Why Does The Candle Flame Point Upwards?

Today is the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month and many are celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. This festival is meant to celebrate friendship, fertility and togetherness and there are a number of traditions associated with celebrating this festival, one of them being the iconic paper lanterns. Lanterns in general are portable lighting devices that comes in various shapes, sizes, and materials with a light source inside usually candles or an electricity-powered bulb. For the Mid-Autumn Festival, candle-lighted lanterns are typically used and which gives a beautiful gentle glow that flickers with the wind.

What is a candle though and how does it provide light? A candle consists of wax and a wick. Most candles are made from paraffin wax, i.e. they are hydrocarbons and are composed of hydrogen (H) and carbon (C) atoms. Just like other hydrocarbons such as the fuel we pump our cars with, wax is the source of energy for the candle. When we light a candle, the heat of the flame melts the wax near the wick, feeding the fire with something to burn. What happens is that the heat of the flame vaporizes the liquid wax and starts to break down the hydrocarbons into molecules of hydrogen and carbon. These vaporized molecules are drawn up into the flame, where they react with oxygen from the air to create heat, light, water vapor (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2).

Lanterns lit by candles are used both indoors and outdoors. The candle is placed inside colourful and beautiful paper lanterns that fills the night with colours. However, as most lanterns are made of paper and we all know that paper burns quite easily, why is it that the paper lanterns do not get consumed by the flames from the candle within? Of course if the paper comes in contact with the flame, it will burn but generally, the flame of the candle only point upwards and do not move too far to the side therefore keeping the paper lanterns safe from being burned up. Do you know why the flame point only upwards?

When a candle burns, the flame heats the nearby air and starts to rise. As this warm air moves up, cooler air and oxygen rush in at the bottom of the flame to replace it. When that cooler air is heated, it too rises up and is replaced by cooler air again. This creates a continual cycle of upward moving air around the flame, which gives the flame a teardrop shape. Basically the continuous movement of hot air going up displaces cooler air down to the side which then gets heated up again and move upwards causing the distinctive shape of the flame and which is why it points only upwards.

Something to think about though, if you light a candle in space, how will the flame look like? Do you think it will be the same shape? Does gravity play a role? Let us know if you have the answer by leaving a comment!

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.
  

Designing an Experiment Using The Scientific Method

In an ideal world, all learning sessions will have perfect participants with all the necessary prior knowledge and are quick to grasp what's going on. However, real life is never that easy and one of the important challenges to address in facilitating any learning session is to be mindful of the audience. Whenever I facilitate such a session I always keep in mind that I have to tailor the knowledge and style of communication according to my audience background. I will like to share an example of how I approach this at a recent session I facilitated with colleagues who are from a largely non-science background, in which we wanted to explore designing an experiment using the scientific method.

The very first thing to do before conducting an experiment is to set a goal. However, I prefer the interactive way where the audience has to set their own goal.  So what I did in the session was to display a plant (in a bottle) on the table. I then asked a question, ‘What do plants need in order to survive?’. One of the answers given was sunlight so I then followed up by asking the participants that if the survival of a plant is dependent on sunlight, the quantity and quality of sunlight received by the plant can be a variable for an investigation.

Before that, what are variables? Basically, there are 3 types of variables which are controlling variables (what we never change), manipulative variables (what we change), and responding variables (what changes after the experiment).

The controlled variable is what changes when everything else is kept constant. Using the plant-sunlight example, among the constants will be the type of plant, amount of water, type of soil, same-sized bottles and the temperature of the room. The manipulated variable will be the location to place the plant as we are controlling the quantity and quality of sunlight received. I can for example, place one plant in a dark room while allowing another to be fully exposed to sunlight. After a determined period, you will soon discover that the plant that is kept in the dark will die, and given how both plants are given equal treatment in all other cases, I can conclude that sunlight is essential for a plant to survive. 

The five steps in the scientific method are:
1. Setting the goal of an experiment.
2. Making a hypothesis, predicting the outcome to the goal of the experiment.
3. Doing the experiment.
4. Recording the result and making observations from the experiment.
5. Making a conclusion.
 

The objective of my session is to challenge my colleagues to conduct their own experiment using the scientific method. The goal for them is to investigate factors affecting the rate of reaction.  The materials are hot water, cold tap water, film canisters, paper cups, clear plastic containers and an effervescent tablet (which produces gas when water is introduced). I used an open-ended approach because I would like them to come up with their own hypotheses and decide their own goals for their experiment.

 

The audience were divided into 2 groups; group A and Group B. 

Group A made two hypotheses on temperature and surface area to test the rate of reaction. For temperature, they tried different temperatures of water for the same tablet and for surface area, they crushed one tablet into powdery form and using the other in its original form. From their experiment, it showed that the effervescent tablet in hot water reacts faster compared to the one in cold tap water and powder form reacts faster compared to the one in the original form. 

Group B made another hypothesis on the amount of tablets. They filled up two containers with water, and in each inserted a different sized tablet (whole and half). The container with the whole tablet had visibly more gas produced than the one with the half tablet, as observed within a set time frame.

Basically, no matter who does the experiment, if they follow the scientific method, they can actually do it, make conclusions and learn something. So, for this sharing session I finally wrapped up with the fact that besides knowing factors affecting the rate of reaction, learners also were introduced to asking questions, variables, hypothesis, observation and drawing conclusions.

Posted by Ayu
Learning Specialist, Petrosains

Ingin tahu tentang mata?

Dalam menjalani kehidupan seharian, banyak perkara yang kita perlu fahami supaya pengetahuan yang diperolehi dapat dimanfaat semasa ia diperlukan. Misalnya, dengan cara memahami bagaimana mata kita berfungsi, ia secara tidak langsung membantu kita mengetahui punca-punca dan membolehkan kita mencegah dari jangkitan penyakit yang berkaitan dengan mata. Kita juga mampu membuat keputusan yang tepat ketika hendak mendapatkan sebarang rawatan mata daripada pakar perubatan sekiranya berlaku jangkitan penyakit terhadap mata.

Secara definisi, mata merupakan satu organ yang telah terbentuk untuk mengesan cahaya. Secara ringkas, ia berfungsi untuk mengesan sama ada keadaan sekeliling terang atau gelap. Pada kebiasaannya, semua benda hidup mempunyai sepasang mata. Ia berbentuk hampir sfera, berisi bahan seperti gel optik jernih yang dikenali sebagai gelemaca, dengan kanta fokus dan otot yang dikenali sebagai iris mata yang mengawal kadar cahaya yang masuk. Iris mata ini mengawal bukaan anak mata atau dikenali juga sebagai pupil, iaitu bulatan hitam di tengah-tengah bahagian berwarna di dalam mata.

Di Petrosains, kita dapat mempelajari mengenai struktur mata secara terperinci melalui aktiviti ‘pembedahan mata lembu’. Tujuan aktiviti ini adalah untuk melihat dan mengenal pasti bahagian –bahagian dalam mata seperti kornea, kanta, iris dan retina serta fungsinya. Mata lembu dipilih dan digunakan kerana struktur mata lembu adalah hampir sama dengan mata manusia.

Pada kebiasaannya, mata bertindak dengan memancarkan imej ke atas retina yang sensitif kepada cahaya. Kornea dan kanta akan menumpukan cahaya yang masuk ke atas retina, yang mengaktifkan suatu tindak balas kimia dan menghasilkan isyarat yang untuk dihantar ke otak melalui saraf optik.

Cahaya yang masuk dari luar akan melepasi kornea dan melalui gelemair sebelum sampai ke kanta. Gelemair membantu mengekalkan bentuk cembung kornea dan melembapkannya. Seterusnya cahaya itu akan melalui gelemaca sebelum sampai di retina. Di sinilah terletak banyak sel-sel yang sensitif kepada cahaya.

Pastinya mata merupakan anugerah yang sangat berharga kepada semua benda hidup. Jadi, kita perlu menjaga dan memelihara kesihatan mata. Salah satunya adalah dengan mengamalkan pemakanan sihat seperti pengambilan ubi keledek, lobak merah dan sayur-sayuran hijau yang kaya dengan sumber vitamin A dimana ia dikatakan adalah baik untuk mata kita. Elakkan juga dari menyentuh mata dalam keadaan tangan yang kotor kerana ia dapat menginfeksi mata kita dan akan mengakibatkan mata terdedah kepada pelbagai penyakit mata.

Untuk mencuba melakukan pembedahan mata lembu, sertai aktiviti 'Cow Eye Dissection' di Petrosains sempena Petrosains Science Festival 2013 dari 22 - 27 Oktober 2013. Maklumat lanjut boleh didapati di www.sciencefestival.my 

#petrosainsfest 

Posted by Ayu
Learning Specialist, Petrosains

Kenapa tambah garam untuk membuat aiskrim?

Pernahkah anda mencuba untuk membuat aiskrim sendiri di rumah? Ya, sebenarnya kita mampu membuat aiskrim sendiri dengan menggunakan bahan-bahan yang mudah diperolehi seharian di samping boleh mempelajari sains daripada aktiviti yang amat menyeronokkan ini.

Bagaimanakah cara untuk membuatnya? Mudah sahaja. Ia hanyamengambil masa kurang daripada satu jam. Bahan-bahan yang digunakan adalah secawansusu segar, 1 sudu gula, sesudu garam, ketulan-ketulan air batu, plastik berzip kecil, plastik berzip besar, suratkhabar, dua helai tuala dan mangkuk.

Mula-mula, masukkan gula dan susu ke dalam plastik berzip kecil. Kacau campuran tadi dan zipkan plastik itu dengan kemas. Masukkan ketulanair batu sehingga separuh penuh ke dalam plastik berzip yang besar. Kemudiantaburkan sesudu garam ke dalam plastik berzip besar yang mengandungi ketulan air batu tadi. Seterusnya, plastik berzip kecil yang mengandungi campuran susu tadi dimasukkan ke dalam plastik berzip besar. Penuhkan plastik berzip besar dengan air batu dan zipkan plastik itu dengan kemas.

Kemudian bungkuskan dengan suratkhabar. Seterusnya ia puladibungkus dengan tuala seperti bentuk gula-gula. Akhir sekali, kita perlu menggoncangkannya selama 10 minit.

Sesuatu yang menakjubkan telah berlaku! Bukakan kesemuabalutan tuala dan suratkhabar dan keluarkan plastik berzip kecil. Aiskrim sudahpun menjadi! Keluarkan ia dari plastik dan letakkan ke dalam mangkuk untuk di makan.

Tahukah anda bagaimana telah berlakunya perubahan keadaan jirim pada campuran susu tadi dari cecair kepada keadaan separa pepejal iaitu menyerupai tekstur seperti aiskrim. Proses perubahan keadaan jirim dari cecairke pepejal dinamakan ‘pembekuan’. Fungsi garam dalam pembuatan aiskrim bukanlah untuk memberi rasa terhadap aiskrim tadi malah ia berfungsi untuk menurunkan takat beku ketulan air batu tadi. Ini dapat diperhatikan dengan lebih terperinci dan jelas sekiranya kita menyukat dan mencatat suhu air batu dengan menggunakan termometer sebelum dan selepas penambahan garam.

Tentunya setiap orang mempunyai citarasa aiskrim kegemaran masing- masing. Selain menggunakan susu segar, kita juga boleh mencuba untuk menghasilkan aiskrim berperisa lain seperti oren, strawberi dan coklat.

Aktiviti seperti ini memang sesuai dijalankan bersama keluarga pada masa lapang. Selain dapat mempelajari cara membuat aiskrim, kita dapat melihat sendiri perubahan keadaan jirim dari satu bentuk ke satu bentuk yang lain dan memahami proses sains yang terlibat. Tambahan pula ia boleh dijalankan oleh semua peringkat umur walau di mana saja kerana bahan-bahan yang digunakan adalah bahan-bahan seharian yang senang diperolehi.

#petrosainsfest

Posted by Ayu
Learning Specialist, Petrosains

Kenapa lemang di dalam buluh?

Lemang yang telah dimasak dan dipotong

Lemang merupakan sejenis masakan tradisi yang diperbuat dari beras pulut, santan dan sedikit garam. Uniknya mengenai lemang ini adalah kerana ia dimasak di dalam seruas buluh. Ia dimasukkan ke dalam ruas buluh setelah dilapik dengan daun pisang sebelum dibakar sehingga masak. Kini, lemang boleh diperolehi sepanjang tahun, tetapi lebih meluas semasa perayaan Hari Raya. Lemang lebih sedap sekiranya dimakan ketika masih panas dan ia sering dihidangkan bersama rendang atau serunding.



Lemang yang sudah dimasak



Buluh lemang adalah di antara tumbuh-tumbuhan yang mempunyai banyak kegunaan. Sejak zaman awal kehidupan manusia, buluh digunakan secara meluas dalam kehidupan seharian. Buluh digunakan sebagai senjata tajam seperti tombak dan digunakan untuk memotong seperti pisau.  Ia juga dijadikan bahan binaan utama untuk membuat rumah masyarakat dulu kala dan beberapa batang buluh diikat untuk dijadikan rakit oleh penduduk yang tinggal di pinggir sungai atau laut sebagai salah satu cara pengangkutan.

Tetapi, mengapakah buluh sesuai digunakan untuk membakar lemang?

Buluh lemang ini tergolong di dalam famili Gramineae. Nama saintifiknya pula adalah Schizostachyum brachycladum. Masyarakat pada zaman dahulu mengunakan sumber bahan-bahan semulajadi yang terdapat di sekeliling mereka seperti buluh untuk memasak. Buluh lemang ini dipilih kerana ruasnya yang panjang, bentuknya  yang lurus dan mempunyai ketebalan yang nipis. Bentuk fizikal buluh yang beruas dan berlubang umpama tabung turut membolehkan ia sesuai digunakan untuk memasak nasi atau lemang.

Ketebalan dindingnya yang nipis membolehkan haba daripada arang yang dibakar akan lebih mudah dipindahkan semasa membakar lemang. Sekiranaya buluh yang lebih tebal digunakan maka kita memerlukan lebih banyak masa untuk memasak lemang.

 

Posted by Ayu
Learning Specialist, Petrosains

Deko Raya dari Bahan Kitar Semula

Sempena Hari Raya,  Petrosains  telah menganjurkan satu pertandingan antara jabatan mendekorasi ruang pejabat . Salah satu keunikan yang menarik perhatian dalam pertandingan dekorasi ini adalah  hiasan yang berkonsepkan 'Syawal Hijau'. Ini merupakan satu idea yang luar biasa kerana bahan-bahan yang digunakan untuk dekorasi diperbuat dari bahan kitar semula seperti tin, botol kaca dan kotak. 

Tercetusnya idea ini adalah berdasarkan orang pada zaman dulu-dulu yang hanya menggunakan sumber bahan-bahan yang terdapat di sekeliling mereka untuk menghasilkan sesuatu. Masyarakat dulu menggunakan tin-tin susu, buluh dan tempurung kelapa untuk menghasilkan pelita di kawasan rumah.

Sesuatu yang tidak diduga sebenarnya mampu dilakukan hanya dengan menggunakan tin-tin minumam. Tin-tin aluminium ini dikumpul dari sehari ke sehari setelah berkunjung ke rumah-rumah terbuka termasuk saudara mara dan sahabat handai yang menjamu tetamu dengan minuman berkarbonat.  Tin tin terpakai ini selepas digunakan perlu dibasuh dan dikeringkan. Kemudian bahagian tepinya digunting berupa jalur-jalur memanjang ke bawah seperti di dalam gambar diatas.

Kemudian tin-tin aluminium tersebut dibentuk dengan lebih sempurna agar ia kelihatan seperti terendak lampu. Lalu tin-tin minuman itu disembur dengan penyembur bewarna mengikut citarasa masing-masing. Walaubagaimanapun, ia perlu di sembur dengan warna putih terlebih dahulu sebagai warna alas sebelum disembur dengan warna yang lebih menarik. 

Seterusnya, ia digantung dalam bentuk pusaran atau berpilin di mana pada bahagian atasnya di sokong juga oleh bahan kitar semula  iaitu kotak. Sebenarnya lampu deko  ini boleh  digubah mengikut citarasa sendiri. Bagi dekorasi ini, ia menggunakan lima buah lampu pelita dalam setiap jambak pelita. Kemudian, bentuk bulan dan bintang yang dianggap sebagai elemen raya  diperbuat daripada kertas berwarna ditambah pada setiap pelita. Disebabkan pelita ini  direka khas untuk dipamerkan di ruang-ruang pejabat, sumber cahaya  yang digunakan ialah  diod pemancar cahaya (LED) dengan kuasa bateri sebanyak 3 voltan sahaja. 

Selain itu, bahan dekorasi lain yang ditunjukkan bagi konsep 'Syawal Hijau' ini ialah botol kaca terpakai. Selalunya lampu kelip-kelip akan digantungkan tetapi cara lain yang lebih kreatif untuk mewarnai sesuatu ruang  adalah dengan memasukkannya ke dalam botol-botol kaca seperti gambar di bawah.

Dalam erti kata lain, kita masih lagi boleh merasai suasana dekorasi yang meriah sempena perayaan Hari Raya dengan hanya menggunakan bahan-bahan kitar semula. Ia cantik dan menarik, menggunakan modal yang sedikit di samping boleh memelihara alam sekitar. Ia juga merupakan satu aktiviti yang sihat jika dilakukan bersama -sama ahli keluarga kerana kerjasama erat yang terjalin boleh merapatkan ukhuwah sesama manusia. Selain itu, ia turut memberi manfaat kepada kita semua terutama golongan kecil untuk penjanaan minda kreatif. 

Posted by Ayu
Learning Speacialist, Petrosains

Plastic feeding bottles and BPA

HotScience │Petrosains

Plastics comes in many forms and shape. We the laymen have no idea how dangerous some of these plastics can be.

The hue and cry over the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) in polycarbonates is very real. Dr. Mustafa was instrumental in having the chemical banned in baby feeding bottles in Malaysia due to his research on BPA. The ban took effect on March 1, 2012 and is in line with Regulation 27A (1) of the Food Regulations 1985. Several countries worldwide later followed suit.

With effect from the regulation, the wordings “BPA free” was allowed to be labelled on feeding bottles not containing BPA. Why is BPA such a necessity? People like things that are sturdy and clean-looking. BPA was the answer to these requirements! It makes the plastic baby feeding bottles translucent and stiffer, while those without BPA has a less clear and “dirtier” look.

Up close – let’s get to know the plastic products.

So what’s so dreadful about BPA? BPA is able to mimic the female hormone, estrogen, and pass through the placenta from mother to baby. It can cause reproductive abnormalities – defective sex organ, reduce sperm counts and cause early puberty. Human exposure to BPA comes particularly from direct food contact with polycarbonate materials that contain BPA. Scientists have found that BPA can leach out from old polycarbonate bottles and tableware used by babies and children.

Do you know what Phthalates is?

What can we do about it?
There’s a lot of hype about the dangers of BPA. What’s important is to get the real facts and not the sensationalist stuff!
1. You may have traces of BPA in you
• If you have eaten anything that comes out of a can or used anything made from hard plastic, you may have taken in some BPA.
• Not all hard plastics contain BPA. Look for the recycling codes on your plastic products. Some, but not all, plastics that are marked with recycle code 7 may be made with BPA.
• If you avoid heating the plastic, there's a good chance you won't get a substantial amount of BPA in your system.

2. BPA has a number of harmful side effects
• Doctors have found that BPA can cause your estrogen levels to rise dramatically – males & females.
• Only prolonged exposure to BPA has been shown to cause negative side effects. If you're simply using canned goods every now and then, there's a good chance the BPA levels in your body won't affect you at all.

3. Avoid taking BPA into your system• Don’t become reliant on canned goods and plastic products.
• Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and only use canned goods when absolutely necessary.
• Check all of your plastic products to make sure they're not made using BPA.

4. Examine bottles and discardWorn or scratched bottles can harbour germs and in BPA-containing bottles, lead to greater release of BPA.  

About the Scientist

Professor Dr. Mustafa Ali Mohd joined the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya as a lecturer in 1994 and was promoted to a full professor in 2005. He also holds the post of Deputy Dean at the same Faculty and is currently the Deputy Director (Development) of the University of Malaya Medical Centre.

He was instrumental in establishing the Shimadzu UMMC Centre for Xenobiotics Studies (SUCXes), a prominent and state of the art facilities for analysis of trace quantities of chemicals in the blood, environment, food & drugs. He helped the nation solve the melamine crisis by setting up a monitoring unit & analytical facilities in his lab. In 2010 Professor Dr. Mustafa was appointed as Expert panel for WHO on toxicity of BPA & melamine.

He has published more than 100 papers in international and national peer reviewed journals. He was awarded Excellent Scientist Award in 2005 and Top Research Scientist Malaysia in 2012.

The Science Engagement Session

Keeping the Pearls of Wisdom - Preserving the Carrier and Messenger

HotScience │Petrosains

The gist of the session is about preserving the past and learning for the present and future. 

What we learn about the past is not just from artefacts but also knowledge that has been:
a. Acquired from various sources
b. Moulded through research and experiments, and
c. Re-interpreted and manifested through innovations and inventions

During the Islamic Golden Age (mid-8th – mid-13th century), scholars from China, Persia and Central Asia gathered at Baghdad, the center of education and culture.  Institutions of learning, knowledge and research were established and complemented with multi-disciplined and science-based scholars.  What we see today are innovations and inventions that had contributed immensely to mankind then, to us presently and to future generations.

About the Speaker

Mr. Friedrich Farid Zink is the Head of Conservation and Research Centre at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM).  He earned his Certificate in Conservation as Conservator/Restorer for Cultural Heritage and Collections (equivalent to the MA which was later introduced in Germany) from the University Mainz, Germany. 

He served as an Assistant Professor (Guest Professor) at the Department of History & Pakistan Studies, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan and was also the Independent Consultant for Conservation/Restoration, Cultural Resource and Heritage Management for projects of the State of Qatar, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany and Department of Antiquities and Museums (DOAM), Pakistan.

Organ Donation and Transplant

HotScience │Petrosains

In Malaysia organ donation is a delicate matter especially among the older generation.  Fear basically due to misinformation and in certain circumstances the lack of it is one of the reasons.  Younger Malaysians in general are however more receptive.  According to Dr. Sh. Mohd Saifuddeen, these fears are unfounded as a procedure has been put in place to ensure organ donation is done in a proper and respectful manner.

A person has to be brain dead before any organ can be removed.  According to Malaysian Society of Transplantation “Brain death is a clinical diagnosis. The presence of irreversible brain damage must be established. Metabolic factors must be ruled out as the cause of the patient’s condition. The patient must be apnoiec (i.e. makes no respiratory effort). The patient is totally unreceptive and unresponsive with the absence of brain stem reflexes while being properly ventilated”.

From the perspective of Islam, Muslims are encouraged to donate their organs.  In Malaysia, organ donation and transplantation had been decreed since June 1970 (Details: http://www.agiftoflife.gov.my/eng/organdonation2.html).  Other main religions of Malaysia; Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Sikhism, allows their followers to donate organs under the premise that no commercialism or exploitation is involved.  It is a holy thing to donate organs as the donor is saving lives (Details:   http://www.agiftoflife.gov.my/eng/organdonation3.html).



Meet Malaysia’s first mechanical heart recipient and also recipient of a normal heart, Muhd Fikri Norazmi

Malaysia’s first mechanical heart recipient and also recipient of a normal heart, Muhd Fikri Norazmi, was also present to share is experiences – the pain he had to endure and the discipline he had to instil upon himself to complete his education.

Dr. Sh. Mohd Saifuddeen reminded those who wish to pledge their organs for donation to discuss with their families and loved ones first so that they are aware of your intentions.  This will greatly avoid conflicts later.

More information at:
• Pusat Sumber Transplan Nasional (HKL), www.agiftoflife.gov.my
• The Malaysian Society Of Transplantation, www.mst.org.my

About the speaker


Dr. Sh. Mohd Saifuddeen Bin Sh. Mohd Salleh in action

Dr. Sh. Mohd Saifuddeen Bin Sh. Mohd Salleh is a Consultant Expert at the Programme for Applied Sciences and Islamic Studies at the Academy of Islamic Studies, the University of Malaya since September 2012.  He holds a degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Glasgow, as well as a master’s degree in history and philosophy of science, and a doctorate degree in the same field from the University of Malaya.

Prior to joining the university, he was with the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre (MSRC) and the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM). He also served as Executive Director as a private consultant at Yayasan Ilmuwan between 2005 and 2012.

He is a member of the Public Awareness Action Committee on Organ Donation and contributes regularly to awareness programmes organised by the National Transplant Resource Centre (NTRC). He is also a member of the Research Ethics Committee, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and distinguished fellow of the research advisory committee of the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC).

He has written nearly 50 academic articles published in books and journals.  In terms of research, he has been involved in a number of research projects in particular on issues of Islam and science. His research interest is applied Islamic ethics.

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