science
People of different cultures around the world like, dislike the same smells, says new study
- A new study has found that culture plays a minimal role in the perception of odor pleasantness.
- According to the study, 225 participants from nine cultures displayed similar odor preferences.
- The participants were asked to smell 10 substances and place them in order from most pleasant to least.
- “Overall, what’s relatively good and relatively bad is shared across people,” said lead researcher and University of Oxford cognitive scientist Asifa Majid.
A new study has debunked a long-standing assumption that culture has something to do with one’s odor preferences.
The study, titled “The perception of odor pleasantness is shared across cultures,” concluded that across cultures, people have similar odor preferences on average.
Scientist who created world’s first genetically modified human babies released from Chinese prison
- Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui made headlines in 2018 after announcing the birth of the world’s first genetically-engineered babies.
- Modified CCR5 genes supposedly made the pair of twins immune to HIV, but editing errors resulted in them carrying an entirely new version of the genes.
- He was sentenced to three years in prison in January 2020 after being convicted of deliberately violating national regulations in pursuit of “personal fame and gain.”
- People familiar with He’s case reportedly confirmed his release, but the scientist declined to comment after being contacted.
- Two Chinese bioethicists have called on the government to create a research center that will monitor the genetically modified children’s wellbeing.
A Chinese biophysicist globally condemned for “playing God” after creating the world’s first genetically engineered babies in 2018 has reportedly been released from prison.
He Jiankui, who previously worked as an associate professor of biology at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, was sentenced to three years behind bars in January 2020 for deliberately violating national biomedical regulations in pursuit of “personal fame and gain.”
China’s Chang’E 5 lunar lander is first in history to find water on the moon up close
- China’s Chang'E- 5 became the first lunar mission to detect water on the Moon’s surface in real time in 2020.
- The craft’s onboard mineralogical spectrometer found up to 120 parts per million of water content in the regolith and 180 parts per million in a boulder.
- The study revealing the findings was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances.
China’s recent lunar sample return mission made history by becoming the first to detect water on the Moon’s surface in real time.
The Chang’E-5 probe, which landed on the Moon on Dec. 1, 2020, found water at its landing site in the Northern Oceanus Procellarum’s basin, according to recently published research in Science Advances.
Chinese father uses online studies to develop a homemade treatment for his son’s rare genetic disease
A Chinese father took it upon himself to develop a cure for a rare genetic disease that his son was diagnosed with.
A father’s devotion: Xu Wei, a 30-year-old online entrepreneur with no prior college education, devoted his time to learning and developing medicine at home after his one-year-old son Haoyang was diagnosed with Menkes disease, reported South China Morning Post.
New study: Today’s children will live through three times more climate disasters than their grandparents
A new climate study paints a terrifying future for the youngest generation who will face far worse climate disasters in their lifetimes than previous generations.
About the research: Researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium looked into the impacts of climate change across generations and found sharp inequities between them, reported the Washington Post.
This $700-million nuclear superyacht costs $1 million to travel on and is meant to save the planet
A Singapore-based entrepreneur wants to take scientists, students and billionaires aboard an ambitious nuclear-powered megayacht for a research tour around the world’s oceans.
Thinking ship: Gibraltarian businessman Aaron Olivera has set out to build the “Earth 300,” a 984-foot (300 meters) research vessel that will bring together the world’s wealthiest people and smartest scientists to help find solutions to the most pressing environmental problems, reported CNN.
Japanese Scientists Discover Way to Help Regrow Teeth
Recent findings by Japanese scientists reportedly open the possibility of a new drug that could help regenerate lost teeth in humans.
Researchers at Kyoto University and the University of Fukui have found in animal studies that suppressing the uterine sensitization associated gene-1 (USAG-1) gene, by using its antibody, can efficiently lead to tooth growth.
Hong Kong Scientist Develops Eye Scan That Can Identify Autism in Children
A scientist in Hong Kong has developed an innovative technique for early detection of autism or the risk of autism in children.
The method, created by Chinese University of Hong Kong professor Benny Zee, involves scanning retinas of children as young as six years old using artificial intelligence, reports Reuters.
Korean Scientists Develop New Way to Detect Prostate Cancer in 20 Minutes With Nearly 100% Accuracy
A team of scientists from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed a new technique that detects prostate cancer in patients with almost 100% accuracy within 20 minutes using only a urine sample. The research was funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the results are published in the latest issue of ACS Nano.
The team, led by Dr. Kwan Hyi Lee from the Biomaterials Research Center and Professor In Gab Jeong from Asan Medical Center, introduced a smart A.I. analysis method to an electrical-signal-based ultrasensitive biosensor for the new technique, according to Phys.org.
12-Year-Old Wins $25,000 Science Prize for Research on ‘Imaginary Colors’
A 12-year-old girl from Chappaqua, New York won $25,000 at the Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering as Rising Stars), a Society for Science and the Public program, for her research into imaginary colors.
Singaporean Startup Gets Over $12 Million to Grow Seafood Using Stem Cells
Shiok Meats, a Singapore startup that creates lab-grown shrimps using stem cells, has received a new round of funding to help its research and development as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put pressure on the global food supply chains.
The new round of Series A funding, which is worth $12.6 million, will help sustain Shiok Meats with its development of lab-grown seafood for three years, Chief Executive Officer and co-Founder Sandhya Sriram said, according to Bloomberg. The company gained attention for growing minced crab, lobster and shrimp meat in a lab using cells extracted from the actual creature.
Indian Schoolgirls Spot Asteroid Headed to Earth
A pair of 10th graders from India has discovered an asteroid that will eventually find its way toward planet Earth.
Schoolgirl scientists: Radhika Lakhani and Vaidehi Vekariya got to name their celestial discovery HLV2514, which they chanced upon while participating in a joint project by Space India and NASA.
