2016: Editor’s choice
Extracts from selected news and feature articles published this year. Read more
Extracts from selected news and feature articles published this year. Read more
Conflict and wars have continued to bend the region out of shape in 2016, with health infrastructure in Syria and Yemen continuing to crumble and fall, and the exodus of people out of dangerous zones affecting neighboring populations. The following are some of the most critical situations borne out of the flow of people as a result of infighting in 2016. Read more
Bats are extremely social mammals, that live in colonies of thousands and sometimes millions, and they talk or “sing” to each other to communicate. Now, a group of scientists have studied vocalizations by Egyptian fruit bats and they found out that the calls contain information such as the identity of the caller as well as the context of the call. Read more
If you find yourself near Leiden, home to Leiden University, the oldest university in the Netherlands, make sure to visit the Queens of the Nile exhibition at the National Museum of Antiquities, which promises to finally afford the wives of the pharoahs the attention they deserve. The exhibit of royal portraits, godly statues, lavish jewellery and accessories is curated by Leiden University students and PhD candidates, in addition to egyptologist Olaf Kaper. Read more
In its third edition in Abu Dhabi, Imagine Science Film Festival, running from 2 to 4 March, 2017, is dedicated to light through a multitude of pictures spanning documentary, fiction and experimental film. The film festival, which contemplates the intersection between science and art and which takes place at the Arts Centre in New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), chooses a theme for its productions every year, and creates a conversation around it through talks, workshops, performances, and screenings of both local and international films. Read more
Researchers from Qatar have developed biomarkers for plasma volume and red cell mass, which are used to monitor numerous disease states, such as heart failure, kidney disease or sepsis. The markers provide an applicable method to measure absolute plasma or red cell volumes, via a simple blood test, in a clinical set-up. Read more
Laura Casas, House of Wisdom guest blogger and King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) marine biologist, talks to us about the orange salt water fish and how it used a marvelous evolutionary mechanism to conquer the seas. Read more
The exact functions of the Khufu “solar vessels” unearthed south of the Pyramids of Giza, have come into question again after a new revelation by archaeologists showed that ancient Egyptians used metal in their boats. Read more
Funded by the Islamic Development Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, an international center for agriculture is promising to lay the ground work for a women empowerment initiative aimed at scientists, reportedly the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Read more
Scientists from Qatar and USA have managed to validate an Arabic version of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) among patients with schizophrenia. Read more
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