Asian Scientist Magazine

21/09/2023

Our caregivers need caring, too 👩‍⚕️
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With the recent celebration of World Patient Safety Day on 17 September, let’s take a moment to appreciate our healthcare heroes who work hard to make sure every patient is treated safely and taken care of in the best way possible. 🤍
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In this article, find out how governments, private institutions, and communities can collectively work towards supporting healthcare workers, so they can continue to deliver the best healthcare for everyone. ⬇️
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COVID-19 exposed and exacerbated the mental toll of being a healthcare worker especially in low-resource settings in Asia. As we move toward a new normal, governments, hospitals and mental health expertsare beginning to support the neglected community of health care workers, but many challenges are....

20/09/2023

Imagine getting stuck in traffic jams due to excessive foam that spilled over from the lake to the road. 🧼 This is the situation in Bengaluru, India.
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In a new study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) revealed their findings behind the mysterious foaming in the Bellandur Lake.
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The short answer is: Surfactants (a type of foaming chemicals used in soaps and detergents)
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When the team analyzed Bellandur Lake sediments, they found high concentrations of surfactants—similar to those used in commercial cleaning agents. When it rains, surfactants that were bound to suspended solids dissolve back into the water forming foams.
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Unfortunately, Bellandur Lake receives untreated sewage far beyond its capacity to break it down and has depleted oxygen levels that keeps surfactants in the system.
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In a vicious cycle, this problem has worsened over the years. The increased foaming could be a symptom of a dying urban lake.
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Learn more about their findings and how the team is planning to tackle this vicious cycle ⬇️
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Rains dissolve surfactants bound to lake sediments causing foaming in Bellandur lake, shows a study.

19/09/2023

Educational technology (EdTech) is getting an UPGRADE thanks to the massive data processing power and lightning-fast speeds of high-performance computing (HPC).
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How?
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For starters, did you know that HPC powers AI-driven video editing mobile apps that are available today? Think about video editing softwares used to create content on social media. (Looking at you 👀)
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By leveraging such video editing apps, individual creators around the world are able to effortlessly generate text, images, and music to produce engaging educational videos that foster learning.
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Read the article below to find out how else HPC is enabling digital-based learning from surgery simulations to personalised education. 🤖
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New interactive and immersive learning methods are entering the education landscape. With high-performance computing at the forefront, education across Asia is experiencing a digital transformation.

14/09/2023

Should students be allowed to use AI with their homework? 📚
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For some experts, it depends on how well these tools complement a student’s ability to learn. Using AI tools such as ChatGPT and Bard, for example, can help students process and learn new concepts much faster due to their ability to quickly synthesize information.
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However, while the benefits of using AI in the classroom are numerous, educators still need to ensure that students don’t lose out on learning necessary skills—such as critical thinking—that provide education’s main value.
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Follow the conversation about the role of AI in education in our cover story for the latest issue of Supercomputing Asia. ⬇️
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As curious students venture the uncharted territory of generative AI, education systems are tasked with ensuring its appropriate use while still delivering quality education.

13/09/2023

In a fast-moving field such as high-performance computing (HPC), where the rate of new developments can rapidly outpace education delivery, staying up-to-date in essential hardware and software is all the more crucial.
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In the latest issue of Supercomputing Asia, we explore the impact of HPC in delivering education in Asia. Read stories about:
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🍎 The role of AI in the classroom
💡 How to increase HPC literacy among STEM students
🏙️ Using HPC to build smart cities in the virtual cloud
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… and many more.
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Ready? Start reading the latest issue of Supercomputing Asia. Download your copy here 👉 https://bit.ly/SCAIssue14
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12/09/2023

Weathered microplastics or virgin microplastics. Which do you think is more harmful to the human body? ⚠️
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A recent study from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST) points to the former. 😬
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Weathered microplastics (WMP) are plastics that have significantly degraded due to continuous exposure to natural conditions such as sunlight, wind, and water.
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Upon taking a closer look at the effects of polystyrene-derived microplastics, the researchers found that WMPs triggered severe inflammation and toxicity in the brains of mice compared to their virgin counterpart.
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“Plastic leaked into the environment undergoes an accelerated weathering process, transforming it into secondary microplastics that can serve as neurotoxic substances, leading to increased inflammation and cell death in the brain,” said Choi Sungkyun, Head of the Core Protein Resource Center at DGIST and co-leader of the study.
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Learn more about the negative effects of microplastics in the body ⬇️
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Microplastics that have undergone natural weathering acted as harmful neurotoxins in mice, shows a study from South Korea.

08/09/2023

How can we foster a scientific community where every voice is heard and valued? 🌈
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Let’s talk about it at "Making Science Communication Inclusive," an upcoming virtual fireside chat organized by EcosySTEM: A community of STEM professionals in partnership with Asian Scientist Magazine.
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🗓️ 15 September 2023, Friday
⏰ 4:00 – 5:00 pm Singapore Time
🎟️ Registration is complimentary
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In this one-hour session, Asian Scientist Magazine's very own Senior Editor Ankur Paliwal, will join Wildtype Media Group CEO Juliana Chan, PhD in the hot seat.
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A seasoned science journalist and active advocate for DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), Ankur will share his insights and experience on making science communication inclusive.
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Come one, come all 🎉 Admission is FOC (simply register via this link to join the webinar ‍‍‍‍‍‍👉 https://bit.ly/ecosystemasia-1509)
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07/09/2023

Childhood neglect and abuse can significantly affect how the brain develops and functions. But how does this unfold biologically? 🤔
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Over in South Korea, researchers take a closer look at the mechanisms of the central nervous system to understand how mental illnesses develop among people with a history of childhood abuse and neglect.
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👉🏻 The central nervous system contains astrocytes that provide nourishment and support to nerve cells. When repeated stress occurs, astrocytes overproduce a certain protein that triggers them to remove specific brain connections.
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According to the researchers, altering the brain’s network could then cause complicated behavioral issues and other brain diseases to arise. 🧠
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“This research was the first to show that the excessive phagocytosis of astrocytes could be an important cause of such diseases,” said Won-Suk Chung, the study leader and an associate professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at the 한국과학기술원 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - 카이스트 KAIST.
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Learn more by following the link below ⬇️
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Twin experiments by researchers in South Korea reveal the mechanism underlying adverse effects of stress hormones on a child’s brain.

05/09/2023

for mothers-to-be 🤱: A new study by researchers in Hong Kong could be the key to early detection and intervention of maternal and perinatal outcomes as an effect of COVID-19.
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The research findings confirmed that expectant mothers who contract Sars-CoV-2 virus in the later stages of pregnancy are at a higher risk of maternal health issues.
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Scientists observed the mother’s immune responses to infection and found that significant molecular changes occurred at the maternal-fetal interface (MFI)—the interaction between the mother’s body and the fetus in the placenta. These molecular changes at the MFI, triggered by a heightened immune response, could potentially affect placental development, thus putting the fetus and the mother at risk.
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The groundbreaking results of the study could enable the development of therapeutic and protection strategies for both the mother and the developing fetus. 👏
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Catch the full story by following the link below ⬇️
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The study explains underlying molecular changes that occur in placenta during COVID-19 infection, and urges pregnant women with COVID-19 symptoms to get tested.

31/08/2023

that you can store music, pictures, and even 58,000-word novellas inside DNA? 🧬
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That’s right—in fact at the National University of Singapore, scientists have created a device that can successfully store black-and-white photos inside the DNA of live bacteria 🦠
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By creating a device that uses light-sensitive molecules to manipulate cells and DNA barcoding, the researchers were able to store and retrieve external, non-genetic information inside DNA.
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Learn more about this device called BacCam through the link below ⬇️
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Bacterial Camera is able to store images directly in living bacteria using optogenetics and DNA barcodes.

29/08/2023

A recent study from Japan discovered a type of fruit sugar that could improve the efficacy of chemotherapy. Isn’t that sweet?
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👉🏻 Mannose is a simple sugar naturally found in many fruits and vegetables. Surprisingly, it is lethal to honeybees because of their inability to process sugar the way humans do. 🐝
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Honeybees lack the enzyme mannose phosphate isomerase (MPI), which converts mannose into fructose and back. This toxic effect on honeybees is called the ‘honeybee syndrome’.
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👉🏻 To test the anti-cancer properties of mannose, researchers simulated the honeybee syndrome in human cancer cells by deleting the gene that codes for MPI. As a result, mannose was able to slow down the growth of cancer cells, as well as create an opening for cancer-treatment drugs.
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Catch the full story below ⬇️
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Mannose, a fruit sugar toxic to honeybees, can improve the efficacy of chemotherapy, shows a study from Japan.

24/08/2023

🚨 One more week until the Tao of AI giveaway ends!
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Subscribe by August 31 for a chance to win a US$20 Amazon gift card. Five winners will be randomly selected and notified via email on September 4.
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💡 Tao of AI is your weekly guide to all things artificial intelligence in Asia.
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✍🏻 Subscribe to Tao of AI and join the giveaway: https://www.wildtype.media/tao-newsletter/
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