Who invented VELCRO?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe hook and loop fastener or commonly known as ‘velcro’ is a product, we frequently come across in our everyday life but do you know who is the brainchild behind this invention? It is George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer who invented this infinitely applicable product, with applications ranging from consumer apparel to space travel. […]
What causes fruits to ripen?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteFruits are ready to eat when they are fully ripe. However, have we wondered what causes fruit to ripen? Under natural conditions, a gaseous plant hormone called ethylene is released by the plant, triggering the production of enzymes responsible for fruit ripening. During ripening, fruits tend to change from green to other colours, including purple, […]
What makes the sound when we crack our knuckles?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCracking knuckles can be addictive and studies show that as many as 54 percent of people crack their knuckles. What drives them to crack their knuckle with a “popping” sound? The synovial fluid in our joints serves a similar function as motor oil in a car’s engine, by lubricating our joints as well as reducing […]
Why do snakes flick their tongue?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDo you feel frightened when snakes flick their tongue? Although it is frightening, it is a natural behaviour for snakes to flick their tongue. Snakes flick their tongue to gather information from their surroundings to deliver to their sensory organ in their mouth. Snakes do have nostrils as humans do, however, snakes use their nostrils […]
Zika vaccine shows promising results in preclinical studies
Reading Time: 2 minutesA ZIKA VIRUS VACCINE candidate is effective at preventing the Zika virus passing from mother to fetus in preclinical animal studies, according to a new study in the journal npj Vaccines. The research is a collaboration between Trudeau Institute, Texas Biomedical Research Institute’s Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC), and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), where […]
US Supports Further Research of Bt Eggplants in Bangladesh, Philippines
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCORNELL UNIVERSITY announced that it received an award grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue the efforts to bring genetically engineered (GE) eggplant varieties to farmers in Bangladesh and the Philippines. USAID has provided Cornell’s Feed the Future Insect-Resistant Eggplant Partnership a grant amounting to US$10 million as part of the Feed the Future initiative by the […]
Satellites and light reflections help researchers spot coastal plastic waste
Reading Time: 2 minutesMILLIONS of tons of plastic enter the oceans every year. While stopping this flow is crucial, so is tracking down what’s already there so we can clean it up. This cutting-edge research harnesses the latest in satellite technology to do just that. The study, now published in Remote Sensing, used the unique infrared signals reflected by plastics […]
Watch The Green Planet and admit ‘mea culpa’ to climate change
Reading Time: 6 minutesBBC’s latest five-part natural history stunner, The Green Planet, subtly tells the climate change story through the lives of plants and trees. IT was in 1975, that the world first heard of ‘global warming’ which is today a hot button buzzword spoken by scientists and the common citizen but only pretentiously uttered by politicians at climate summits – as […]
Borneo states yield 27 new plants and animals in 2021
Reading Time: 7 minutesAmong the remarkable species discovered is the Paralaoma sarawakensis land snail which was found with its very striking shell sculpture in the former gold district of Bau. CONSIDERING the millions of plant and animal species that exist on Earth, just under two million have been formally described in the past 250 years of systematic research. While the […]
British Council expands its ‘Women in STEM’ scholarships in East Asia
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHE British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM support women wishing to pursue postgraduate study in science, technology, engineering or maths at a university in the UK. The scholarships will give opportunities to women in eight countries in East Asia to obtain a Master’s degree or Early Academic Fellowship from a UK university, giving them […]