Spread of rice blast nipped
Reading Time: 2 minutesScientists find way to halt the spread of rice blast, a fungus that destroys up to 30% of the world’s rice crop each year. A team led by the University of Exeter showed that chemical genetic inhibition of a single protein in the fungus stops it spreading inside a rice leaf – leaving it trapped […]
Medical grade 3D print allows doctors simulate patients’ surgery
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY AZMAN ZAKARIA SERDANG: A group of researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has succeeded in developing an innovative 3D Medical Grade Print (MeG3rD) or ‘Method’ that is able to replicate a 3D anatomic printing of patients’ actual defect organ (pathology) at a 1:1 ratio. The texture quality is also realistic and reflects the uniqueness […]
Snails schooling scientists about memories and brain disorders
Reading Time: 2 minutesScientists are taking lessons about quick thinking, reversing brain trauma, and slowing down brain degeneration from an unexpected neurological wonder. Snails are efficient in thinking and a lot smarter than you think. Despite the snail’s ultra-simplified brain structure, this tiny creature uses only two brain cells to compute two scenarios: when the creature is hungry […]
Scientists mimic neural tissue in Army-funded research
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS Army-funded researchers at Brandeis University have discovered a process for engineering next-generation soft materials with embedded chemical networks that mimic the behavior of neural tissue. The breakthrough material may lead to autonomous soft robotics, dual sensors and actuators for soft exoskeletons, or artificial skins. The research lays the foundations for futuristic soft active matter […]
Brightly-coloured bacteria could be used to ‘grow’ paints
Reading Time: 2 minutesRESEARCHERS have unlocked the genetic code behind some of the brightest and most vibrant colours in nature. The paper, published in the journal PNAS, is the first study of the genetics of structural colour – as seen in butterfly wings and peacock feathers – and paves the way for genetic research in a variety of […]
Natural tooth repair method using Alzheimer’s drug
Reading Time: 2 minutesA TEAM of researchers at King’s College London has proven new method of stimulating the renewal of living stem cells in tooth pulp using an Alzheimer’s drug, called Tideglusib. Developed for and trialled to treat Alzheimer’s disease, scientists found the drug also happens to promote the natural tooth regrowth mechanism in mice, allowing the tooth […]
Cancer-fighting nanorobots seek and destroy tumors
Reading Time: 3 minutesIN a major advancement in nanomedicine, Arizona State University scientists, in collaboration with researchers from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have successfully programmed nanorobots to shrink tumors by cutting off their blood supply. “We have developed the first fully autonomous, DNA robotic system for a very […]
SELF-DRIVING ROBOT.
Reading Time: < 1 minuteFor the first time, scientists from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) will deploy a small fleet of long-range autonomous underwater vehicles (LRAUVs) that have the ability to collect and archive seawater samples automatically. Edward DeLong and David Karl, oceanography professors in the UH Mānoa […]
First hormone-free male pill soon to be a reality
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA HORMONE-FREE male pill may soon become a reality, with Monash scientists moving closer to developing a new combination of oral contraceptive drugs that together block the transport of sperm during ejaculation. A hormone-free pill would have the unique ability to bypass the side-effects that have up until now hindered development of a male contraceptive. […]
Biofuels from plant fibers could combat global warming
Reading Time: 2 minutesSCIENTISTS, companies and government agencies are hard at work on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. In recent years, biofuels produced from corn have emerged as a fuel source to power motor vehicles and, perhaps, airplanes. But corn is problematic as a biofuel source material. It’s resource-intensive to grow, creates many environmental impacts, […]