Nerdy Science Blog

There are stains on your clothes and you can’t remove it?  You don’t have time to wash your clothes?  Dr Walid Daoud from Monash had developed a nanoparticle coating that can help you remove stains easily.  All you need is sunlight.

The nanoparticle coating works on wool and silk fibre (soon cotton).  It decompose dirt, stains and microorganisms that are harmful.  It is composed of anatase titanium dioxide.  The chemical will react with sunlight for oxidation reaction.  This coating will not react on skin.

(news)

Dr. Chua Tock Hing was my lecturer for the unit “THE DESIGN OF SCIENCE” back in Monash Malaysia University.  He was kind of funny in his own way and he can remember names of almost every students in the lecture (around 100).

Monash University:

According to Monash University researcher Dr Chua Tock Hing, the particular strain of bacteria was found in the Malaysian state of Pahang and produces a toxin that kills mosquito larvae by destroying their gut tissue.

Toxin was isolated from the strain of Bacillus thurigiensis bacteria.  The isolated toxin only affect mosquito larvae, according to Dr. Chua.  It was a joint research between Monash University’s Sunway campus and the Malaysian government’s Institute of Medical Research.

I would prefer this method to control mosquito population (if it really works and doesn’t cause any other environmental problem) to using chemical pesticides, which is bad to our health as well.

I remembered one sarcastic thing Dr. Chua mentioned during his lectures, which was that he was the first and only person in Monash Malaysia campus who had paper published in Nature.

Just in case some of you who study in Monash don’t know about this, tomorrow (6th March) is the “Graduate Careers Fair” for ngineering, Computing/IT and Science.

It will be held at the sport centre (building 1), from 3 pm to 6 pm.

Monash University

A Monash University PhD student has developed a new technique that could revolutionise stem cell treatment for Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injury.

David Nisbet from Monash University’s Department of Materials Engineering has used existing polymer-based biodegradable fibres, 100 times smaller than a human hair, and re-engineered them to create a unique 3-D scaffold that could potentially allow stem cells to repair damaged nerves in the human body more quickly and effectively.

news.com.au

The deep, slow inhalation and long breath hold is predisposing cannabis smokers to a condition of rapid lung destruction much younger in life, a study by Melbourne researchers has found.

A team from the Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine at Monash University reviewed the lung condition of middle-aged chronic cannabis smokers.

They found high rates of bullous lung disease, a debilitating condition where air trapped in the lungs causes obstruction to breathing and eventual destruction of the organ.

It is often caused by exposure to toxic chemicals or long-term exposure to tobacco smoke.

Studies have shown the disease will most likely strike tobacco smokers around the age of 65, but the new review, published in the journal Respirology, shows dope smokers are being hit 20 years earlier, while in their early 40s.

For those study in Monash Clayton, there will be one talk for biological careers.

Venue: E7, Building 72

Time: Tuesday Aug 28, 6pm

Who:

• Charles Meredith, CEO Biosis Research
• Brett Lane, Chief Ecological Consultant BL&A
• David Birch, M.B.B.S., BSc. Hons, F.R.A.C.G.P.

What: A series of talks from people who completed their Bachelor of Science and then went on to get real jobs – because who really wants to stay in academia.

(Click the picture to enlarge the poster)