All Creatures Great and Small # 40

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All Creatures Great and Small # 40

Moth

A new species of moth has been made known to science. The southern Kalimatan individual is dark on top with an orange crescent and light on the bottom of the wings. https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2023.62.12

Snapping Shrimp

Three new species of snapping shrimp from Sarawak have been made known to the western world. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5282.1.1
Survey

Plants

A new species of (houseplants) homaloameneae from the Rejang Basin in Sarawak, another from the Bengoh range and a third from Brunei tell of these new discoveries to the Western world. doi: 10.36253/jopt-14254, . doi: 10.36253/jopt-14154 and (1): 29-32. doi: 10.36253/jopt-14206

Peat Swamp Forest Tree

As the seas rose and fell during the last ice ages, a few peat swamps forest trees(Shorea albida) survived in the areas above the high tide mark. These few are thought to be the source of the trees we find today.  https://doi.org/10.1266/ggs.22-00112

Entikong:  a border crossing

Non-traditional security problems in the Entikong area are people’s economic problems, narcotics smuggling, foreign commodities, identity crises, and others that can affect state sovereignty and people’s sense of nationalism. Journal of Namibian Studies, 33(2023): 851–865

Oil in the Sadong River

Global increases in the use of fuel such as petrol and diesel, as well as accidental oil spills, are the main contributors to the release of petroleum into the environment. The aim of this study is to determine the number of hydrocarbons, to assess the degree of contamination and to tell the relationship between natural and human sources. FUW Trends in Science & Technology Journal, www.ftstjournal.com ; April, 2023: Vol. 8 No. 1 pp. 291 – 297

Fungus

Candida auris, is a dangerous fungus which enters our bloodstream from hospitals and nursing homes. It has emerged as a serious global health threat by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This has drawn attention to another multidrug-resistant species, C. vulturna which is related to auris. Nine cases have been reported in Sabah while three are from Sarawak. doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2023.04.223

Long Tailed Macaque

Sundaland consists of the major islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Java, all connected. Rising sea levels separated these land masses. During the later part, Sundaland consisted of grasslands instead of tropical rainforests. Some mammals remained the same on the islands during this period, while others changed to form a new species. The skull differences in the long-tailed macaque suggests climate rather than island separation as the causes for these skull differences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108121

Temperature

Borneo is located in the tropical West Pacific, an area that hosts the warmest temperature in the world’s oceans. This study shows the increase in temperature from the last “ice age” to the present from a cave in Sabah. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32712-3; Supplementary Information Evolution of tropical land temperature across the last glacial termination

New Book

“From Insurgent to Citizen: World War, Insurgency, and Confrontation in Malaya and Singapore by Thomas Chow Swee Leong (Hor Leong) published by World Scientific 5 Toh Tuck Link Singapore.

Mast

This study investigated seasonal shifts in large mammal activity in forests both within and adjacent to Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (LEWS), in Sarawak, Malaysia for 3 years (October 2016–2019). This sanctuary of primary dipterocarp forest is bordered by a large community of the Iban ethnic group who practice traditional forest management and rely on subsistence hunting. The study indicated that when food was scarce, the mammals tended to move closer to the longhouses while when it was plentiful, like during a mast, they moved away. DOI: 10.1111/btp.13229

Small, But Useful Fossils

ORBITOLINIDAE were a group of extinct  small, complex fossils, whose shells are known to occur in Borneo approximately 110-125 million years ago. They can be seen by the naked eye. They were found south of Bau, and subsequently in southern Kalimantan (Meratus Mountains). At the time, the area was an ocean. They are important because they can tell the age of surrounding soils. Scientists have re examined the  age of these organisms and further refined their age. https://doi.org/10.35463/j.apr.2023.02.04

Cold Surges

Cold surges are when cold air sweeps down to the tropics during the winter months. Rosby ocean waves occur because of the rotation of the planet. When these two forces interact there are increased rainfall events over Malaysia and Borneo. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.4493

Cats

The Golden Cat and the Bay Cat risk being uprooted, eradicated or exterminated from their fragments of rainforest due to human actions such as deforestation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110103

History

The main objective of this study is to understand the concept of federalism and to analyze the procedure opted by the British Empires to introduce a federal system in Malaysia. http://doi.org/10.47205/plhr.2023(7-II)53

Logged Tropical Forests

The regeneration of an area by cutting down the trees depends on the distance between two species of saplings or immature trees. doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2019.03.007 At least I think that’s what it says.

Corruption

The findings of this study indicate the existence of a power relationship between the government and the company regarding the regulation of mining permits and mining roads in the Kinipan Customary Forest, which is carried out without the community’s participation, thereby causing social conflict between third parties. As a result of this conflict, indigenous peoples formed multiple communities to defend the forest, including the Forester’s community, the Dayak Tomun community, and the Borneo Red Army. Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial Volume 4, No. 1, 2023, Hlm. 36-50

Cancer

Clusters of colorectal cancer in urban areas of Sarawak have been noted.  https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2023.1158

Batu Kawa Sarawak Population Study

The residents are satisfied with the socio-economic services provided in Batu Kawa. The numerous areas with relatively lower scores are road traffic, public transport system, safety and security, pollution, sport facilities, employment opportunities, income distribution, and digital economy development, as well as irrigation and drainages.https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.442

Sarawak in the 15th General election

 In the 2022 general election (GE15) the incumbent Sarawak Parties Alliance (Gabungan Parti Sarawak, GPS) and Sarawak-based opposition parties’ campaigns demonstrated a tendency toward a moderate rather than radical discourse.  https://doi.org/10.5509/2023962323

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a combination that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. 12.5% of students at two institutions of higher learning in Bintulu exhibited this syndrome, mainly in the Indian population. doi:10.47836/mjmhs19.3.10

Cement

This study advocates replacing cement with sago waste. doi.org/10.30880/peat.2023.04.01.102

Malaria

This study aims to document local knowledge on what causes malaria and how to prevent it in rural communities in Sabah, Malaysia. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04603-5

Swamp Buffalo

This genetic study shows there are both  Chinese and  Borneo Buffalo on Borneo Island. Pakistani and Indian Buffalo is included in this south vs. east Swamp Buffalo inquiry. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5398/tasj.2023.46.2.139

Miri River

Miri River sediments are contaminated with copper and arsenic. Manganese  and zinc pose a high risk to aquatic organisms. The Miri River has been considered one of the most polluted rivers in Sarawak. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115090

Pollution Kapuas River

Clams harvested from the Kapuas river at Pontianak showed very high levels of coliform bacteria and lead. doi : 10.20473/jafh.v12i2.22985

New Crabs

Three new species of crabs from the intertidal zone have been made known to science. One specie, Parasesarma insulare, is an insular species distributed from Taiwan main island, the central Philippines, to northern Borneo. 

Brunei and Aquaculture

As Brunei looks for other revenue streams as it runs out of oil, aquaculture has been explored. The country’s position in the heart of ASEAN, multiple water bodies, extensive coastal areas, with access to important aquaculture importing countries, Brunei Darussalam has the potential to diversify and develop its aquaculture activities and look beyond its small population. Agriculture Reports Volume 2 Issue 1 (2023) Pages 12-21 : https://www.multiscipub.com/index.php/AgricultureReports

The confrontation between Indon and Sarawak

This informative article tells a military history of the period between 1962-1966. doi.org/10.1163/2468-1733_shafr_sim210040051 

New Species

A new snake has been found in Sarawak. Part of the Krait family, its name is B. oxyi sp. nov doi.org/10.33256/hb150.613 

Birding

Excellent article on birding in Brunei with many colour pictures. BirdingASIA 37 (2022): 43–56

Coronavirus

History across the globe of the virus. DOI 10.29121/granthaalayah.v11.i4.2023 .5137