Academia Sinica biologists yesterday announced that they have decoded the genome of the stout camphor tree (牛樟), an endemic species, and hope to gain a better understanding of the evolution and potential medical use of the species.
Stout camphor trees grow in forests 450m to 2,000m above sea level, and are known for their aromatic oil and used in the development of new cancer treatments, Academia Sinica Biodiversity Research Center director Chaw Shu-miaw (趙淑妙) told a news conference in Taipei.
The number of trees has substantially declined in Taiwan due to geological changes and illegal logging, as poachers often target the trees to collect Taiwanofungus camphoratus — a rare fungus that grows on the trees’ bark that has medicinal applications, she said.
The team spent five years decoding the species’ nearly 28,000 genes, making possible its genetic preservation, replication and editing for pharmaceutical or conservation purposes, she said.
They also succeeded in cultivating a slice of the tree’s trunk in a petri dish for two months.
Artificial reproduction of tree tissue could help curb illegal poaching, as it could preserve genes in a purer environment than trees that grow wild, Chaw said.
The research results were published in a paper, “Stout camphor tree genome fills gaps in understanding of flowering plant genome evolution,” in the journal Nature Plants on Jan. 9.
Chaw said she had received many requests from abroad to share the genetic data since the paper was published, mostly from Chinese academics, and their research might also advance studies on sister species.
The team had to conduct its research under the guidance of Council of Agriculture officials, as access to the trees is regulated due to its value attraction for poachers, she added.
Stout camphor trees are protected under the Forestry Act (森林法), and people convicted of illegally logging the trees could face a prison sentence of up to seven-and-a-half years and a fine 10 to 20 times the market value of the trunk they cut, the Forestry Bureau said.
A stout camphor tree trunk could fetch between NT$130,000 and NT$210,000 per cubic meter, the bureau said.
However, poachers have recently turned their attention toward Taiwanese incense cedar, instead of stout camphor trees, it added.
CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT: A new committee would investigate a backlog of US weapons sales to Taiwan, said its chairman, US Representative Mike Gallagher The US should formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, and end its outdated and counterproductive “one China” policy, US Representative Tom Tiffany and 18 other US lawmakers wrote in a petition. “It is time to change the status quo and recognize the reality denied by the US government for decades: Taiwan is an independent nation,” Tiffany told the Epoch Times. “As our long-standing and valued partner, correctly acknowledging their independence from communist China is long overdue.” The resolution also asks the administration of US President Joe Biden to support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations and to negotiate a bilateral free-trade
GUT FEELING: In the leaked memo, US Air Force General Mike Minihan urged mobile command personnel to go to a firing range, shoot at a target and ‘aim for the head’ A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 — most likely over Taiwan — and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, Air Mobility Command Commander General Mike Minihan said that the main goal should be to deter “and, if required, defeat” China. “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said. Minihan said that Taiwan’s presidential election
INCREASED RISK: The Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has higher immune evasive capacity, but the CECC is more concerned about newer subvariants such as XBB and BQ.1 With the peak season for infectious respiratory diseases coming to an end, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that details of the next phase of lifting COVID-19 masking rules — removing the mask requirement in most indoor settings — are to be announced this week. Discussions on lifting other COVID-19 restrictions are also being held, including further easing border control measures, home isolation requirements and revising the definition for reporting cases, while also downgrading COVID-19 to a lower category of notifiable communicable disease, said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC. As the daily
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM: Czech president-elect Petr Pavel said his nation stands firmly on the side of democracy and would boost cooperation with Taipei in all aspects Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei. Tsai spoke with Pavel for 15 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was also present during the conversation. Lin quoted Pavel as telling Tsai that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, adding that the Czech Republic stands firmly on the side of democracy and supports Taiwan in maintaining a lively democratic system free from authoritarian coercion. The Czech Republic would
RSS