SCIENCE

Obstacles to Synthetic Substitution

Obstacles to Synthetic Substitution

Bear bile has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for three millennia – traditionally extracted from bears when they were killed. But even with the introduction of “more practical” methods – extraction from live bears – in the 1980s, Chinese scientists have long sought to find synthetic alternatives to bear bile. Efforts to create synthetic bear bile began as early as 1983, when the Chinese health ministry approved a ...
Green Water Revolution

Green Water Revolution

Text Mohammad (Moh) Sherafatmand, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hydroleap At a time when environmental issues are at the forefront of global discussions, Southeast Asia stands at a pivotal crossroads. !e COP28 summit in the United Arab Emirates, one of the most water-stressed regions in the world, has brought the decarbonisation of the wastewater treatment industry into sharp focus. Despite common perceptions, Southeast Asia’s water resources are far from ...
AI-Equipped Drones Study Dolphins on the Edge of Extinction

AI-Equipped Drones Study Dolphins on the Edge of Extinction

Text by Kim Choe Small in size and with distinctive, rounded dorsal fin, Māui dolphins are one of the rarest and most threatened dolphins in the sea, with a known population of just 54. Decades of fishing practices such as gillnets off the west coast of New Zealand in the South Pacific have pushed this sub-species to near extinction. Now scientists and conservationists are using a combination of drones, artificial intelligence ...
Above the Water: Sea Science

Above the Water: Sea Science

Text by Benjamin P.Horton 340 MILLION people are at risk of flooding from sea-level rise by 2050. We know that rising sea levels affect every coastal nation. But in the coming decades, the greatest effects will be felt in the Asia region, due to the number of people living in the continent’s low-lying coastal areas. Eight Asian countries: China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan are home ...
Are Caves Turning into Lethal Portals?

Are Caves Turning into Lethal Portals?

Text Khushi Makasare An unwavering rise in temperatures has fuelled the evolution of microbial communities in cave environments, proving to pose an ominous threat to humans and the surrounding local ecosystems.  Climate change had bred multiple disastrous natural events over the years and continues to push the Earth to a breaking point. It comes as no surprise that climate change has given rise to another bizarre phenomenon – fungi and ...
Decarbonization in the Shipping Industry: 2021 Outlook

Decarbonization in the Shipping Industry: 2021 Outlook

In 2018, the UN International Maritime Organization set a goal to cut the maritime shipping industry’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by 2050. Through decarbonization — the reduction of carbon — marine shipping companies are tasked with lowering CO₂ emissions as much as possible. Last year, the pandemic’s disruption to maritime transportation brought this goal within closer reach. But, as normal trade resumes, the shipping industry must make a conscious ...
How Does Climate Change Affect the Ocean?

How Does Climate Change Affect the Ocean?

This year brought some bad news on the climate change front: researchers found that ice is melting faster worldwide, and there’s a greater sea-level rise anticipated. The rate of ice loss each year has increased by 60%. A study of the Greenland ice sheet found that there are at least 74 major glaciers that are being severely undercut and weakened. These statistics are dire for our oceans and the future of the planet. As glacier ...
Climate Change: A Collaborative Reversal

Climate Change: A Collaborative Reversal

One of the greatest and most devastating crises of this current generation - climate change, is happening much quicker than we feared. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), over the last two decades, Earth’s temperature has risen by two-thirds of a degree, and the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen to its highest level in over 3.6 million years. Glaciers have shrunk; droughts and heatwaves are ...
International Polar Bear Day: Meet the Snow Giants

International Polar Bear Day: Meet the Snow Giants

Today, on International Polar Bear Day, we celebrate the majestic snow giant and its charming characteristics.  ...