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





 

Dari mana asalnya asam keping?

Bercakap mengenai asam keping, pastinya ramai yang pernah melihatnya? Apatah lagi kepada sesiapa yang selalu             menjenguk ke dapur untuk memasak. Tetapi, pernahkah kita terfikir, asam keping di perbuat daripada apa? Dari mana    asalnya asam keping? Perkongsian yang sangat menarik pada kali ini adalah  mengenai sesuatu perkara yang mungkin      ramai yang tidak pernah mengetahuinya atau melihatnya sendiri.

Asam keping berasal daripada buah asam gelugur. Asam gelugur adalah sejenis buah yang boleh diperolehi dari pokok     asam gelugur. Gambar di atas menunjukkan  pokok asam gelugur. Jika diperhatikan  dari segi morfologinya, pokok asam gelugur lebih tinggi dari  pokok-pokok yang lain dan ketinggiannya boleh mencecah 10 hingga 15 meter. 

Daunnya pula berbentuk bujur memanjang seperti yang dapat dilihat dalam gambar di atas. Buah asam gelugur berketak di sekelilingnya. Buah asam gelugor yang muda bewarna hijau manakala buahnya yang sudah matang bewarna kuning. 

Pada kebiasaannya, buah yang telah matang akan dikait dengan menggunakan galah. Kadang kala buah asam gelugur ini boleh dijumpai gugur di atas tanah kerana sudah terlalu masak. Untuk membuat asam keping, buahnya akan di potong     setebal  3mm. Kemudian  ia akan disusun di atas permukaan yang rata dan di jemur di bawah panas matahari selama 4      hingga 7 hari.

Rasa masam dari buah asam gelugur sebenarnya berasal dari rasa masam pelbagai jenis asid yang terkandung di dalam     buahnya. Di antaranya adalah asid sitrik, asid tartarik dan asid askorbik di samping ia juga mengandungi khasiat lain         seperti serat, vitamin dan mineral. Asam keping digunakan sebagai bahan perasa di dalam kebanyakan masakan seperti   asam pedas, masakan singgang dan kuah laksa. selain itu, rasa masam dari  asam keping juga digunakan untuk membasuh bahan mentah seperti ikan kerana ia boleh menghilangkan bau yang hanyir.

Posted by Ayu
Learning Specialist, Petrosains

Belangkas or Horseshoe Crab & Mangroves

HotScience │Petrosains
 

The belangkas or horseshoe crab is often called a "living fossil."  It has been estimated to have inhabited the Earth for over 300 million years!  However not many people know about this or even seen it up close.  Mangroves on the other hand are not pretty to look at – it’s smelly and its location is quite inaccessible.  However it has a unique ecosystem which is beneficial to us and our environment.

The objective of this particular engagement session is to provide an avenue for scientists from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) to share their research in these two areas with the public. 

There were two teams involved – The Mangroves Research and Conservation Unit (MARU),
and the Horseshoe Crab Research Group.  Over the two days, the scientists and their assistants coaxed, encouraged and readily interacted and shared knowledge with the public.
 

Yes, our scientists are friendly and approachable indeed!

What are belangkas?

 The belangkas or horse shoe crab is an invertebrate descended from the trilobite, and is closely related to spiders, ticks and scorpions.  There are four species worldwide and three can be found in Malaysia.  Its blood is colourless and turns light blue when exposed to air (oxygen).  It reaches maturity at 9-12 years of age and the female is normally larger than the male.

 The Horseshoe Crab Research Group recently came up with a kit that uses belangkas blood to detect bacterial contamination.  This kit could be manufactured locally and could be considered as economically feasible for the breeder and manufacturer.

 

What are mangroves?
 

 Mangroves or bakau are found along sheltered coasts where there is saline soil & brackish water.  Based on research, mangroves have been in existence 70 million years ago.  There are currently 105 recorded species of mangrove vegetation in Malaysia (Sulong I. & M Lokman H, 2012).

Mangroves may be smelly and unsightly but it has many important roles and benefits. 
• It contributes to complex food webs.
• It is a breeding area and provides protection from predators.
• It is rich in nutrients due to the large amount of unconsumed fallen foliage.
• It acts as wind and wave breakers.
• The root system traps sediments.
• It has socio-economic importance.

 

This article is written in conjunction with Petrosains Science Engagement Session on 9-10 March 2013 with scientists from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu -
1. The Mangroves Research and Conservation Unit (MARU) headed by Pn. Siti Mariam Muhammad Nor
2. Horseshoe Crab Research Group headed by Dr. Faridah Binti Mohamad.
  

 

Home grown hydroponic fresh vegetables!

Take a good look around at the vegetables sold in the market nowadays, aren’t they beautiful?  Indeed. But to preserve the beauty of the fresh produce, pesticides were sprayed on them. That is the main reason why people preferred to plant and cook their own vegetables at their backyard or garden as it is a healthier choice. An alternate method of getting your own vegetables is by planting it on a non-static hydroponic system.

The word ‘hydro’ stands for water while ‘phonic’ deprived from a Greek word which means work. Therefore the word ‘hydroponic’ itself means work dealing with water. Hydroponic is a method for growing plants that use mineral nutrient solutions in water instead of soil. Plants grow when their roots absorb essential components of mineral nutrients that are added to the water.

There are many modern variations to hydroponic farming but the two common ones are static flow or continuous-flow in which the water used is either static (kept in a container, often for home-use) or flowing (part of a system where water is circulated continuously).
Here is a view of how home grown hydroponic(static flow) produce looks like:

 

Full-grown sawi ready to be harvested.

The static flow hydroponic system in Malaysia was initiated by Madam Lau Kam Lin in 1989. She got the idea when all the vegetables exported to Singapore were rejected because of over dosage of pesticides. At the meantime, Pengarah Pertanian Negeri (PPN) started hydroponic planting using circulating system. The structure is expensive and it has disadvantages. If there is no electricity supply, all the plants will get dried up and if root rot occus, all plants will be affected. On the other hand, non-static hydroponic system doesn’t require any electricity supply and only one takung is affected if root rot occurs. The requirement of water in the hydroponic takung is all calculated until harvest.

Sawi planted on static flow hydroponic system.

The procedures of planting using a static-flow hydroponic system is as simple as P.O.H.:
P- Plant. (Start planting by setting up the hydroponic set which includes preparing the water with the recommended nutrient solution and sowing the seeds)
O- Observe (Make sure the seeds germinate and no insects are attacking the plants)
H- Harvest (Harvest at maturity or whenever needed)

 

All ready to harvest!

What are the benefits of using Static Flow Hydroponic System?

Especially for those who have insufficient land to grow vegetables, hydroponic comes in handy because it takes up minimum amount of space to grow vegetables. Despite the fact that you can have fresh produce vegetables, they are also pesticides-free because it is for own consumption. Hydroponic planting is so much easier to handle than growing on soil because it doesn’t require watering and weeding. And the best part is you can plant a variety of vegetables such as kai lan, sawi, lettuce, bayam, kangkong and etc. or even flowering plants e.g rose, petunias, japanese rose, marygold and etc. 

A lady holding the Senposai plant planted on a static-flow hydroponic set.

As for me, the main reason why I like hydroponic is because the harvest are pesticides free and I can have instant fresh vegetables anytime at the side of my house. 

Shared by Ruby.

Intern at Petrosains, The Discovery Centre

The Carnivorous Pitcher Plant

HotScience │Petrosains

 

  Venus Fly Trap

The Venus fly trap has parts of the plant move to capture its prey. What about the pitcher plant?  There’s no major movement by the Venus fly trap actually - it just generate electrical charges when an object sits on it, triggering its ‘jaws’ to quickly shut.  The sneaky pitcher plant on the other hand uses its sweet smelling juice to lure its prey.  Once in the ‘belly’, the trapped prey is at the mercy of the acid that is secreted in it! 

Carnivorous Pitcher Plants

 The Pitcher Plant is actually a leaf that used to be harmless but due to its attempt to survive in unfavourable conditions, it evolved into its current form. The pitcher plants belong to two large families of monocots—the Nepenthaceae (Old World) and Sarraceniaceae (New World). The Old World pitchers live high above a tree. Because there is not much food source up there, the plant resorts to find an alternative source of nutrients.  It folds the ends of its leaves like a cup, produces sweet juices and waits for its victims.

Meanwhile the New World family members have more food source as it stays on ground. So
these pitchers actually form a whole pitcher out of its leaf.

What’s the difference between regular plants and the carnivourous pitcher plants?  Regular plants consume nutrients from the soil.  Carnivorous pitcher plants are found in nutrient-poor soil; hence they get their nutrition from insects they prey on.

Little explorers earnestly checking out the Pitcher Plant with the hand lens.

Pitcher plant discussion with Mr.Gary The Naturalist

This article is written in conjunction with Science Engagement Session by
Gary @ Khaeril Zach Abdullah (EDUTREE Services Sdn. Bhd) at
HotScience, Petrosains from 26-31 March 2013