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New ant species Paratopula bauhinia (Golden Tree Ant) described and named by HKU biologists
The Insect Biodiversity and Biogeography research group led by Dr Benoit Guénard at the HKU School of Biological Sciences has described and named a new species of ant from Hong Kong, Paratopula bauhinia, or the rare "Golden Tree Ant", in academic journal "Asian Myrmecology". This new ant species was found just a few hundred meters from HKU campus on the foothill of Lung Fu Shan Country Park during a night field course by Ms Ying Luo, a research assistant with the School of Biological Sciences. The ant is about 7mm long and golden in appearance. The new ant represents the 22nd ant species described from Hong Kong since 1858. The last one was in 2000. Descriptions of earlier species had to be dated back to 1928.
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HKU biological scientist Professor Nagendra Shah wins International Dairy Foods Association (USA) award
Professor Nagendra Shah, Professor of Food Science and Technology of the HKU School of Biological Sciences, was earlier named the recipient for the International Dairy Foods Association Research Award in Dairy Foods Processing in 2016 by the American Dairy Science Association. He has made outstanding contributions to the Australian and international dairy industries over the past 35 years. His team has also developed rapid and reliable techniques to detect and quantify pathogens in milk powder. A pioneering work by Professor Shah leading to this award has been on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) producing lactic acid bacteria. GABA is a non-protein amino acid that has shown anti-hypertensive (blood pressure lowering) effect, but most high GABA producers are bacteria of plant origin, which are not able to grow in milk. Professor Shah's research team has shown that with the help of bacteria native to milk, bacteria of plant origin could synthesize GABA in milk. This groundbreaking work has great commercial significance in developing dairy foods with GABA for anti-hypertensive activity.
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HKU study reveals endocrine disruptors in samples of 11 seafood species
HKU Faculty of Science conducted a study on endocrine disruptors including triphenyltin in the environment from 2010 to 2015. Seafood samples collected in local water and bought in wet markets, sea water samples from four marine parks and reserves and nearby wastewater treatment plants, and sea mud and marine animals were tested. Samples of all eleven seafood species originating in HK water tested positive for triphenyltin (TPT). The TPT level found in the sample of flatfish sole exceeded the safety standards. Mussels collected from marine parks also contained a number of endocrine disruptors including estrogen hormones used in contraceptives. According to Dr Kevin Ho, researcher of the HKU Swire Institute of Marine Science, the TPT content in flatfish sole was 3.5 times higher than Taiwan’s, TPT content in shellfish was 120 times that of Korea’s, indicating the seriousness of the water pollution problem here. Associate Dean of Science Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee said long term consumption of contaminated seafood could affect human endocrine and immunity systems and cause health problems.
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HKU Swire Institute of Marine Science presents exhibition "Corals: Our Underwater Living Treasures"
Conservation International Hong Kong, Hong Kong Maritime Museum and HKU Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) jointly present an exhibition, "Corals: Our Underwater Living Treasures", which will run from June 8 to September 18 at Hong Kong Maritime Museum – Central Pier No. 8. The exhibition aims to educate and inspire the public about the extraordinary wealth of corals in Hong Kong and Asia Pacific region, featuring the science and benefits of, threats to, and solutions facing corals in Hong Kong and the "Coral Triangle" in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong has 84 hard coral species and 26 soft coral species, more than the entire Caribbean Sea. This exhibition will include several samples of coral species. There will also be public lectures by coral experts and family workshops.
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HKU develops novel probiotic mixture "Prohep" that may offer potential therapeutic effects on liver cancer
A research team led by Dr Hani El-Nezami and Dr Gianni Panagiotou of the HKU School of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with the HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine and the School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, develops a novel probiotic mixture "Prohep" that may have potential therapeutic effects on Hepatocellular carcinoma. The research team found that Prohep, when tested on mice, could slow down the tumor growth significantly and reduce the tumor size and weight. Future research would be to find out how to consume the probiotic mixture to obtain the best results, and to develop more efficient bacterial cocktails. The commercialization of Prohep is being assisted by the HKU Technology Transfer Office and Versitech Limited.
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HKU Stephen Hui Geological Museum exhibits fossils from the world famous Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone in Germany
The HKU Stephen Hui Geological Museum launches a two-month exhibition on "Snapshots of a Vanished Environment - Exceptional Fossils from the world famous Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone in Germany" on Earth Day (April 22, 2016), which will run until June 23, 2016. One of the world’s most famous fossil Lagerstaette is the Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone in Germany, which came to fame with the discovery of a number of complete Archaeopteryx fossils. The exhibition presents 11 rare and exceptionally preserved fossil animals from the 150 million-year-old Solnhofen Limestone, some up to 90 centimetres in diameter.
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HKU marine ecologist and wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC reveal widespread illegal and unreported Humphead Wrasse trade into and through HK
A study by TRAFFIC and Professor Yvonne Sadovy of HKU School of Biological Sciences revealed widespread illegal and unreported trade of the endangered and highly valued reef fish, the Humphead Wrasse (HHW, So Mei in Cantonese, also known as the Napoleon fish) in Hong Kong and the possible illegal trade in Mainland China. Thousands of this fish were seen in local and Mainland markets, and being sold in high-end luxury restaurants, of which only a few hundred were likely to have been legally imported over the last 15 months. Professor Sadovy said the situation calls for urgent action by the Hong Kong government to ensure that imports and sales are legal, and that existing regulations are complied with by importers and traders. The intensity and frequency of inspections of facilities trading the species should be increased.
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