Smart sex-sorting technology answer to wanton chick culling
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY VIRMAN JURI ANNUALLY, seven billion male chicks are being culled worldwide. Male layer chickens do not have commercial or economical value for hatcheries in contrast to female layer chickens that lay eggs. This fact raises a glaring concern in the poultry industry in matters pertaining to animal welfare. Furthermore in Malaysia, food security issues have […]
Selangor’s fireflies, Borneo’s argus pheasant star in BBC Earth’s The Mating Game
Reading Time: 7 minutesCatch the footage in episode 3 of The Mating Game at 8.05pm today via UnifiTV Channel 501 and Astro Channel 554. Link: BBC Player | BBC Earth ANIMALS are not likely to show up for a photocall at the set. It is the filming crew that has to be up and ready and most of all […]
Nutrition Technologies opens first industrial-scale insect protein plant in Johor
Reading Time: 5 minutesSINGAPORE-BASED agrifood tech company Nutrition Technologies opens its first industrial-scale insect protein factory in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Malaysia. Since 2014, Nutrition Technologies has been using black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) to turn low-grade food waste and organic by-products into proteins and oils as a sustainable alternative to fishmeal, a commonly used ingredient in animal feed. Their new […]
USDA, FDA ink MOU on Animal Biotechnology Regulations
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and US Department of Health and Human Services signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) finalizing the joint roles of the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in regulating products derived from animal biotechnology. The MOU was signed on January 13, 2021, and complements USDA’s issuance of an […]
Which animal is the elephant’s cousin?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteLand’s largest creature the elephant has a cousin in the underwater world and it is known as Florida manatee or even teddy bear of the sea. Manatee is the largest herbivorous mammal in the sea and it can grow as large as 1590kg. Fossil record shows that manatee evolved from elephants 50 million years ago. […]
Beluga Whales Thanksgiving Day
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How do chameleon change colors?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE chameleon is a unique animal which can change the color of their skin. Adult chameleons range in size from four to 24 inches. These lizards belong to the taxonomic family of Chamaeleontidae. They are utterly defenseless. They can’t execute defensive bite, they do not have poisonous venom like snakes and they can’t move away […]
Animal biotech offers potential in addressing food insecurity
Reading Time: 2 minutesANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY has been primed to contribute significantly towards addressing the challenge of food security, especially in the developing world. During a webinar organized by ISAAA AfriCenter, experts agreed that animal biotechnology is an inevitable part of the toolkit to address climate-related challenges. Prof Steve Kemp, an animal geneticist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), underscored the […]
Genomic analysis reveals many animal species may be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection
Reading Time: 2 minutesHUMANS are not the only species facing a potential threat from SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. An international team of scientists used genomic analysis to compare the main cellular receptor for the virus in humans — angiotensin converting enzyme-2, or ACE2 — […]
A new species of diamond frog from northern Madagascar hops into the spotlight
Reading Time: 2 minutesDESPITE the active ongoing taxonomic progress on Madagascar’s frogs, the amphibian inventory of this hyper-diverse island is still very far from being complete. The known diversity of the diamond frog genus Rhombophryne in Madagascar has increased significantly (more than doubled!) over the last 10 years, but still there are several undescribed candidate species awaiting description. […]