Punjab Seed Council approves two new Bt cotton varieties
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE Punjab Seed Council Friday approved two new Bt cotton varieties bringing a sizeable increase in production and enhancing yield potential up to 50 maunds, agriculture officials said. The varieties have high fiber properties as well as resistance to viruses and high productivity. Dr. Zahid Mahmood, Director, The Central Cotton Research Institute Director Dr. Zahid Mehmood said the approved varieties have […]
Lebih separuh rakyat Malaysia tidak mempunyai pengetahuan asas tentang vaksin COVID-19
Reading Time: 2 minutesRakyat Malaysia bakal menerima vaksin COVID-19 seawal hujung bulan ini. Namun masih banyak pertanyaan tentang isu keselamatan dan keberkesanan vaksin COVID-19. Maklumat palsu mengenai vaksin yang sering dikongsikan di media sosial serta usaha gerakan anti-vaksin juga telah menimbulkan kesangsian dan kekeliruan dalam kalangan orang awam, sekaligus berisiko merencatkan usaha membanteras pandemik COVID-19 ini. Hasil kajian […]
GM mosquitoes key to stopping Zika virus spread
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA RESEARCH study conducted at the University of Missouri (UM) is genetically modifying mosquitoes to be resistant to the Zika virus altogether. Alexander Franz, an associate professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, collaborated with researchers at Colorado State University by using CRISPR gene-editing technology to produce mosquitoes that are unable to replicate the Zika virus and therefore cannot […]
Unravelling coronavirus structure for effective vaccine and medication
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWHILE vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 have already begun in many countries, effective medication for COVID-19 treatment has not yet been identified. Scientists at Max Planck Institutes (MPI) are now closely investigating the surface structures of SARS-CoV-2 and the processes by which the virus replicates in infected cells to find new targets for possible therapies. Martin Beck and Gerhard Hummer and their […]
42KL to roll out ‘new collar workers’ without classrooms
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe rise of gig economy is demanding a new pool of talent called “new-collar workers”. They do not want their workers to come from the same cookie-cutter, not to mention the traditional education system. One institute that is developing this future talent outside classroom settings is Sunway University in their 42KL coding school. We spoke […]
The darling of the medical world – mRNA is here
Reading Time: 2 minutesVaccines are the talk of the town now and a new addition to public vocabulary is mRNA. We all know DNA took all the limelight and left its cousin, RNA, completely in the dark and little known to the public. It is far less popular than DNA. The public might not know there are several types […]
Dr Margaret Karembu conferred Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) by Kenyan President
Reading Time: 2 minutesDR MARGARET KAREMBU has been conferred a Presidential award in recognition of her tireless effort over the last two decades to improve science communication and appreciation of modern biotechnology tools for national development. In nominating Karembu for consideration of the award, Kenya’s National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation (NACOSTI) cited her strong will to withstand aggressive activism against agricultural innovations […]
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 […]
France: NBTs are not GMOs
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE Agriculture Minister of France Julien Denormandie said in an interview that France sees crops developed using gene editing techniques as different to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and opposes a European Union court decision placing them under strict GMO regulations. In 2018, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that mutagenesis, among so-called new breeding techniques (NBT) based on […]
Rush scientists develop potential COVID-19 drug
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSCIENTISTS from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois have developed a new potential therapy for COVID-19 that has shown promising results in its lab study. The scientists used hexapeptide in mouse models that are infected with COVID-19. The peptide was nasally introduced and has shown to be effective in reducing fever, improving heart function, protecting the lungs, […]