Nerdy Science Blog

Received an email from PK Tan, editor in chief for Malaysia Travel Guide, hoping more people are aware of the wildlife conservation.

• 14% of Malaysia’s mammals are listed by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) as endangered
  30 species of turtle ever discovered, only 7 are left.
• Less than 1,500 Borneo Pygmy elephants are found in the world.
• It is estimated that there are less than 20 Sumatran rhinoceros left in Borneo.
• The Bornean species of orangutan is highly endangered, and the Sumatran species is critically endangered, according to the IUCN Red List of mammals, and both are listed on Appendix I of CITES.

How can you help?

• On the 1st Jan 2008: Blog / Write a post that relates to the Malaysia wildlife conservation. It can be to do with your usual topic or totally just about a Malaysia wildlife conservation issue.
• Inform other people about this campaign and explaining it in terms they understand.
• Support the campaign: Add our banner to your site and spread the word.

I will be writing one post on both my personal blog and this blog to support this campaign. Hope you all can participate in this campaign as well. We can’t re-educate people, but we can make people aware of this issue through mouth spreading.

Visit: Malaysia Wildlife Conservation Awareness Campaign

Police can check the background of criminal via Chemistry Department’s DNA database.

With the passing of the DNA Identification Act police investigations on the background of convicts would be eased by checks with Chemistry Department’s DNA database.

“With this system, once a suspect is arrested we can straightaway check on the person’s background and profile, if he has previous convictions,” said Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha. “However, we have to wait for the passing of the DNA Identification Act because we must have an Act to refer to, as this matter involves human rights,” he added.

Does this means that they can also use the DNA database to check if the convict’s family has criminal records (such as family raping history line) as well?