Learning a new language using an app? If you're wondering what makes some language-learning apps more effective than others, part of the answer may lie in a simple idea: making learners guess a word based on a picture before they’re shown the correct answer.

More than being a fun design choice, this strategy draws on decades of cognitive psychology, suggesting that attempting an answer first and then seeing the correct one strengthens memory. Now, a new NUS study provides formal experimental evidence confirming why this works.

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The need for adaptability and resilience is one lesson we can take from the COVID-19 pandemic when preparing for future crises. But with climate-related crises, there’s a key difference: many long-term shifts caused by climate change are irreversible, and there is no “return to normal.”

Climate resilience therefore entails not just weathering immediate shocks but dealing with an altered reality, experts at the third annual SGFIN Sustainability Summit, organised by the NUS Sustainable and Green Finance Institute, emphasised. The event was attended by about 220 representatives from the global sustainable finance community.

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Across dermatology clinics, doctors continue to see patients arriving with reddened skin, swelling or persistent rashes – reactions often traced back to something as routine as colouring their hair. Behind these cases lies para-phenylenediamine (PPD), a widely used ingredient that is one of the most common cosmetic allergens.

To address this issue, scientists at NUS’ Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have developed next-generation dye compounds aimed at reducing allergic reactions without sacrificing colour performance.

➡️ Read about their safer solution for hair colouring: https://nus.edu/4cPQjjf

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For language learners, guessing the answers to word-picture exercises before being shown the correct response strengthens their memory and supports lasting learning, an NUS study by the Department of Psychology has confirmed.

Here’s how guessing can help improve adults’ ability to recall new vocabulary in a second language.

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Good afternoon! Keep up to date with the latest headlines from NUS News this week (13 – 17 Apr 2026):

💇‍♀️ Reinventing hair colour: Toward allergy-free dye
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🌎 Climate resilience needed to cope with immediate shocks, long-term changes
https://nus.edu/4coPbSh

🧠 NUS study confirms that guessing before learning improves memory in language learning
https://nus.edu/4sEnpYb

❤️ Bridging communities through service learning
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Researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at NUS have developed a new AI model that can more accurately predict how proteins interact with one another — an advance that could accelerate drug discovery and deepen insights into diseases such as cancer.

Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study's paired protein language model learns from two interacting proteins simultaneously, rather than analysing them in isolation. This marks a significant shift in how AI is applied to biology, enabling more accurate prediction of protein–protein interactions that underpin nearly all cellular processes.

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From AI in gaming to discussions on creativity, ethics, professional disruption and the responsibilities that come with building new technologies, the inaugural TECHTALK@TRAIL dialogue saw Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan join Professor Tan Cheng Han, President of the Law Society of Singapore and Chief Strategy Officer at NUS Law, for a wide-ranging exchange on how AI is reshaping society.

Moderated by Professor David Tan, the session drew a diverse audience of academics, students and tech enthusiasts. TECHTALK@TRAIL is a new bi-annual series by the Centre of Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & the Law (TRAIL) at NUS Law, which promotes interdisciplinary research into the interactions between technology and the law.

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Policy challenges today rarely stop at national borders, and are becoming harder to solve as polarisation, geopolitical tensions and declining institutional trust loom.

Against this backdrop, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy hosted the Global Public Policy Network Conference 2026 on 27 and 28 March, bringing together representatives from eight leading public policy schools to propose innovative solutions to contemporary global challenges while strengthening institutional and personal connections.

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The rise of AI has often been framed as a challenge to the humanities and social sciences. But speakers at the “Future Horizons: Envisioning the Humanities and Social Sciences” event organised by the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences as part of Ideas Festival Singapore 2026, argued the opposite: that a world transformed by AI will need these disciplines more than ever.

Amid rapid tech advances, intensifying climate crises and growing social fragmentation, the humanities and social sciences will remain essential for grappling with AI’s ethical, social and cultural consequences. Speakers across academia, philanthropy and the arts stressed that these perspectives will be critical for interpreting fast-changing realities, interrogating ethics and power, and preserving human agency.

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NUS has been ranked third in Asia and first in Singapore in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings 2026, according to results announced on 23 April 2026. This marks the seventh consecutive year that NUS has been placed in the top three of the THE Asia University Rankings.

NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Professor Aaron Thean said the University's consistent performance reflects the sustained efforts of its faculty, researchers, staff, students and alumni, and NUS’ commitment to delivering impact in Singapore and globally.

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Good afternoon! Keep up to date with the latest headlines from NUS News this week (20 – 24 Apr 2026):

🌟 NUS ranks 3rd in Asia, tops Singapore in THE Asia University Rankings 2026
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🧑‍🏫 Be the mentor you once needed: Teach Singapore marks five years of mentoring
https://nus.edu/4mTi2mQ

💡 In the age of AI, the humanities and social sciences are becoming more, not less, essential
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🌍 Bridging global divides: Top policy schools pitch solutions for a fragmented world at conference hosted by LKYSPP
https://nus.edu/3QoP81F

🎮 Inaugural TECHTALK@TRAIL dialogue by NUS Law explores AI’s impact on gaming, law and society
https://nus.edu/4eF2rou

🧬 NUS scientists devise AI model that “reads” protein pairs, unlocking new insights into disease and drug discovery
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Professor Hew Choy Sin, who retired from the NUS Department of Biological Sciences in 2004, has been conferred the prestigious AOS Orchid Research Award by the American Orchid Society. The award is a major international recognition of scientific excellence in orchid research.

Prof Hew has been actively involved in tropical orchid research for over 30 years. His lifelong research has resulted in significant advances in the understanding of the physiology and cultivation of tropical orchids, particularly in optimising their growth and development.

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Visiting guests of NUS can now check into a brand-new accommodation in the heart of campus that marries sustainable architecture with smart technology. The Ridge is a first-of-its-kind on-campus accommodation facility at NUS, designed to support the University’s academic, research and professional engagements.

From its π-shaped design to its commitment to green living, here are six things to know about how The Ridge supports research, collaboration and engagement on campus.

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Scientists from NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI) have engineered a naturally occurring beneficial gut bacterium into a programmable “living medicine” to treat hepatic encephalopathy, a severe brain dysfunction linked to liver failure.

Unlike current treatments which typically target only a single root cause, this breakthrough demonstrates the development of a multi-functional, programmable microbial therapy that can tackle several disease drivers simultaneously inside the body.

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NUS Baba House has received a major gift from the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Trust, which will support regional research collaborations, expand public programmes and broaden digital access to Peranakan heritage.

Since opening in 2008, NUS Baba House has introduced visitors to Peranakan culture, using its architecture, objects and spaces to evoke everyday life for a typical prominent Peranakan family in the early 20th century. With major restoration works underway and set for completion in 2027, the gift will cement the House as a leading centre for Peranakan heritage study and public engagement in Singapore and across Southeast Asia.

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The NUS Architectural Conservation Laboratory (ArCLab) will commence repair and upgrading works for its heritage building on Neil Road, aiming to become Singapore’s first historic building retrofitted to achieve net-zero operational energy. It also seeks to attain the BCA Green Mark Platinum Zero Energy certification, which would be a first for a historic building.

NUS-ArCLab was established in 2022 as a research and training centre within the Department of Architecture under the NUS College of Design and Engineering. Restoration works are expected to run from May 2026 to end 2027.

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What exactly is Singapore defending, and why?

This question was central to the discussions raised at the recent Insights Singapore Forum (ISF) themed “The Future of Singapore’s Total Defence”. Organised by the NUS Political Science Society (PSSOC), this year’s forum presented students with the opportunity to engage in dialogue with Mr Chan Chun Sing, Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence.

Participants explored what it means to defend Singapore, with the conversation extending beyond territory and institutions to include values, way of life and a shared commitment to the nation’s future.

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