september 5 – 18 , 2014 • MCI(p) 081/03/2014 • SINGAPORE EDITION • theepochtimes.com
WEEKEND EDITION
LOCAL
SCIENCE
More than Music with Pianist Abigail Sin By Li Yen Epoch Times Staff “Music is a prism through which we can view our world and a portal to dream of other ones,” says Abigail Sin, one of Singapore’s most noteworthy young pianists.
At 14, she was enrolled in the Bachelor of Music programme at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, National University of Singapore. Once named “the piano prodigy” by the media, Abigail, now 22, has become an elegant and refined lady. See Pianist on Page 4
courtesy of Abigail Sin
Music is a prism through which we can view our world and a portal to dream of other ones. Abigail Sin
PERSPECTIVES
A Country Where ‘You Know What’s Going On’ By Frank Lee
Nurture vs Nature Why Nurture Is Just as Important as Nature for Understanding Genetics
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By Claire Haworth University of Warwick
W
e live in the age of the genome. Hardly a week goes by without a story about how genes influence our health or behaviour. There has been recent excitement
around new advances in the genetics of schizophrenia, and genetic overlap between reading and mathematics. In the UK, the government is also pushing forward plans to map 100,000 genomes that will be matched to clinical data to drive “genomic medicine as part of routine care” in the National Health Service (NHS).
local
But genetic variation is only half the story. Environmental influences are important too, and we now know that our environments can interact with our genetic makeup, in ways that can be good and bad for our health. See Nurture on Page 16
WORLD
The Chinese Communist Party’s top anti-corruption official, Wang Qishan, was recently asked whether there were plans to fell bigger “tigers” after Zhou Yongkang. Wang, who was at the 7th Meeting of the 12th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, smiled but refrained from answering. When pressed further, he smiled and said, “You’ll understand by and by.” Zhou Yongkang was the Party’s former security chief, a position he gained through the influence of Jiang Zemin, paramount leader of the Party through the 1990s and into the 2000s. Zhou
is currently under investigation for corruption by the Party’s disciplinary organs. See Country on Page 10
The presence of such public discourse is also symptomatic of a lack of open and transparent government in the country. environment
NEWS & PERSPECTIVES
NEWS & PERSPECTIVES
TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
Festivals
Terror Alert
Oldest Trees
When the Night Comes Alive 3
Britain Raises Terror Alert to Severe 6
World’s Oldest Trees: 3,000 to 9,500 Years Old 20
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