Improving country’s food production: Issues and policy responses
Reading Time: 3 minutes BY PROF DATUK M NASIR SHAMSUDIN THE food sector in the country is facing major challenges that will persist for the next decades. These include providing sufficient food to meet the growing population and rising per capita income as well as dietary changes, eradicating hunger and food insecurity. The sector is also influenced […]
Asian agbio players convene under ISAAA/MABIC platform
Reading Time: 4 minutesBY Ts. DR MAHALETCHUMY ARUJANAN & SAARANI VENGADESEN WILL working tirelessly in the laboratories result in GM crops being released into the hands of farmers, subsequently relieving their world from grappling with food insecurity? It is time for scientists to understand the invisible hands that move the needles when it comes to the approval and […]
Risk of multiple climate tipping points escalates above 1.5°C global warming
Reading Time: 3 minutesMULTIPLE climate tipping points could be triggered if global temperature rises beyond 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, according to a major new analysis published in the journal Science. Even at current levels of global heating the world is already at risk of passing five dangerous climate tipping points, and risks increase with each tenth of a degree […]
Heat and humidity, the life-threatening twins
Reading Time: 2 minutesWITH the rising effects of climate change, heat waves have become more severe and intolerable around the world, posing dangerous health issues such as heat exhaustion, heat strokes, severe dehydration, and heat cramps which could even be fatal. Many places around the world have registered record-breaking high temperatures this year such as India, the UK, […]
From food scraps to fine dining cuisines
Reading Time: 3 minutesAT a recent US Soybean Export Council (USSEC) conference in Singapore, international delegates were feasting on “food scraps” during one of the official dinners. Eggshells, soy by-products from tofu processing, coconut chaff, and fruit peels were just some of the “food scraps”. None complained, cringed, or were even skeptical. In fact, everyone was full of […]
Chronic Inflammation – Tapping into the Power of Turmeric
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY JOYCE WONG JIN YI MILLIONS of people suffer from chronic pain caused by inflammation, while millions more suffer from diseases caused by chronic inflammation, such as cancer and heart disease. Short-term inflammation can protect the body, but chronic inflammation can have serious consequences. Chronic inflammation accompanying ageing is a driver of every health-related disease, […]
DBN 2.0 poised to combat critical national issues
Reading Time: 4 minutesTHE newly-minted National Biotechnology Policy 2.0 (DBN 2.0) is poised to combat challenging issues pertaining to food security, healthcare, and environmental concerns – such as climate change and global warming affecting the nation. DBN 2.0 recently launched by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri will enhance the present biotechnology ecosystem and give a boost to the country’s […]
Biogenes leads the way in aptamer-based antibodies
Reading Time: 3 minutesIN 2010, when the European Union (EU) passed a directive to eliminate the use of animals in scientific research – aptamers came to the fore to replace animal-derived antibodies that were largely used for developing diagnostic tools. Aptamers are synthetic antibodies produced without harming a single animal. Aptamers can recognise and bind to their target […]
Upfront with BBC’s Frozen Planet II
Reading Time: 8 minutes Life on thin ice with a mix of wonder, fun, and a blunt lesson on climate change FOR people living remotely away from the large expanses of land in the Arctic and Antarctica, the tundra regions may seem nothing more than bare white plains and peaks, so unvaried and humdrum. But Frozen Planet II […]
Reducing emissions in Malaysia – Methane as a Policy Priority?
Reading Time: 3 minutesReducing emissions in Malaysia – Methane as a Policy Priority? BY YONG JIE WONG, MATTHEW ASHFOLD & HELENA VARKKEY THE climate clock is ticking, and our time is running out. Failure to take the steps needed in the next few years to limit global warming to 1.5°C will push the world further into cascading and irreversible climate effects on the […]