Tan Eng King – Asian Scientist Magazine

Astrocytes, The Gym Trainers Of Neurons

Astrocytes, once thought to play passive roles in the brain, are actually key to the regulation of neuron strength and neuronal changes in the brain.

Features

Once An Industry Wonder, Now A Silent Killer

Asbestos has long been woven into human history, but we are only just beginning to feel its devastating impact on our health here in Asia.

In the Lab

What Goes Through The Brains Of Swinging Monkeys

Humans possess two distinct sets of neurons that help us sense linear and rotational movement, but macaques have a third set that responds to curved motion.

In the Lab

Unzipping The Quantum-Classical Boundary

Does this data belong in the classical or the quantum world? Run it through a zip compression program to find out!

Features

Building A Treasure Chest Of Medical Data

Professor Kanagaratnam Shanmugaratnam set up the Singapore Cancer Registry in 1967, a time when everything had to be done by hand; this meant meticulously transferring decades of data to now-obsolete punch cards.

Features

A Laser-Focussed Life

From protecting the navy’s ships to boosting Singapore’s electronic warfare capabilities, Professor Su Guaning has been decorated many times for his pioneering defence research.

Features

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Even though she wasn't given an opportunity to study science earlier in life, retired NUS botany Professor Gloria Lim eventually made a name for herself in mycology.

Features

Tea And Mitochondria

It is only fitting that ex-biochemistry professor, Sit Kim Ping, weaves terms such as “mitochondria” and “ATP” into her handmade quilts.

In the Lab

Virus Structure Reveals Zika’s Unusual Heat Resistance

The Zika virus is stable even at 40°C, possibly explaining why high fevers do not rid the body of the infection.

The Asian Scientist 100