Tan Eng King – Asian Scientist Magazine

Xiaotu The Talking Robot “Censored” By Tsinghua University For Bad Language

Xiaotu, Tsinghua University's smart-talking robot, had to be suspended during the winter vacation for picking up "unsuitable language" from visitors to the website.

Health

Nerves ‘Letting Go’ Of Muscles Causes Loss In Muscle Function, Study

Permanent disconnection between nerves and muscles may be the reason behind progressive loss of muscle mass and function in elderly people, say Perth-based researchers.

In the Lab

MIT Linguist Shigeru Miyagawa: Unique Languages, Universal Patterns

MIT linguist reveals how modern English resembles Old Japanese, and other surprising convergences between far-flung tongues.

Features

Aging Asia Faces Issues Of Isolation And Poverty, Experts Warn

With 60 percent of the world’s population, Asia has one of the largest concentrations globally of aging persons, creating a host of potential challenges, experts warn.

Academia

UNESCO’s Kizuna Campaign Sends 30,000 Hopeful Messages To Sendai, Japan

UNESCO’s Kizuna campaign, which led to 30,000 messages of friendship from students around the world being sent to their peers in the devastated areas, reached Nakano School in Sendai, Japan.

Academia

Johns Hopkins Launches China STEM Program With Nanjing University

Johns Hopkins University has launched an eight-week long China STEM program to expose American scientists to the Mandarin language and Chinese academic culture.

Academia

Singapore And The United States Sign MOU On Education

Singapore’s Minister for Education Mr. Heng Swee Keat and U.S. Secretary of Education Mr. Arne Duncan signed a MOU yesterday towards collaboration between the two countries.

Volunteers Clear Illegal Wire Snares in China In Bid To Save The Siberian Tiger

A group of 59 volunteers working in northeast China have cleared 162 illegal wire snares in an ongoing effort to protect the nation’s remaining population of critically endangered Siberian tigers.

In the Lab

Scientists Create Map For Doomsday Pathway In Cells

In the latest issue of the journal Cell, Chinese researchers unravel important steps of the necrosis pathway previously unknown to researchers.

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