FGV oil palm planting materials have traits to suit various needs
Reading Time: 4 minutesBY DR TAN JOON SHEONG OIL palm breeding programme in Felda Global Ventures Holding Bhd (FGV) was first established in 1969 at Tekam,Pahang (known as Pusat Penyelidikan Pertanian Tun Razak, PPPTR) with a total of 2,130 hectare dedicated for various breeding programmes. The main objectives were to breed for superior planting materials (oil yield) and […]
UKM scientist discovers lightning in Antarctica
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBY ASMAHANIM AMIR BANGI: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)’s Climate Change Institute scientist, Associate Professor Dr Wayan Suparta discovered lightning at Antartica, during his recent expedition. Wayan said the lightning was discovered after he installed the lightning sensor and Electric Field Mill (EMF) in Carlini Base to measure the lightning strike and the strength of the […]
Something’s fishy about new canola project
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA joint research between Nuseed, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) have developed canola containing omega-3 oil through plant-to-plant gene transfer. Genes from microalgae were transferred to canola for it to produce canola oil which is rich with long chain DHA, at level equal or better […]
Spaceflight impacts on shape of astronauts’ brains
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMRIs before and after a space mission reveal expansions and compressions of astronauts’ brain during spaceflights. This is according to a novel study done by a team of researchers from University of Michigan. The study, which is the first to examine brain structural shifts were conducted on 13 astronauts who were shuttle crew members and […]
Genome sequence of polar alga explains adaptation to extreme climates
Reading Time: 2 minutesAn international team of researchers has identified the genetic mutations which allowed microalgae (phytoplankton) from the Southern Ocean to adapt to extreme and highly variable climates – a step towards understanding how polar organisms are impacted by climate change. The team led by Prof Thomas Mock from the University of East Anglia (UEA) School of […]
Oil and gas deposits could be located with help of DNA soil analysis
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWHILE a lot of sciences are involved in finding oil and gas, biology might not be the first science that leaps to mind. But researchers at Repsol are working on changing that mindset. The team is focusing on the concept of “bioprospection,” studying how the presence of certain microorganisms on the surface can be an […]