for premature Infants
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY LAUREN SCRUDATO An innovative “bio-bag” system developed by a team of doctors from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) mimics the environment of a mother’s womb and could provide the physiologic support premature babies need to properly develop. One in ten babies born in the US are considered premature (younger than 37 weeks gestational […]
Sunshine statistics
Reading Time: 4 minutesBiotech crops known for their multiple green traits continue to see the light of day with a 110-fold increase in grown hectares worldwide since 1996 field. BEIJING: Biotech crops or GM crops surged to a new peak of 185.1 million hectares last year – a global area rebound from 2015, as farmers continue to adopt […]
UPM researchers produce quality biochar from agro wastes using BMC
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY SHAZLAN HALAMY SERDANG: A team of researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has succeeded in creating a sustainable green technology by way of transforming agriculture wastes or biomass into bio-char through a microwave system. Compared to the conventional method, this Biomass Microwave Carboniser (BMC) innovation offers an innovative and clean technology using microwave-assisted pyrolysis […]