UCLA develops highly efficient solar cell
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMaterials scientists from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have developed a highly efficient thin-film solar cell that generates more energy from sunlight than typical solar panels, thanks to its double-layer design. The device is made by spraying a thin layer of perovskite — an inexpensive compound of lead and iodine that has been shown […]
Genetically engineered virus spins gold into beads
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHE race is on to find manufacturing techniques capable of arranging molecular and nanoscale objects with precision. Engineers at the University of California, Riverside, have altered a virus to arrange gold atoms into spheroids measuring a few nanometers in diameter. The finding could make production of some electronic components cheaper, easier, and faster. “Nature has […]
A better bread?
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY SADEQUR RAHMAN There are few more evocative words than bread in almost any language. From the Lord’s prayer in the Bible to Marie Antoinette’s unfortunate “Let them eat bread” comment (which she apparently did not make) to Indira Gandhi’s “Roti Kapad aur Makan” slogan and that of many other politicians, the word “bread” has […]
Enterprising Jane ventures to create preventive vaccines
Reading Time: 4 minutesIn the course of the last few decades infectious diseases have grown to become a major global health issue. Initiatives to eradicate vector-borne killer diseases such as dengue and malaria still continue to be a daunting task while resurgent tropical diseases such as Zika continue to be a worldwide menace. The race to find vaccines […]
Scientists identify a new kind of human brain cell
Reading Time: 3 minutesOne of the most intriguing questions about the human brain is also one of the most difficult for neuroscientists to answer: What sets our brains apart from those of other animals? “We really don’t understand what makes the human brain special,” said Ed Lein, PhD, Investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science. “Studying the […]
NASA-funded rocket to view sun with X-ray vision
Reading Time: 3 minutesWithout special instrumentation, the Sun looks calm and inert. But beneath that placid façade are countless miniature explosions called nanoflares. These small but intense eruptions are born when magnetic field lines in the Sun’s atmosphere tangle up and stretch until they break like a rubber band. The energy they release accelerates particles to near lightspeed […]
USM collaborates with authorities to establish UNESCO heritage site at Sungai Batu
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY MAZLAN HANAFI BASHARUDIN Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) will continue to collaborate with the authorities towards making the Sungai Batu archaeological site in Sungai Petani, Kedah a UNESCO World Heritage site. The collaboration between USM and the Department of National Heritage (JWN) which started in 2007, has uncovered the Sungai Batu early civilisation site, with […]
Why do we have different blood types?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn 19000, Austrian physician Karl Landsteiner discovered there are three blood groups A, B, and O. It was a huge find and he won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for it in 1930. A few years later researchers would discover the AB group. There are four main blood types. Blood type A is […]
Researchers 3D print prototype for ‘bionic eye’
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA team of researchers at the University of Minnesota have, for the first time, fully 3D printed an array of light receptors on a hemispherical surface. This discovery marks a significant step toward creating a “bionic eye” that could someday help blind people see or sighted people see better. The research is published recently in […]
How can your tooth save your life?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBY SCIENCE BRIDGE ACADEMY When we were younger our parents would tell us that when our teeth fell out, the Tooth Fairy would come and exchange it with a gold coin! But did you know that your tooth can actually save your life? Similar to cord blood, [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ]you can find stem […]