Bukit Nanas – The Urban Forest

Bukit Nanas is located in Kuala Lumpur at the heart of the capital city of Malaysia. Bukit Nanas is also home to the one and only urban hanging bridge, also known as the Skywalk with hang up to 20 metres above ground which allows visitors to observe the mix of concrete skyscrapers and nature all around the surrounding while immersing themselves in nature in a bird's eye view. Among the skyscrapers around the area are KL towers and several other mega corporation towers. 

Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve in one of the very few forests that still keep the original rainforest from before the urbanization of Kuala Lumpur hence a walk through the forest, visitors can find many trees with the age as far as hundreds of years old are all around the area. Not only greens can be found in the forest but animals can also be found such as these unique silvered leaf monkey that makes the area their home. Among the mentioned aspect that has made this place so interesting, this urban forest has also prepared a tracking trail for visitors to explore the natural beauty offered in a slow pace, nearer experience through the woods. Visitors can touch trees and feel the different texture that is very different from one another while learning about the facts of it all around the area. 

In conclusion, the forest is not exactly the perfect interpretation of an untouched tropical forest, but in bits, it does give a glimpse of what an untouched tropical forest of Malaysia really looks like. Having so much concrete all around the area, the Kuala Lumpur Forest Reserve is a good place for anybody who wishes to take a little break from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is also a great place for those who live in the city to learn a little about the types of trees that can be hard to find in the current condition of the city. 

Shared by Lisa

Guest Blogger

Why Birds Fly in V Formation

Shared by Asma Azmi

Guest Blogger

'Butterfly' Itu Kupu-kupu & 'Moth' Adalah Rama-rama

Keliru tetapi ia adalah fakta.  Ramai yang beranggapan sebaliknya tetapi ini adalah kebenarannya. Ada juga segelintir yang langsung tidak pernah mengambil berat tentang perkara ini.  Apabila setiap kali ternampak ia berterbangan, terus dikatakan ia adalah rama-rama walaupun sebenarnya ia adalah seekor kupu-kupu. Tetapi bagaimana untuk mengetahui  samada ia adalah kupu-kupu atau rama-rama?

Butterfly itu ialah kupu-kupu dan bukannya rama-rama. Moth ialah rama-rama. Acapkali sekiranya ia kelihatan menghinggapi bunga pada waktu petang, itu adalah kupu-kupu. Kupu-kupu adalah diurnal ataupun aktif di siang hari manakala kebanyakkan rama-rama adalah nokturnal ataupun aktif pada waktu malam.

Secara fizikalnya, kupu-kupu memiliki sayap yang 'cantik' kerana berwarna-warni. Kupu-kupu mempertahankan diri dengan memberikan isyarat melalui warna sayapnya yang terang terhadap pemangsa. Manakala rama-rama pula memiliki sayap yang tidak berwarna terang. Selalunya rama-rama lebih cenderung memiliki warna-warna semulajadi seperti  coklat, kelabu, hitam dan coklat kehitaman.

Tetapi perbezaan di antara kedua-duanya boleh juga dikenalpasti berdasarkan bentuk sesungut. Kupu-kupu biasanya mempunyai sesungut yang lurus dan berbentuk seperti belantan di hujungnya. Rama-rama pula mempunyai sesungut lurus tetapi berbulu. Perhatikan gambar di bawah untuk penjelasan yang lebih terperinci.

Selain itu,  sayap kupu-kupu terlipat tegak semasa ia dalam keadaan rehat. Rama-rama pula akan mengembangkan sayapnya dalam keadaan rehat. Cuba teka samada gambar di bawah adalah seekor kupu-kupu atau rama-rama?

Posted by Ayu
Learning Specialist, Petrosains

Mengupas Fakta Sains Disebalik Peribahasa Melayu 'Seperti Kaduk Naik Junjung'

Peribahasa melayu' seperti kaduk naik junjung' adalah satu peribahasa melayu yang telah dihasilkan oleh masyarakat melayu dahulu. Peribahasa ini merupakan sebahagian daripada bahasa kiasan dalam budaya melayu. Terdapat dua mesej utama disebalik peribahasa ini. Pertama adalah maksud kepada peribahasa ini dan satu lagi kita mampu mengupas fakta sains yang terdapat di dalam peribahasa ini.

Maksud peribahasa 'seperti kaduk naik junjung' adalah sesuatu perkara yang hina setelah dimuliakan, menjadi lupa diri dan asal usul. tetapi, mengapakah ia dikaitkan dengan keadaan atau tabii semulajadi kaduk?

Menariknya, apabila kita cuba mengupas fakta sains yang berkaitan dengan peribahasa ini, ia mempunyai dua konsep utama. Pertama, peribahasa ini telah dihasilkan melalui proses 'pemerhatian'. 'Pemerhatian' merupakan satu komponen yang terkandung dalam Kemahiran Proses Sains yang digunapakai sewaktu kita menjalankan kajian secara saintifik terhadap sesuatu. Definasi kemahiran 'pemerhatian' ialah menggunakan deria untuk mengumpul maklumat tentang objek atau peristiwa. Masyarakat dahulu sebenarnya telah lama mengaplikasi kemahiran proses sains ini tanpa disedari walaupun kebanyakan mereka bukanlah bergelar seorang saintis.



Daun Kaduk

Kedua, konsep sains yang terkandung dalam peribahasa ini adalah mengenai kaduk itu sendiri. Kaduk adalah sejenis tumbuhan herba. Secara fizikalnya, pokok ini digelar kembar kepada pokok sireh. Ini adalah kerana rupa fizikalnya saling tak tumpah seperti pokok sireh. bezanya adalah pokok kaduk adalah tumbuhan melata manakala pokok sireh adalah tumbuhan memanjat. Kedua-dua tanaman ini mempunyai kepentingan masing-masing dalam tujuan perubatan.

Soalnya, mengapa kaduk naik junjung? Disebabkan tumbuhan ini tumbuh melata, ia akan tumbuh menutupi bumi. Tetapi apabila diletakkan kayu pacak tinggi yang dipanggil junjung disebelahnya, pokok ini akan memanjat sehingga terlupa keadaan semulajadi pokok itu yang tidak mempunyai sistem sokongan untuk memanjat. Apabila ia terus memanjat, tumbuhan ini terlupa sekiranya kayu junjung dipotong pada bila-bila masa sahaja, pokok ini juga akan musnah.

Daun sireh



Pokok sireh



Betapa menariknya apabila kita mengkaji sesuatu dan boleh mengaitkannya dengan ilmu sains. kita juga boleh membuat kesimpulan bahawa sains adalah di mana-mana. Jadikanlah peribahasa ini sebagai taulan . Janganlah menjadi 'seperti kaduk naik junjung'.

Posted  by Ayu

Learning Specialist, Petrosains





 

Coral Reefs

 

HotScience │Petrosains

 

 

What’s the fuss over corals?

Corals are pretty to look at and are definitely pleasing to the eyes!  Besides being a necessary prop in the aquarium and enhancing its appearance, what has it got to do with us anyway? 

 

Corals – What are they?

Corals are invertebrate animals (without a backbone) that are related to sea anemones.  They share the same characteristics - a simple stomach with a single mouth opening surrounded by stinging tentacles.  Each individual coral animal is called a polyp.  Polyps group together to form a colony by replicating copies of its original self through a process called budding.  When coral polyps die, they leave behind a hard, stony, branching structure made of calcium carbonate.

Corals are generally classified as either "hard coral" or "soft coral". Soft corals live in colonies that resemble brightly coloured plants or trees and don't have hard calcareous skeleton, instead they grow wood-like cores for support and fleshy rinds for protection.  Hard corals are known as 'reef building' corals.

What are coral reefs?

Reefs are usually made up of many colonies and are much bigger. These structures are formed when each individual polyp secretes calcium carbonate. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef, which spans 2,600 km off the east coast of Australia. It is so large that it can be seen from space. 

Massive corals tend to grow slowly, increasing in size from 0.5 - 2 cm per year. However, under favorable conditions (lots of light, consistent temperature, moderate wave action), some species can grow as much as 4.5 cm per year.

Threats

1. Water temperatures and ocean acidification linked to rising carbon dioxide levels.
• High water temperatures – condition called coral bleaching causes corals to lose the microscopic algae that produce the food corals need.
• Ocean acidification - more acidic seawater makes it difficult for corals to build their calcium carbonate skeletons.

2. Overfishing and overharvesting of corals disrupt reef ecosystems.

3. Invasive species -  greatly impact coral reef ecosystems through consumption of, and competition with, native coral reef animals.

4. Runoff from lawns, sewage, cities, and farms feeds algae that can overwhelm reefs. Deforestation hastens soil erosion, which clouds water—smothering corals.

How do corals contribute to the environment?

1. Coral reefs are sensitive indicators of water quality and the ecological integrity of the ecosystem.
• They tolerate relatively narrow ranges of temperature, salinity, water clarity, and other chemical and water quality characteristics.

2. They are important fishery and nursery areas, and more recently have proved to be very important economically as tourist attractions.
3. Reefs provide protection from erosion to coastlines and sand for beaches.

http://www.icriforum.org/about-coral-reefs/what-are-corals
http://ocean.si.edu/corals-and-coral-reefs

 

Get to know the corals

 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hii Yii Siang in action

  Assoc. Prof. Liew Hock Chark in action

  Look,look...that is the corals!

Meet the corals

This article is written in conjunction with Petrosains Public Engagement Session on 15-17 December 2012 with scientists from Univeristi Malaysia Terengganu, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hii Yii Siang and Assoc. Prof. Liew Hock Chark.

 

 

 

 

Plant-based hues for dyes!



After living for umpteen years, I have never thought of identifying what is it that creates the vibrant colors that I see and adore every day. Generally, I thought that colours for dyes are only made from mixtures of three primary colors which are cyan, magenta and yellow.  But little did I know until my mother told me, that plants which include the tree, leaves, flowers and roots have hues that function as a source in making dyes including food colouring. The first thing that came to mind was the thought of mans cruelty to use such beauty as a colouring source.

Hey pretty!

But after sourcing for some information, it seemed that plants have been used to make dyes for decades. Here are some examples:

  

Let’s start with the famously known Henna tree which is also known as Pokok Inai in Malay. Henna is a very unique plant where all you have to do is just pound the leaves and you can obtain its intense natural reddish-orange hue. Because of that, Henna has been widely used as a dye for hair, skin and fingernails. You would have probably seen hair dyes in black and brown, but that isn’t the original color of the Henna plant. The natural and original Henna plant only produces reddish-orange hues. 

Scientific name: Lawsonia inermis (Henna)

Other than Henna, turmeric or kunyit in Malay, which is known as a cooking spice also acts as food dye, as the turmeric rhizome has a limitless natural yellow pigment ranging from bright yellow to deep orange, depending on the variety. It can just turn everything yellow! Some Malaysian dishes that use turmeric are chicken turmeric, yellow glutinous rice and gulai lemak.



Scientific name: Curcuma longo (Turmeric)

The third example is the Butterfly Pea plant, also known as Bunga Telang. This plant also contributes a purplish-blue hue for food dye. Try to guess which Malaysian food uses this plant as food dye. It’s Nasi Kerabu! I was actually so excited when I heard that Nasi Kerabu got its colour from a plant because I literally love to see the colour of the Nasi Kerabu and it is also one of my favourite dishes.

Scientific name: Clitoria flower (Butterfly Pea Plant)

It’s amazing how plants can be a source for dyes. In fact, there are many other plants which could also be used for food colouring. Some other examples are roselles, blueberries, pandan leaves and red dragon fruits. Taking natural plant-based food colouring is much healthier than consuming artificial colouring even though the bright colours may be appealing to your eyes. Plant-based hues also produce softer and more natural tones compared to artificial colouring. So, perhaps next time you can use plant-based hues to add colour to your homemade food; but keep in mind that not all plants can be used as food dye! Get recommendations from people or source for information on the internet to ensure that it is edible.

Shared by Ruby, Intern at Petrosains

Part 7/7: What Should We Do?

Part 6/7: What's Threatening Them?

Part 5/7: Olive Ridley Turtles

Part 4/7: Green Turtles

Part 3/7: Hawksbill Turtles

Part 2/7: Leatherback Turtles

  

Sea Turtles: Getting Them Out Of 'The List' 1/7