Researchers from Stellenbosch University and other institutions utilized advanced uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating along with elemental mapping to analyze traces of uranium and lead in the calcite of fossilized dinosaur eggshells discovered in the United States and Mongolia.
An artist’s reconstruction of a troodontid dinosaur that had just hatched from a fragment of an egg shell. Image credit: Eva Utsukiyouhei.
The ages of numerous fossil remains globally remain uncertain.
Without precise geological age data for fossils, paleontologists face challenges in comprehending the relationships among different species and ecosystems over time and across regions.
Traditionally, they depend on dating minerals like zircon and apatite found alongside fossils, but these minerals are not always available.
Efforts to date fossils such as bones and teeth often lead to ambiguous results.
Dr. Ryan Tucker and his team at Stellenbosch University adopted a novel strategy. They applied advanced U-Pb dating and elemental mapping to identify trace quantities of uranium and lead in the calcite of fossilized dinosaur eggshells.
These isotopes function as a natural clock, enabling scientists to ascertain when an egg was buried.
Studies of dinosaur eggs sourced from Utah in the United States and Mongolia’s Gobi Desert have indicated that the eggshells can accurately reflect their ages to about 5% in comparison to the true ages of volcanic ash.
In Mongolia, researchers have for the first time directly dated a significant area where dinosaur eggs and nests have been preserved, tracing back to approximately 75 million years ago.
“Eggshell calcite is remarkably adaptable,” states Dr. Tucker.
“This introduces a fresh method for dating fossil sites lacking volcanic layers, which has posed a challenge for paleontology for many years.”
By demonstrating that dinosaur eggshells can reliably record geological time, this research bridges biology and earth sciences, providing scientists with a powerful tool for dating fossil remains worldwide.
“Directly dating fossils is a dream for paleontologists,” remarked Dr. Lindsay Zanno, a paleontologist at North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
“With this innovative technology, we can tackle previously insurmountable riddles of dinosaur evolution.”
The team’s study was published in the journal Communication Earth and Environment.
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RT Tucker et al. 2025. U-Pb calcite dating of fossil eggshells as an accurate deep-earth chronometer. Communication Earth and Environment 6,872; doi: 10.1038/s43247-025-02895-w
Images generated by AI depicting extreme poverty, children, and survivors of sexual violence are increasingly populating stock photo platforms and are being utilized by prominent health NGOs, according to global health specialists who raise alarms over a shift towards what they term “poverty porn.”
“They are widespread,” shares Noah Arnold from Fair Picture, a Switzerland-based organization dedicated to fostering ethical imagery in global development. “Some organizations are actively employing AI visuals, while others are experimenting cautiously.”
Arseni Alenichev, researcher states, “The images replicate the visual lexicon of poverty: children with empty plates, cracked earth, and other typical visuals,” as noted by researchers at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp specializing in global health imagery.
Alenichev has amassed over 100 AI-generated images depicting extreme poverty intended for individuals and NGOs to use in social media initiatives against hunger and sexual violence. The visuals he provided to the Guardian reflect scenes that perpetuate exaggerated stereotypes, such as an African girl dressed in a wedding gown with tears on her cheeks. In a comment article published Thursday, he argues that these images represent “poverty porn 2.0”.
While quantifying the prevalence of AI-generated images is challenging, Alenichev and his team believe their usage is rising, driven by concerns regarding consent and financial constraints. Arnold mentioned that budget cuts to NGO funding in the U.S. exacerbate the situation.
“It’s evident organizations are beginning to consider synthetic images in place of real photographs because they are more affordable and eliminate the need for consent or other complications,” Alenichev explained.
AI-generated visuals depicting extreme poverty are now appearing abundantly on popular stock photo websites, including Adobe Stock Photography and Freepik when searching for terms like “poverty.” Many of these images carry captions such as “Realistic child in refugee camp,” and “Children in Asia swim in garbage-filled rivers.” Adobe’s licensing fees for such images are approximately £60.
“They are deeply racist. They should never have been published as they reflect the worst stereotypes about Africa, India, and more,” Alenichev asserted.
Freepik’s CEO Joaquín Abela stated that the accountability for usage of these extreme images falls upon media consumers rather than platforms like his. He pointed out that the AI-generated stock photos come from the platform’s global user base, and if an image is purchased by a Freepik customer, that user community earns a licensing fee.
He added that Freepik is attempting to mitigate bias present elsewhere in its photo library by “introducing diversity” and striving for gender balance in images of professionals like lawyers and CEOs featured on the site.
However, he acknowledged limitations in what can be achieved on his platform. “It’s akin to drying the ocean. We make efforts, but the reality is that if consumers worldwide demand images in a specific manner, there’s little anyone can do.”
A screen capture of an AI-generated image of “poverty” on a stock photo site, raising concerns about biased depictions and stereotypes.
Illustration: Freepik
Historically, prominent charities have integrated AI-generated images into their global health communication strategies. In 2023, the Dutch branch of the British charity Plan International will launch a video campaign against child marriage featuring AI-generated images including that of a girl with black eyes, an elderly man, and a pregnant teenager.
Last year, the United Nations released a video that showcased the AI-generated testimony of a Burundian woman who was raped and left for dead in 1993 amidst the civil war. This video was removed after The Guardian reached out to the UN for a statement.
“The video in question was produced over a year ago utilizing rapidly advancing tools and was taken down because we perceived it to demonstrate inappropriate use of AI, potentially jeopardizing the integrity of the information by blending real footage with nearly authentic, artificially generated content,” remarked a UN peacekeeping spokesperson.
“The United Nations remains dedicated to supporting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, including through innovative and creative advocacy.”
Arnold commented that the rising reliance on these AI images is rooted in a long-standing discussion concerning ethical imagery and respectful storytelling concerning poverty and violence. “It’s likely simpler to procure an off-the-shelf AI visual, as it’s not tied to any real individual.”
Kate Kaldle, a communications consultant for NGOs, expressed her disgust at the images, recalling previous conversations about the concept of “poverty porn” in the sector.
“It’s unfortunate that the struggle for more ethical representation of those experiencing poverty has become unrealistic,” she lamented.
Generative AI tools have long been known to reproduce—and at times exaggerate—widely-held societal biases. Alenichev mentioned that this issue could be intensified by the presence of biased images in global health communications, as such images can circulate across the internet and ultimately be used to train the next wave of AI models, which has been shown to exacerbate prejudice.
A spokesperson for Plan International noted that as of this year, the NGO has “adopted guidance advising against the use of AI to portray individual children,” and that their 2023 campaign employed AI-generated images to maintain “the privacy and dignity of real girls.”
mRNA vaccines show growing potential to revolutionize healthcare
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
The mRNA COVID-19 vaccination seems to offer an unexpected advantage: it may extend the lives of cancer patients by enhancing immunotherapy effectiveness.
A study analyzing about 1,000 individuals undergoing treatment for advanced skin and lung cancer revealed that those who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days of starting treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor had nearly double the survival time compared to those who did not receive the vaccine during this period. Clinical trials to validate these findings are set to commence by year-end.
“The outcomes were astonishing,” states Elias Sayur, a researcher at the University of Florida. They speculate about the potential to develop an mRNA vaccine that enhances this immune response. “Could we craft a universal mRNA vaccine that activates the immune system across all cancer patients?” he muses. “The possibilities are extensive.”
However, is it advisable for someone just commencing checkpoint inhibitors to get a COVID-19 vaccine to improve treatment efficacy? “I am hesitant to provide clinical recommendations without concrete proof,” Sayur cautions. “Attempting to harness your immune system against cancer also carries risks,” he adds, urging adherence to established vaccine guidelines.
The rationale behind this finding lies in the immune system’s capacity to eliminate many cancers even before they escalate. Yet, some tumors evolve to obstruct this response. They achieve this by manipulating the “off switch” of T cells, which are responsible for destroying cancer cells. A well-known off switch is the protein PD-1 found on T cell surfaces.
PD-1 becomes inactive when it binds to a protein called PD-L1 on certain cell surfaces. This serves as a safety mechanism for cells to signal, “cease the attack, I am benign.”
Numerous cancers hijack PD-L1 by producing it in excessive amounts. Checkpoint inhibitors function by preventing PD-1 and other off switches from becoming activated. These treatments have significantly increased survival rates for conditions like lung cancer and melanoma, earning a Nobel Prize for their developers in 2018.
However, the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors varies significantly. When an individual’s immune system fails to react to the tumor by dispatching T cells for an attack, these drugs offer limited benefit.
Consequently, combining checkpoint inhibitors with vaccines that bolster the immune system’s tumor combat capabilities could prove to be more effective than either strategy used in isolation. Cancer vaccines are generally tailored to elicit a response to mutated proteins in cancer cells and are often personalized. “We are attempting to discern the unique aspects of their tumors,” Sayur explains. “It demands substantial time, funding, and complexity.”
During cancer vaccine trials, his team observed that the non-specific mRNA vaccine used as a control also exhibited remarkable effectiveness. “It was an absolute surprise,” Sayur remarks.
In July, Sayur and colleagues published findings indicating that mRNA vaccines enhance anti-tumor responses, even when not aimed at cancer-specific proteins, as revealed in studies in mice. Vaccines can initiate an innate immune response that acts like an alarm, energizing the immune system and prompting T cells to move from tumors to lymph nodes, where they rally other immune cells for a focused attack.
Recognizing this potential, Sayur and his team examined the medical records of patients treated at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Out of 884 advanced lung cancer patients receiving checkpoint inhibitors, 180 had received mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations within 100 days of initiating treatment. Those vaccinated survived for approximately 37 months, contrasting with roughly 20 months for those unvaccinated.
Furthermore, among 210 individuals with melanoma that had metastasized, 43 had been vaccinated within 100 days of starting checkpoint inhibitors. They had a survival time of around 30 to 40 months, compared to around 27 months for individuals who were not vaccinated in that time frame. Some vaccinated individuals remained alive at the time of analysis, indicating their survival may extend even longer. The research findings were shared at the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress in Berlin, Germany.
Previous reports have suggested that after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, a proportion of tumors exhibited shrinkage, indicating potential anti-tumor effects in certain cases even without checkpoint inhibitors. “It’s certainly a possibility, but further investigations are essential to fully understand,” comments Sayur.
The United States recently declared significant cuts in funding for mRNA vaccine development, despite the substantial benefits they have provided during the pandemic and the vast potential they hold for treatments beyond vaccines.
Leveraging artificial intelligence can aid the global fight against the climate crisis, but it’s essential for governments to implement regulations on this technology, stated the UN’s director of climate affairs.
AI enhances the efficiency of energy systems and creates tools to lower carbon emissions in industrial practices. The United Nations employs AI to support climate diplomacy efforts as well.
However, Simon Stiel, the executive director of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, expressed that the significant energy demands of large data centers raise concerns that necessitate governmental action.
“AI isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; it carries risks. Yet, it has the potential to be transformative. We need to mitigate those risks while amplifying its catalytic power,” he remarked. “As we manage significant AI platforms, we will innovate ways to run them using renewable energy and encourage energy efficiency.”
He continued, “AI doesn’t replace human effort; it enhances our abilities. Most crucially, it is a force that drives tangible results, aiding in microgrid management, climate risk assessment, and resilient planning.”
Stiel offered an optimistic perspective on global climate actions, asserting that the world is “aligned with the Paris Agreement,” anticipating a surge in renewable energy and new governmental commitments to cut carbon emissions.
Confronted with strong opposition from Donald Trump’s administration, he staunchly defended climate diplomacy while observing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where world leaders convened amidst significant geopolitical and economic challenges.
“If we look beyond the distractions, the evidence indicates a world that aligns with the Paris Agreement,” he stated. “Investment in renewable energy has soared tenfold over the past decade, with the clean energy transition flourishing across almost all major economies, reaching $2 trillion last year alone.”
While China is at the forefront of the global clean energy surge, nations such as the EU, India, several African countries, and Latin America are also widely adopting clean alternatives. However, investments face hurdles due to the obstacles posed by Trump’s dismantling of federal climate initiatives, even as many state governments and companies uphold their commitments.
Though businesses are recognizing the economic potential of transitioning to a low-carbon future, they still require more investment. A recent study revealed that out of over 700 low-carbon industrial facilities planned worldwide, only 15 secured the necessary funding for full production, representing a remarkable $1.6 trillion (£1.2 trillion) opportunity for investors.
Referring to this research, Stiel emphasized, “We’re not waiting for a miracle. The economics are favorable. Over 90% of newly installed renewables are cheaper than the least expensive new fossil fuel options. The technology and solutions are already available.”
However, he noted that despite companies acknowledging the shift, the tangible benefits of transitioning to a low-carbon economy have yet to be felt in households. “This boom is uneven. Its substantial benefits aren’t equitably distributed,” Stiel remarked.
He further noted that the impacts of the climate crisis are accelerating, necessitating quicker progress. Governments are obliged to develop a new national plan, known as the NDC, for controlling greenhouse gases in accordance with the Paris Agreement. While these were expected to be ready by February, Stiel has extended the deadline ahead of the Crunch COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil this November.
Numerous major economies, including the EU, China, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, have yet to officially submit their national plans, while Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Stiel, who emphasizes the positive economic prospects arising during the climate crisis, stated, “Every challenge has its skeptics.”
“We are now reinforcing and transmitting a stronger, unmistakable message: the world remains firmly committed to the Paris Agreement and is fully engaged in climate collaboration.
Edible microbeads can absorb fat in the intestines
Vacharapong Wongsalab/Getty Images
Researchers are developing edible microbeads that can absorb fat, aiding weight loss. These beads may one day be introduced into foods and beverages to help manage or prevent obesity.
Despite ongoing efforts to address obesity, global rates continue to rise. While new weight loss medications like Wegovy and Zepbound have emerged, their high cost and potential side effects highlight the need for alternative solutions.
In this context, Yuu and her team from Sichuan University in China have crafted edible microbeads that capture fat before it’s absorbed by the body. These beads are composed of vitamin E and green tea compounds, coated with alginate, a seaweed-derived fiber. All components are food-safe and approved by the US FDA.
When these beads are ingested, the alginate layer expands in the stomach, allowing partially digested fats in the intestines to enter the beads and bind with their compounds. The beads, along with the captured fat, are then expelled during defecation.
In experiments, rats on a 60% fat diet consuming the microbeads lost an average of 17% of their body weight after 30 days. In contrast, a comparable group fed the same high-fat diet without beads showed no weight loss, and another group on a reduced-fat diet also did not lose weight. The microbeads-treated rats exhibited less fatty tissue and reduced liver damage.
Further analysis of the feces from rats given microbeads revealed fat content comparable to that of the group treated with Orlistat, a weight loss drug that blocks fat absorption. This suggests that the microbeads effectively inhibit visceral fat uptake without the gastrointestinal side effects associated with Orlistat.
“One reason [Orlistat] hasn’t gained much popularity is due to the difficulty in managing bowel movements,” notes Thunder Kirsten from Cornell University. Thus, these edible microbeads may present a viable alternative to pharmaceutical therapies, although human trials are still necessary.
A clinical trial with 26 participants is already in progress. “We anticipate preliminary results within the next year,” Wu remarked during a press release at the American Chemical Society Conference on August 21.
One concern raised is that these microbeads may interfere with the absorption of essential fat-soluble vitamins. Additionally, it’s unclear how palatable they will be to consumers. Similar strategies using synthetic indigestible fats called olestra were attempted in the late 1990s and early 2000s but failed to gain traction due to poor sales, leading to their withdrawal about a decade ago.
Researchers aim to create virtually flavorless beads that can be shaped like tapioca or boba, making them suitable for desserts and bubble tea. “We want to design something that fits seamlessly into people’s eating habits and lifestyles,” Wu stated.
New research published on Monday indicates that the number of structures in the United States vulnerable to flooding may be greater than previously estimated.
A study, published in the Journal’s Future of Earth, revealed that 43% of North Carolina’s flooded buildings from 1996 to 2020 are outside the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Special Flood Hazard Areas, which FEMA designates as having a 1% chance of flooding in any given year.
Experts and the study’s authors believe these findings may assist more communities in understanding their flood risks and insurance needs. As companies pull back from increasing insurance premiums and insuring homes in certain regions due to more frequent severe weather, obtaining flood insurance is becoming increasingly challenging, leaving property owners more exposed.
According to NBC News, experts stated that having access to reliable data sources could facilitate the creation of nationwide databases like the one outlined in the study.
FEMA’s maps serve as the main reference for identifying flood-prone zones and structures requiring insurance coverage. However, experts argue that this system is outdated and lacks resolution. A 100-year floodplain projection doesn’t fully encompass the areas that could be at risk for flooding, and the authors noted that climate change has compromised the reliability of previously authoritative weather and climate forecasts.
This study enabled researchers to pinpoint specific structures that have experienced multiple flooding incidents by utilizing address-level data. This information could inform property owners on whether to obtain flood insurance, even if they fall outside FEMA’s designated flood hazard zones. In the United States, FEMA reports that 99% of counties have experienced flooding, yet only 4% of homeowners hold flood insurance at least once.
“Detailed information about previously flooded areas can empower individuals to make informed decisions,” expressed Helena Margaret Garcia, the lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program did not respond to requests for comments.
FEMA is currently working on revamping its flood mapping system through the Future of Flood Risk Data initiative, aimed at employing more efficient, accurate, and consistent technology to assess the country’s flood risks comprehensively.
Water markers in Orocoke, North Carolina homes illustrate the increasing severity of flooding between hurricanes over time. Courtesy of Helena Garcia
As global temperatures rise, more intense rainfall events are becoming common since warmer air can hold more moisture. Climate change has also contributed to rising sea levels, increasing vulnerability to flooding even in coastal and some inland areas. Hurricane Helen, the third deadliest hurricane of modern times, inflicted substantial flooding in North Carolina’s mountainous regions. Damage from the storm exceeded a total of $78 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The recent severe rainfall has caused flash floods across many U.S. towns over the last two weeks, most recently impacting towns in New Jersey and New York City. In North Carolina alone, six deaths have been reported, while over 100 fatalities have occurred in Texas. Flash floods have historically accounted for the highest number of storm-related deaths in the U.S., averaging 125 deaths per year over recent decades, according to the National Weather Service.
A North Carolina climate scientist noted that the warm seawater feeding the storm could have been a contributing factor to last week’s Tropical Storm Chantal, which set rainfall and river level records in the state.
With the impacts of climate change, having access to up-to-date maps is essential, experts argue.
In their study, researchers mapped 78 flood events using data from 1996 to 2020 from the National Flood Insurance Program, which allows property owners to purchase insurance for potential flood-related losses. They also incorporated emergency service requests and volunteer-based geographic information obtained from social media, creating what they termed the “first of its kind” database. This historical flood data is often inaccessible to the public, which can hinder homeowners’ awareness of prior flood incidents affecting their properties.
Garcia stated that researchers plan to apply the same methodology from their study to create similar historical maps in various regions across the country, identifying areas previously overlooked concerning flood risk.
The research indicated that out of 90,000 structures, only 20,000 experienced flooding, highlighting a significant number that did not file NFIP claims. The study’s authors are now focused on quantifying the human impact, examining outcomes such as healthcare disruptions resulting from floods and the scale of evacuations caused by repeated flooding, as Garcia explained.
On July 7th, Eastgate Mall’s parking lot in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was inundated following a tropical storm. Courtesy of Antonia Sebastian/Helena Garcia
Antonia Sebastian, an assistant professor in the Department of Geology at UNC-Chapel Hill, noted that the study aspires to establish a “comprehensive record of past floods” by gathering data on relatively minor flood events that impact homeowners yet do not receive widespread media attention.
“Areas that have previously flooded are likely to flood again; it’s only a matter of time,” Sebastian remarked. “These sites are inherently dangerous.”
Chad Belginis, executive director of the Flood Plains Association who was not involved in the study, stated that FEMA’s maps are intended to implement the NFIP by utilizing 100-year flood plains to delineate zones for flood insurance coverage. He emphasized that analyzing historical flood research highlights the necessity for flood insurance in areas beyond the mapped FEMA flood hazard zones.
“FEMA’s flood map serves as a starting point, not an endpoint,” Berginnis clarified. “The maps present one kind of flood risk, but to fully grasp flood risk, it is crucial to seek out historical flood data.”
He mentioned that the database models illustrated in the study could be adopted in various other regions. A community manager indicated that identifying past flood sites could enhance community awareness regarding flood risks.
“When we consider the history of floods, [like those along the Guadalupe River], it emphasizes the dangers that have persisted over time,” they reflected. “I truly believe that these areas should be acknowledged as perilous, yet awareness of the actual flooding risks is often lacking.”
June Choi, a doctoral student in Earth Systems Science at Stanford University and not involved in the study, noted that the finding regarding many flooded buildings existing outside FEMA-designated risky areas likely applies to all states. She highlighted that while new databases might have limitations regarding changing building densities over time, the application of historical records and address-specific data still provides valuable insights for assessing future flood risks.
The peculiar plants that existed since the dawn of terrestrial animals can process water to remarkable extremes, resembling water from metstones more than typical groundwater. Not only do they play a crucial role in today’s ecosystems, but their fossilized remnants also provide insights into Earth’s ancient climate and hydrological systems during the age of dinosaurs.
Almost every oxygen atom in water contains eight neutrons, though some rare heavy isotopes possess nine or ten neutrons. When water evaporates, lighter isotopes do so more readily than their heavier counterparts, leading to predictable shifts in their ratios. Researchers can utilize this information to trace the origin of a specific water sample, determining whether it originated from groundwater, fog, or the rate at which it traversed through plants and the humidity levels experienced by those plants in the past.
Nevertheless, due to the minimal presence of heavier isotopes, acquiring reliable data on how these ratios fluctuate can be quite challenging, making it hard for scientists to draw definitive conclusions.
During examinations of water samples from desert flora and fauna, Zachary Sharp from the University of New Mexico and his colleagues discovered discrepancies between the observed data and the anticipated outcomes based on laboratory models.
Sharp and his team believe they have addressed the issue through a remarkable plant known as horsetail, which has been on Earth since the Devonian period approximately 400 million years ago and features segmented, hollow stems. “It’s a tall cylinder with countless holes, evenly spaced, a marvel of engineering,” states Sharp. “We couldn’t replicate this design in our lab.”
As water flows through each segment of the horsetail stem, it undergoes a process of repeated distillation. Sharp and his colleagues collected water samples at various points along the smooth idiot stem (Equisetum) cultivated near the Rio Grande in New Mexico.
By the time the water reaches the top of the stem, its isotopic composition markedly differs from other terrestrial waters. “If you encounter this sample, I suspect it originates from metstone, as it doesn’t come from Earth. [The oxygen isotope ratios],” Sharp remarked during a presentation at the Goldschmidt Geochemical Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, on July 7.
These horsetail analyses enable Sharp and his team to ascertain the variations in the water’s isotopic ratios under near-ideal conditions, allowing them to enhance model accuracy with these values.
By reassessing desert plant data with these refined models, previously inexplicable observations suddenly made sense. Sharp posits that these findings could illuminate other challenging observations, especially in arid regions.
Reaching heights of 30 meters, far surpassing today’s descendants, ancient horsetails provide even more extreme isotopic ratios and could serve as a key to understanding ancient water systems and climates, according to Sharp. Small, sand-like grains known as plant stone threads within horsetail stems can endure to the present day and may feature unique isotopic signatures influenced by atmospheric humidity. This factor affects the evaporation rate. “This could serve as a paleofat meter [humidity indicator]—how fascinating,” Sharp concludes.
The concept of negative or zero-calorie foods, while popular on diet platforms, remains a topic of debate. The premise suggests that our bodies expend as much energy, if not more, digesting certain fruits and vegetables than the energy they provide.
However, there is no scientific backing for this notion. Even the foods lowest in calories, like celery and watercress, contain essential energy for their digestion.
In 2019, a researcher at the University of Alabama conducted a study involving celery and a bearded dragon. You can read the study here. Although the choice of a reptile may seem peculiar, bearded dragons have an omnivorous diet and a digestive process akin to humans.
The large lizard consumed 5% of its body weight in celery. Researchers monitored metabolic rates, gathered fecal and urinary samples, and assessed energy expelled through excretion.
The findings revealed that lizards only utilized about three-quarters of the energy provided by celery, which challenges the idea of negative calorie foods.
Nonetheless, some nutrition experts contend that emphasizing calorie count is not the best strategy for weight management, as the body employs different biological processes for digesting various food types.
For example, our bodies expend considerably more energy breaking down proteins compared to fats and carbohydrates, which are more easily accessible for energy. Thus, the type of food is more crucial than merely the calorie content.
Ultra-processed foods are often high in fats and carbohydrates, offering quick satisfaction but packing a lot of energy, much of which gets stored in fat cells.
In contrast, whole foods, particularly those rich in protein and fiber, generally require more energy for digestion than their processed counterparts.
Fruits and vegetables, often branded as negative or zero-calorie foods, are vital components of a balanced diet.
However, relying solely on these could deprive you of essential nutrients and lead to significant hunger and frustration.
This article addresses the inquiry (from Dani Sherman via email) regarding “Are Negative Calorie Foods Real?”
Feel free to email us your questions at Question@sciencefocus.com or message us onFacebook,Twitter, orInstagram(please include your name and location).
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The US has ended financial support for family planning programs in developing countries, separating nearly 50 million women from access to birth control.
This policy change has attracted little attention in the wholesale demolition of US foreign aid, but it has great significance, including mother deaths and an overall increase in poverty. It derails the efforts that have in recent years brought long-acting birth control pills to some of the world’s poorest and most isolated regions.
The US contributed to family planning programs in 31 developing countries last year, providing about $600 million in 2023, according to the health research institute KFF.
According to an analysis by the sexual health research institute, the US funding provides birth control pills and medical services to deliver them to more than 47 million women and couples, reaching over 47 million women and couples. Without this annual contribution, 34,000 women could die from preventable mother deaths each year, Guttmacher’s calculation concluded.
“The magnitude of the impact is daunting,” said Mariva, who leads the coordination team for the Ouagadougou Partnership, an initiative to accelerate access to investment and family planning in nine West African countries.
The funding ended as part of the Trump administration’s breakdown of the US International Development Agency. The State Department, whose USAID skeletal remains were absorbed on Friday, did not reply to a request for comment on its decision to cease funding for family planning. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explains that he wasted the fired aid project and is not in line with America’s strategic interests.
Supporting family planning in the world’s poorest and most populous countries has been a consistent policy priority for both Democrats and Republican administrations for decades, considered a breakwater against political instability. It also reduced the number of women seeking abortions.
Among the countries that will be heavily affected by the decision are Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Funds to support the International Family Planning Program have been allocated by Congress and have been extended to the latest expenditure bill, which the government is operating until September. Moves by the State Department to cut these and other aid programs are now the subject of multiple lawsuits before federal courts.
The Trump administration has also fired US funding for UNFPA, the UN’s sexual reproductive health organization, the world’s largest procurement of birth control pills. The United States was the organization’s largest donor.
The US was not the sole supplier of birth control in any country, but the sudden termination of US fundraising has created disruption to the system and has already run out of products in clinics.
The estimated $27 million worth of family planning products already raised by USAID are stuck at various points in boats, ports and warehouses. Programs and employees have no programs or employees left to take them down or hand them over to the government. One plan proposed by Washington’s new USAID leadership is for the rest of the employees to destroy them.
Supply chain management is a major focus for USAID in all areas of health, with the US paying for transporting contraceptive products such as hormone implants, for example, from Thai manufacturers to ports in Mombasa, Kenya.
“It will be extremely difficult to put your work back on,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, executive director of UNFPA.
The US has also paid for data and information systems that help the government track what is in stock and what needs to be ordered. None of these systems have been working since the Trump administration sent halt work orders to all programs that received the USAID grant.
Bellington Wwalika, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Zambia, said contraceptives have already begun running in some parts of the country, with the US supplying a quarter of the national family planning budget.
“Wealthy people can buy the products they want. It is the poor who have to think, ‘What should I get between food and birth control?'” he said.
Even before the US retracted its family planning program, the survey found that globally, 1 billion women of reproductive age wanted to avoid pregnancy, but modern methods of birth control were inaccessible.
At the same time, there have been great progress. Demand for contraception is steadily increasing in Africa, a region of the world with lowest coverage, in long-acting ways that provide women with greater privacy and safe protection. Supply has been improved with better infrastructure and helped deliver products to rural areas. And the “Demand Creation” project, which is the main funder in the US, used ads and social media to inform people of the various options available and the benefits of pregnancy intervals or delays. The rise in education levels among women has also increased demand.
Two weeks ago, Thermasibanda, a 27-year-old engineering graduate who lives in a low-income community on the edge of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, received a hormone implant that prevents pregnancy for five years.
Shibanda has a two-year-old son and says he can’t afford more children. She can’t find a job in Zimbabwe’s broken economy and her husband can’t. They follow the $150 presence he earns from the vegetable stand every month. She relied on “hope, faith and natural methods” to prevent another pregnancy from happening after her son was born, Shibanda said, hoping for something more reliable, but that was simply impossible on her family’s budget – until a free clinic came to her neighborhood.
With USAID funding, the Zimbabwean organization that provided implants last year has been able to purchase six robust Toyota vehicles and camping equipment so that outreach teams can travel to the country’s most remote parts and provide vascular removal and IUD at pop-up clinics. Since Trump’s executive order, they have had to stop using all of that equipment.
International nonprofit MSI reproductive options intervened with temporary funds to ensure that they could continue to provide free care to women they could reach, such as Shibanda.
Shibanda said her priorities are to provide her son with the best possible education and that there are no more children as tuition costs. However, many African women have no way of making this choice. In Uganda, the national fertility rate is 4.5 children per woman, but it is not uncommon to meet women in rural areas with limited education with eight or 10 children, said Dr Justin Bukenya, lecturer in community health and behavioral sciences at Makerele University in Kampala. These women become pregnant for the first time as teenagers, with little space between pregnancy.
“By the time they were 30, they were able to get their 10th pregnancy. These are the women affected,” she said. “We’re missing the opportunity to make progress with them. The United States was doing a very strong job of creating the demands of birth control with these women here and mobilizing young men and women to go to family planning.”
Some women who rely on free or low-cost services through the public health system may now seek to buy birth control pills in the private market. However, the prices of tablets, IUDs and other devices are likely to rise significantly without guaranteed to buy large quantities from the US.
“As a result, women who relied on free or affordable options through the public health system could now be forced to rely on private sector sources.
The next biggest donor to post-US family planning is the Netherlands, which provided about 17% of donor government funding in 2023, and the UK provided 13%. The two countries recently announced plans to cut their aid budget by more than a third.
BA said the focus of the West African countries she works for is to mobilize domestic resources and come up with ways for governments to try and relocate money to cover what the US supplies. Charities such as the Gates Foundation and financial institutions, including the World Bank, which are already important contributors to family planning, could provide additional funding to try to move products into the country.
“We were very optimistic. Even with all the political instability in our area, we’ve been using modern methods to add millions of women over the last few years,” BA said. “And now, it’s all, US support, policy, it’s all gone completely. The gap is too big to fill.”
It is common to assume that individuals who are overweight derive more pleasure from food compared to those with smaller bodies, but this is not accurate. Instead, individuals tend to experience increased pleasure from their diet as they gain weight.
Researchers have now identified the reasons behind this phenomenon, as well as how restoring the pleasure response can be facilitated by adopting a healthier diet.
“Obesity is often associated with an excessive enjoyment of food. People believe they cannot resist unhealthy food options,” explained Professor Stephan Lammel, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley and the senior author of the study, in an interview with BBC Science Focus.
“However, both our research and previous studies indicate the opposite: Over time, individuals may experience a decrease in food-related pleasure.”
These findings are linked to the role of dopamine, a brain chemical associated with rewards, motivation, and pleasure. Researchers have discovered that overweight mice have lower levels of a molecule called neurotensin, which impacts dopamine responses to food.
“Contrary to popular belief, individuals with obesity may not eat for pleasure. In reality, much of their eating habits are influenced by routines and emotional cues rather than pleasure or desire,” Lammel added.
To investigate this further, researchers fed a group of mice a high-fat, unhealthy diet and observed their eating behavior. The results showed that the mice preferred the high-fat diet over regular low-calorie foods, indicating a preference for unhealthy options.
However, when presented with high-calorie treats like butter, peanut butter, and chocolate, the mice showed less interest compared to those on a normal diet. This suggests that their food choices were driven by habits rather than pleasure.
Further experiments involving stimulating brain circuits connected to dopamine yielded interesting results. While normal weight mice responded positively to the treatment, overweight mice did not, indicating an issue with dopamine and neurotensin levels.
The researchers were able to correct this by switching some mice to a normal diet, resulting in a return to normal levels of neurotensin, dopamine function, and interest in high-calorie foods. Additionally, artificially restoring neurotensin levels in other mice led to weight loss and improved food motivation, mood, and mobility.
“Our findings suggest that targeting neurotensin signaling through genetic strategies could help rebalance food motivation and promote healthier eating habits,” Lammel stated.
It is important to note that this study was conducted on mice fed high-fat diets, so the results may not directly apply to obese individuals. Nevertheless, the implications for human health are promising.
When asked about the potential impact on people, Lammel commented, “It could potentially make it easier for individuals to maintain a healthy weight without solely relying on willpower or restrictive diets.”
About our experts
Stephen Lammel: Associate Professor of Neurobiology at the Department of Neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley. Investigator at Weil Neurohub with a focus on neural circuits mediating motivation and reward. Member of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute.
There is Estimated genetic differences of 1.5 million Between wool mammoth and an Asian elephant. Colossal Biosciences, a company that seeks to revive extinct species through genetic engineering, now makes mice with “mammoth-like” fur, each with up to five genetic changes. It seems there's still a way to go.
Certainly, these mice have long, curly hair and blonde hair. In that way, it resembles a wool mammoth coat stored in permafrost. However, it is not clear that bringing the same genetic alterations in Asian elephants with far fewer hairs per area of the skin will result in similar results.
“The work done with these mice doesn't mean there's a solution ready to regain the huge phenotype,” says team members. I love Darren At Stockholm University in Sweden, on the Scientific Advisory Committee of Corosal. “As you point out, we also need to understand how to grow more fur.”
Creating an Asian elephant with these genetic changes would also be much more difficult than doing it in a mouse. “Engineering mutations in mice are an established process and are not particularly challenging.” Dusko Ilic King's College London.
Mouse that has been fixed and unfixed
Huge
Techniques that work in mice often fail in other species, and the size of elephants and their slow breeding significantly increases the time and cost involved. “These methods have not been developed for elephants. They are not easy based on anatomy.” Vincent Lynch At Buffalo University, New York. “That's probably the biggest challenge.”
However, Lynch is undoubtedly achievable. surely, Thomas Hildebrandt At the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, Germany – Another giant advisor – New Scientist His team is the first time they've collected eggs from elephants, but the results have not yet been made public. Egg collection is an important step in IVF and is a genetic modification of mammals.
So how did Colossal make a “mammoth” mouse? Researchers began by looking for known mutations in mice that looked like fur. “[T]The majority of these genes were selected based on previous observations of the coat phenotype in mice,” read in a paper published today, which has not been peer-reviewed.
They identified eight genes that affect patterns (curse), color and hair length when disabled in mice. According to Colossal, one of these eight is a mammoth and is naturally disabled.
From the mammoth genome, the team identified small mutations that are thought to affect hair patterns, along with another disordered gene involved in fat metabolism.
The company then tried to modify these genes in mice. For example, one experiment used CRISPR gene editing to attempt to disable five of these genes in fertilized eggs. From 134 edited eggs, 11 puppies were born, and one of these puppies invalidated copies of both five genes.
Fur stored in frozen mammoth rank
Arami Stock Photo
In another study, the researchers used a form of CRISPR called base editing to abolish several genes in embryonic mouse stem cells. They combined this with another technique called homologous recombination to create the exact mutations found in the mammoth genome. Make accurate changes is much more difficult than disabling genes, but the recombination method works well only in the mouse.
The team then sequenced the cells to identify cells with the desired change and injected into mouse embryos to create chimeric mice. Of the 90 injected embryos, seven mice were born with four intended changes.
These experiments can be said to be successful in producing several mice with desirable physical changes in the fur, but only one genetic change is in exact agreement with what is found in the mammoth genome. It takes more work to achieve Colossal's stated purpose With the creation of “a cold-resistant elephant with all the core biological properties of wool mammoths,” and the elephant pregnancy lasting for about two years, Colossal is in time for a spontaneous 2028 deadline.
“Elephants with fur are not mammoths in the way we think of them.” Juan Antonio Rodriguez At the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He says many of the 1.5 million differences between the mammoth and the Asian elephant genome may not be effective, but it is not clear which is more important.
Even if we did, it's dangerous to make broader changes, says Rodriguez. “The more things change in organisms, the more likely they are to tinker with major metabolic pathways and genes.”
Mouse tends to become an unconscious peer by pulling its tongue
Wenjian Sun et al. 2025
When they unconsciously find another mouse, it appears that some mice are trying to revive their companions by stepping into them and biting them and pulling their tongues aside to clean their airways. This finding suggests that caregiving behavior may be more common in animal kingdoms than we thought.
now, Lee Chang The University of Southern California (USC) and his colleagues filmed what happened when they introduced a familiar cagemate who was active or anesthetized and unresponsive to a laboratory mouse.
In a series of tests, on average, animals spent about 47% of the 13-minute observation window to interact with their unconscious partners, showing three different behaviors.
“They start with sniffing, then grooming, and very intensive or physical interactions,” says Zhang. “They really open their mouths and pull out their tongues.”
These more physical interactions included licking the eyes and chewing on the area of the mouth. After focusing on the mouth, the mice pulled the tongue of their unresponsive partner in more than 50% of cases.
In another test, the researchers gently placed a non-toxic plastic ball in the mouth of an unconscious mouse. In 80% of cases, the support mouse successfully removed the object.
“If you extend the observation window, your success rate can be even higher,” says team members. Huizhong Taoeven at USC.
The awakened mouse began walking again earlier than it was unharmed for the mouse. Then, as their responsibility moved and responded, the caregiver’s mouse slowed down and stopped the caregiving behavior.
Additionally, caregiver mice spent more time when they were familiar with unconscious mice than they had previously met.
Restoration behavior is not an analog of CPR that requires specialized training, Zhang says. It’s like awakening someone using a strong smelly salt or slapping, or doing basic first aid so that the unconscious person can breathe. It is also important during surgery to place the tongue of anesthetized patients to prevent airway blockage, he says.
Zhang and his colleagues found that behavior is driven by oxytocin-releasing neurons in the amygdala and hypothalamic regions of the brain. The hormone oxytocin is involved in other compassionate behaviors in a wide range of vertebrate species.
“I have never observed these types of behavior when I run experiments in the lab, but have never left a recovery animal with my partner until I have fully awakened.” Christina Marquez at the Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal. “The fact that three independent labs observe similar behaviors indicates that this is a robust finding, but we are observing what we observe in nonhuman species; We really need to be aware that we personify too many things that result from intentions that go beyond what is observed.”
Zhang and his colleagues believe that the behavior is innate, not learned. This is because all animals tested were only 2-3 months old and never saw this behavior or anesthetized cage companions.
He suggests that such instinctive behavior plays a role in strengthening group cohesion and may be more widespread among social animals than we have seen.
It may be difficult to see this behavior in wild mice, says Marquez. “Mouses are often prey animals that do not live in large groups, so they usually hide very well from us. However [the fact] That we haven’t seen it doesn’t mean they don’t do it. ”
Consuming elderberry juice daily for one week (12 ounces of juice daily) significantly increases the gut microbial community associated with health benefits, according to a new randomized, placebo-controlled study. Compared to placebo, elderberry juice significantly increased Firmicutes and Actinobacteria and decreased Bacteroidetes. At the genus level, elderberry juice increased. FaecalibacteriumRuminococcaceae , and Bifidobacterium Bacteroidetes and lactic acid-producing bacteria decreased.
Elderberry is a small dark purple fruit that grows on the elderberry tree, which is native to Europe. Image credit: TheOtherKev.
More than 70% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. The latest estimates indicate that 42% of adults suffer from obesity, and this is expected to increase to 48-55% by 2050.
Obesity has myriad and multifaceted causes. Proactive dietary management of obesity-related cardiometabolic complications includes dietary patterns that incorporate food sources rich in bioactive food components, such as the Mediterranean-style diet.
These dietary patterns include 5 to 10 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, which are rich sources of polyphenols that promote human health and longevity.
Anthocyanins are a diverse subclass of flavonoids that have been widely studied for health-promoting properties, including metabolic changes associated with obesity, such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease.
Furthermore, research results ranging from translational studies in rodents to large prospective cohort studies show that anthocyanin-rich berries have a protective effect against obesity-related morbidity and mortality. It's proven.
The mechanisms of action of anthocyanin benefits include preventing the intestinal absorption of monosaccharides, promoting cellular metabolism in adipose and muscle tissue, and modulating the gut microbiome.
“We have previously shown that consuming 600 g of blackberries per day for one week increases insulin sensitivity as evidenced by dietary challenge testing and decreases in respiratory quotient by 24-hour indirect calorimetry. “We demonstrated that fat oxidation also increases.” Dr. Patrick Solverson and colleagues at Washington State University.
“The aim of this human study was to determine whether the metabolic benefits observed with other anthocyanin-rich berries also apply to elderberry.”
Researchers tested elderberry's effects on metabolic health in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 18 overweight adults.
While maintaining a standardized diet, participants consumed either elderberry juice or a placebo with a similar color and flavor specifically designed by North Carolina State University's Food Innovation Lab.
Post-intervention clinical trials showed that participants who consumed elderberry juice had significantly increased amounts of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, and decreased amounts of harmful bacteria, such as Bacteroidetes. It was shown that
In addition to positive changes in the microbiome, elderberry intervention improved metabolism.
The results showed that elderberry juice lowered participants' blood sugar levels by an average of 24%, significantly improving their ability to process sugar after ingesting carbohydrates. Results also showed that insulin levels were reduced by 9%.
Additionally, the results suggested that elderberry juice may increase the body's ability to burn fat.
Participants who consumed elderberry juice showed a significant increase in fat oxidation, or the breakdown of fatty acids, after a high-carbohydrate meal or during exercise.
“Food is medicine, and science is catching up to that conventional wisdom,” Dr. Solverson said.
“This study contributes to a growing body of evidence that elderberry, which has been used as a folk medicine for centuries, has many benefits for metabolic as well as prebiotic health. .”
“Other berries also contain anthocyanins, but usually in lower concentrations,” he added.
“To get the same amount of anthocyanins found in 6 ounces of elderberry juice, you would need to consume 4 cups of blackberries a day.”
Christy Teets others. 2024. A 1-week elderberry juice intervention enhances fecal microbiota and suggests improved glucose tolerance and fat oxidation in a randomized controlled trial. nutrients 16(20):3555;doi: 10.3390/nu16203555
Ozempic has the potential to treat many diseases, not just type 2 diabetes and obesity.
MySkin/Shutterstock
Another study showed that semaglutide (a drug found in Ozempic and Wegovi – It may help treat addiction: Researchers found that people prescribed the drug to treat type 2 diabetes were less likely to seek medical attention for smoking than those taking other diabetes medications.
Semaglutide helps treat obesity and type 2 diabetes by mimicking hormones that suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar levels. Previous studies have also shown that semaglutide reduces the incidence of diabetes. Cannabis Use Disorder and Alcoholism.
To find out the effect of semaglutide on tobacco addiction, Ron Shu Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio collected data from the electronic medical records of about 223,000 people in the US with type 2 diabetes and smoking habits, about 6,000 of whom had been prescribed semaglutide, and the rest were using one of seven other diabetes medications.
The researchers then tracked whether participants met with a health care provider about smoking or received smoking cessation counseling within a year of starting to take the smoking cessation medication.
After taking into account variables such as age, sex, race and certain health conditions, the team found that people using semaglutide were, on average, less likely to receive tobacco-related medical care than people taking other medications, which the researchers took to be an indication that these people may be more successful in quitting smoking.
For example, semaglutide users were 32% less likely to receive the treatment. Insulin 18% lower than users Metformin user.
People taking semaglutide may be less likely to seek medical care for their smoking, even though they didn’t necessarily stop using such products. But Xu said that because they all sought tobacco-related medical care at similar rates before they started taking type 2 diabetes medication, semaglutide may actually have helped them.
The study was not a randomized controlled trial, which is the highest level of medical evidence, so the results do not conclusively show that semaglutide is behind the effect, he said. Patricia Grigson Kennedy At Pennsylvania State University, however, other studies have shown that semaglutide reduces activity in areas of the brain involved in reward processing and craving, so there may be a causal relationship.
Grunts and gray grunts in Holchan Marine Reserve off the coast of Belize
Pete Oxford/ILCP
Fish populations in Caribbean marine reserves have not recovered, according to a 12-year study. Researchers say poor enforcement of marine protection regulations, coastal development and rising water temperatures are likely to blame.
Stretching for more than 1,000 kilometers along the Caribbean coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, the Mesoamerican Reef is home to a wide range of wildlife, including more than 500 species of fish and 65 species of coral.
Over the past few decades, governments in these countries have created many marine protected areas (MPAs) with the aim of protecting the precious biodiversity of coral reefs and restoring fish populations that have declined due to overfishing. I did. These areas may prohibit fishing during certain times of the year, prohibit certain types of fishing gear, and restrict other activities such as tourism and mining.
To evaluate the effectiveness of these MPAs, stephen canty Researchers from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland analyzed changes in fish biomass in 111 protected lands and 28 non-protected lands from 2006 to 2018. The data was collected during a survey by a scuba diver as part of the investigation. Initiatives for healthy coral reefs.
The researchers found that adult fish biomass increased in only 11 of the marine protected areas during the study period, indicating an increase in adult fish populations. Meanwhile, adult fish populations declined in 28 of the reserves and remained unchanged in the remaining locations. Less protected sites did see declines, but the declines were often smaller than the most protected sites.
The study found that 11 areas where fish populations have recovered have well-enforced MPA regulations and less fluctuation in sea surface temperatures. Sites with poor recovery showed opposite trends, including poor implementation of conservation measures, increased human activity in coastal areas, and increased temperature anomalies.
“Enforcement plays a huge role in whether some of these areas are successful or not,” Canty says. He suggests that local residents, who make a living from adult fish, should be given a greater role in managing MPAs. It's also important to ensure MPAs are located in areas that are better protected from climate change and easier to manage, he says.
“There's still a lot we don't know about marine protected areas,” team members say Justin Nowakowski, also located at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. “Therefore, it is important to be able to look to the past to optimize how he positions and manages his MPAs in the future.”
New data suggests that a smartphone app could aid in detecting the main cause of early-onset dementia in individuals at a high risk of developing it.
Researchers have discovered that cognitive tests conducted through smartphone apps can identify early signs of frontotemporal dementia in those genetically predisposed to the condition, showing comparable sensitivity to traditional medical evaluations.
Frontotemporal dementia is a neurological disorder that typically emerges in middle age, impacting a person’s ability to plan, prioritize, filter distractions, and control impulses as certain brain regions responsible for these functions diminish over time.
Approximately one-third of individuals affected by this disease have a genetic component, underscoring the urgency of early diagnosis and monitoring response to treatments most effective in the disease’s initial stages.
Lead author Adam from the University of California, San Francisco, noted, “Most frontotemporal dementia patients receive a belated diagnosis due to their young age and symptoms being mistaken for mental health issues.”
The use of smartphones as diagnostic tools for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases has been gaining popularity. Researchers collaborated with a software company to develop an app for assessing cognitive function, gait, balance, movement, and language skills in individuals at high genetic risk for frontotemporal dementia, even before symptoms manifest.
The study published in JAMA Network Open demonstrated the app’s ability to accurately detect dementia and potentially outperform traditional neuropsychological assessments in the early stages of the disease.
While there are no immediate plans for public availability, the app could significantly advance research efforts in understanding and treating frontotemporal dementia.
Over 30 clinical trials are underway or in the pipeline, exploring treatments that may slow disease progression in specific gene carriers. The app could address the challenge of collecting sensitive outcome measures easily, benefitting patients, caregivers, and clinicians.
Stafaroni added, “We believe smartphone-based assessments could facilitate innovative trials for potential treatments, reducing the need for frequent in-person evaluations.”
Ultimately, the app may serve as a tool to monitor treatment efficacy and potentially replace most in-person visits to clinical trial sites.
Fascinated by the shelled mollusk, Saravana and colleagues decided to build a large, soft, single-legged version of the snail and use it as the basis for a robot that moves like a snail.
Saravana explained in his presentation that the team chose to make the legs out of a soft material that could be partially inflated with a small pneumatic pump. Although the chemistry of snail mucus has been studied in detail, the way the snail’s legs move has only been hypothesized based on biologists’ observations, he says. These past studies propose that different parts of the snail’s foot impact the ground and leave the ground before impacting the ground again, and that their movements are not synchronized with each other. This creates a wave pattern across the foot, causing the snail to glide forward on the mucus.
Researchers have successfully reproduced this “pedal wave” motion, which can also expel mucus, in an experimental robot, allowing it to move forward and change direction without falling over. Saravana said that in some experiments, the robot was able to climb steep slopes.
Snail robot without shell
Saravana Prashanth Murali Babu/University of Southern Denmark
Although the bot is still in the experimental stage, Saravana hopes it will be the first robot ever to propel itself like a snail. To make it more self-contained, the team is experimenting with placing the pump inside a snail-like shell on top of the robot. A slightly larger plastic replica of a real snail’s shell, the shell contains electronics to remotely control the robot and emits mucus under the robot’s feet to mimic the slimy tracks of a real snail. It can also accommodate a syringe system for use.
But the team’s ultimate goal is to make the robot’s inflatable legs even softer, making it more like a real snail, whose body is mostly made of water. The researchers hope that a robot that successfully navigates on mucus could eventually inform the design of soft medical robots that can navigate inside the mucus-rich human body.
According to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis, individual neurons work together to generate rhythmic waves that propel fluid through dense brain tissue, cleaning it in the process.
Accumulation of metabolic waste products is a major cause of many neurological diseases, but there is still limited knowledge about how the brain performs self-cleaning.Jean Xie other. They demonstrate that neural networks synchronize individual action potentials to generate large-amplitude, rhythmic, self-perpetuating ion waves within the brain's interstitial fluid. Image credit: Jiang-Xie other., doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07108-6.
“These neurons are miniature pumps,” said Dr. Li-Feng Jiang-Xie, lead author of the study.
“Synchronized neural activity facilitates fluid flow and removal of debris from the brain.”
“If we can develop this process, we could slow or prevent neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, where excess waste products such as metabolic waste and junk proteins accumulate in the brain and cause neurodegeneration. It may be possible.”
Brain cells form a dynamic network that coordinates thoughts, emotions, and body movements and is essential for memory formation and problem solving.
But to perform these energy-intensive tasks, your brain cells need fuel. When you take in nutrients from your diet, metabolic waste products are produced in the process.
“It is important that the brain processes metabolic waste products that can accumulate and contribute to neurodegenerative diseases,” said Professor Jonathan Kipnis, senior author of the study.
“We knew that sleep is a time when the brain begins a cleansing process to flush out waste and toxins that have accumulated during wakefulness. But how does that happen? I didn't understand.”
“These findings may point us to strategies and potential treatments to accelerate the removal of hazardous waste and remove it before it leads to dire consequences.”
However, cleaning the dense brain is not an easy task. The cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain enters a complex network of cells, collecting toxic waste as it passes through it.
On leaving the brain, contaminated fluids must pass through a barrier in the dura mater (the outer layer of tissue that surrounds the brain under the skull) before flooding into the lymph vessels.
But what powers the flow of fluid into, into, and out of the brain?
“Researchers studied the brains of sleeping mice and discovered that neurons work together to fire electrical signals that generate rhythmic waves in the brain, prompting cleaning efforts,” says Jean. Dr. Shi said.
The study authors determined that such waves drive fluid movement.
They silenced certain brain areas so that neurons in those areas no longer produced rhythmic waves.
Without these waves, fresh cerebrospinal fluid cannot flow through the silenced brain areas and trapped waste products cannot exit the brain tissue.
“One of the reasons we sleep is to cleanse the brain,” Professor Kipnis says.
“And if we can enhance this cleansing process, perhaps we can sleep less and stay healthy.”
“Not everyone can benefit from eight hours of sleep each night, and lack of sleep can affect your health.”
“Other studies have shown that mice genetically short-sleeping have healthier brains.”
“Is it to remove waste products from the brain more efficiently?”
“Is it possible to strengthen the brain purification ability of people suffering from insomnia so that they can live with less sleep?”
of study Published in the Journal on February 28, 2024 Nature.
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LF.Jean Xie other. Neurodynamics directs cerebrospinal fluid perfusion and brain clearance. Nature, published online on February 28, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07108-6
Ancient Egyptian papyrus scrolls can be damaged by fungi
Paul Williams / Alamy
Wasabi steam is powerful enough to kill fungi growing on painted papyrus pieces without damaging the fragile craft or altering the appearance of the vibrant colors.
A unique disinfection strategy could help archaeologists and museums preserve documents written on paper made from the papyrus plant, which has been used for thousands of years in ancient Egypt, Greece, and the Roman Empire. “Biological degradation of papyrus is a global problem,” he says. Hanadi Saada At the Grand Egyptian Museum in Egypt.
Fungi can damage delicate papyrus, but some disinfectants can be harmful as well. So Sarda and his colleagues are researching less irritating, “greener” treatments. In this experiment, a paste of wasabi (a popular Japanese seasoning derived from a plant related to horseradish and mustard) was mixed and placed on aluminum foil next to a papyrus sample.
Instead of risking historic papyrus artifacts, researchers prepared replicas for experiments. Samples of modern papyrus were painted in different colors such as red, yellow, and blue and heated in an oven at 100°C (212°F) for 120 days to simulate the natural aging of papyrus over 1000 years. . Finally, they were exposed to several fungal species known to parasitize archaeological papyri.
After 3 days, wasabi treatment removed the fungal contamination without affecting the pigments of the papyrus samples. A follow-up test 1 month later showed the same results.
Current papyrus storage methods include folders lined with special blotting material to protect against changes in humidity, which it says is a “passive method to prevent fungal growth and deterioration.” I am. jessica byler At the Penn Museum in Pennsylvania.
However, Beiler acknowledges that using standard methods does not always guarantee fungal prevention, and that is why “our team of conservators is working to improve the environment in the field of conservation.” I'm interested in learning more about innovative technology.”
A team at the Grand Egyptian Museum is planning to use wasabi treatment on archaeological papyri. The researchers also plan to test whether the spicy condiment is equally effective at disinfecting other crafts made of wood, paper and textiles.
Early hunter-gatherers faced with food shortages may have benefited from the impulsivity associated with ADHD
John Civic/Science Photo Library
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have evolved in hunter-gatherer societies because it was an advantage for them, according to the results of a new study. Characteristics commonly associated with the disease, such as impulsivity, cause some foragers to move from areas where resources are depleted to areas with richer harvests faster than areas without the disease. It could have been something like this.
ADHD affects people's behavior, which can result in them acting impulsively and having trouble concentrating. Although its exact cause is not fully understood, the condition tends to run in families.
Its origins are similarly unknown, he says. Arjun Ramakrishnan At the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. “Is it a remnant of the hunter-gatherer world?”
To explore this, Ramakrishnan, david barak Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recruited 506 people in the United States to play an online foraging game. Players were instructed to collect as many berries as possible in 8 minutes by moving their cursor over the bush.
They were given the choice of staying in the bush or trying their luck in another bush that might have more or less fruit. Moving to a new bush also resulted in a short timeout, so players had to balance the chance of getting more berries with the time lost by moving.
Before playing the game, participants completed a questionnaire assessing whether they had symptoms of ADHD, such as difficulty concentrating or restlessness.
People with ADHD symptoms spent about four seconds hovering over a particular bush compared to those without symptoms, and as a result, the former group collected an average of 521 berries. However, I was able to collect 602 berries.
The findings suggest that selective pressures faced by early hunter-gatherer societies, such as lack of food and other resources, may have driven the evolution of ADHD. There may have been some foraging situations in which it was better to stay than move on, but Barak said this tendency to leave could have been an advantage in some scenarios.
“Humans and other apes are very sophisticated foragers, but like almost all other animals, we tend to stay in our plots too long and harvest too much in our fields.” he says. “Therefore, starting action early may be beneficial to reduce over-harvesting, and this may be where the impulsive characteristics of ADHD come in handy.”
Although many people around the world are no longer looking for food, situations still exist where similar decision-making processes occur. If a person is studying for an exam, he may start by looking at one resource. If it doesn't help you understand the topic, Barak says, you may quickly switch to another resource, which may be more efficient and helpful.
“Although it is difficult to determine exactly how ADHD-related behaviors were adaptive in past environments, we find that people with and without ADHD show measurable differences in foraging strategies. In that sense, these results are convincing,” says Dr. Dan Eisenberg at the University of Washington in Seattle.
but Annie Swanepoel North East London NHS Foundation Trust said it did not reflect the scarcity of resources experienced by many of the early hunter-gatherers, as foraging operations produced abundant berry crops.
It is unclear which components of multivitamins are involved in improving cognitive function.
Asia Vision/Getty Images
Studies have shown that taking a daily multivitamin slows the rate of memory decline in older adults.
This study is the third randomized trial to yield such results, and adds to a growing body of evidence that multivitamins can slow age-related cognitive decline.
“The result is the equivalent of delaying cognitive aging by two years, which is huge,” he says. joan manson from Harvard Medical School was involved in all three clinical trials. These were part of a larger study, funded by the makers of cocoa supplements, to examine whether taking multivitamins and cocoa extract supplements could help prevent heart disease and cancer in people over 60.
Some participants also took a memory test designed to measure whether any of the supplements were having a psychological effect.
The latest trial compared both types of supplements with a placebo pill in 573 people who took in-person memory tests at the start of the study and two years later. Those who took a multivitamin called Centrum Silver performed slightly better on memory tests than those who took a placebo pill.
This is similar to the results of two other arms of a large study that administered memory tests to people online or over the phone.
“The results of this study suggest that multivitamins hold promise as a safe and affordable strategy to protect memory and slow cognitive aging in older adults,” Munson says.
It is unclear which components of multivitamins are responsible for their effects.
Duane Mellor The British Dietetic Association says the trial was not designed to investiage memory effects and further research specifically set up to study this issue is needed. “The results need to be treated with caution,” he says. “It's not a definitive study.”
Bestwell, which provides infrastructure for employers to promote workplace savings programs, has raised $125 million in what the company calls a “pre-emptive” funding round.
Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round, with participation from existing backers Fin Capital, Primary Venture Partners, and FinTech Collective, as well as new investors Blue Owl and HarbourVest.
The New York-based fintech company declined to reveal its valuation.
As part of this round, Justin Overdorff, Lightspeed’s lead fintech partner, joined Vestwell’s board of directors.
bestwell CEO Aaron Schumm founded the company in 2016 and launched its cloud-native platform in 2017. In this latest round, he raised $227.5 million.
Shumm declined to provide specific revenue numbers, but told TechCrunch via email that the startup: “We achieved revenue growth of over 1,000% in three years.”
“ARR and sales will also increase by more than 100% in 2023,” Schumm said, noting that the company is “on the path to profitability in the near term.”
bestwellHe added, “Prior to this pre-empted Series D funding, it was funded through profitability.” The company’s last raise was a $70 million Series C round in 2021.
More than 1 million employees at 300,000 companies use the Vestwell platform, which the company says has contributed to nearly $30 billion in asset savings over time. The company operates in partnership with financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan, state governments, and payroll companies, and generates revenue for Bestwell through per-employer or “per-saver” monthly fees. . Bestwell says that as a partner extension, it enables an array of programs that include retirement, health, and education, including 401(k), 403(b), IRA, 529 Education, ABLE disability programs, and emergency savings programs. There is.
Earlier this year, JPMorgan used Bestwell to expand its 401(k) product.
“We help these companies migrate away from outdated legacy platforms, giving them a competitive edge when entering severely underserved markets,” Schum said. states.
Schum said Bestwell’s public-private partnerships are increasingly driving the company’s business by giving state governments a way to provide a “personalized savings experience.”
“We are now a leading partner in this space, currently powering 80% of the Live State Auto IRA savings programs in this country,” he said.
The company will use the new funding to expand its National Savings and other public savings program initiatives, enhance existing products and develop new products. About half of the new funding will go toward acquisitions, Schumm said. July, Bestwell Acquires student loan benefit provider Gradifi It was acquired from Morgan Stanley for an undisclosed amount.
Vestwell has just over 350 employees and has grown its team size by approximately 40% in the last year.
Lightspeed’s Oberdorf said the company was “deeply impressed with Bestwell” and impressed by the company’s “groundbreaking infrastructure-first approach to solving America’s systemic savings problem.” He said he received it.
“They are undeniably a dominant player and a true disruptor when it comes to the world of savings. Lightspeed is excited about our investment. I am proud to join the board and look forward to accelerating this I look forward to working closely with Aaron and his team to bring the company together. ”
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Rite aid It has been Banned US drugstore giant’s use of facial recognition software comes after Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finds ‘reckless use of facial surveillance system’ humiliates customers and ‘compromises confidential information’ was banned for five years.
F.T.C. orderU.S. Bankruptcy Court approval required after Rite Aid Filing for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code In October, it directed Rite Aid to delete images collected as part of its facial recognition system rollout and products built from those images. Companies must also implement robust data security programs to protect the personal data they collect.
Reuters 2020 report Details of how the drugstore chain secretly installed facial recognition systems in about 200 U.S. stores over an eight-year period starting in 2012, using “primarily low-income, non-white neighborhoods” as testbeds for the technology. Stated.
With the increase in FTC Focus on the abuse of biometric surveillance, Rite Aid was firmly targeted by government agencies. Among the allegations: Rite Aid partnered with two contracting companies to create a “watch list database” containing images of customers it said had engaged in criminal activity at one of its stores. Includes what you did. These images are often of low quality and are taken from CCTV or an employee’s mobile phone camera.
When a customer enters a store that appears to match an existing image in the database, employees receive an automated alert instructing them to take action, which in most cases involves “walking closer and identifying”; That means verifying the customer’s identity and asking them to leave. According to the FTC, these “matches” were often false positives, causing employees to falsely accuse customers of wrongdoing and causing “embarrassment, harassment, and other harm.”
“Following false positive alerts, employees may follow consumers in the store, search them, order them to leave, call the police, confront or remove consumers, and sometimes shoplift in front of their friends and family. and other misconduct,” the suit says.
Additionally, the FTC said Rite Aid did not notify customers that facial recognition technology was being used and specifically instructed employees to: do not have Reveal this information to your customers.
face off
Facial recognition software has emerged as one of the most controversial aspects of the AI-powered surveillance era. In recent years, cities have issued broad bans on the technology while politicians have fought to regulate how police use it. Meanwhile, companies like Clearview AI have been hit with lawsuits and fines around the world for massive data privacy violations involving facial recognition technology.
The FTC’s latest findings regarding Rite Aid also shed light on the biases inherent in AI systems. For example, the FTC says Rite Aid failed to reduce risks to certain consumers due to race. The technology is “more likely to generate false positives in stores located in predominantly Black and Asian communities than in predominantly white communities.” Observation notes.
Additionally, the FTC said Rite Aid failed to test or measure the accuracy of its facial recognition system before or after its implementation.
in press releaseRite Aid said it was “pleased to reach an agreement with the FTC” but disagreed with the core of the allegations.
“The allegations relate to a pilot program for facial recognition technology that we implemented in a limited number of stores,” Rite Aid said in a statement. “Rite Aid stopped using the technology at this small group of stores more than three years ago, before the FTC’s investigation into the company’s use of the technology began.”
Bearded seals have complex nasal bones that help retain internal heat.
Ole Jorgen Rioden/naturepl.com
Arctic seals have evolved clever adaptations to help them stay warm in frigid climates. The nose has a complex maze of bones.
Many birds and mammals, including humans, have a pair of thin, porous nasal bones called turbinates or nasal turbinates, which are covered with a layer of tissue.
“They have a scroll shape or a tree-like branching shape,” he says. Matthew Mason at Cambridge University.
When we breathe in, air first flows through the maxillary turbinates, allowing the surrounding tissues to warm and humidify the air before it reaches the lungs. When we exhale, the air follows the same route, trapping heat and moisture so it doesn’t get lost.
The more complex the shape, the larger the surface area and the more efficient it is at doing its job.
Animals that live in cold, dry environments, such as arctic reindeer, have been found to have more complex gnathonasal turbinates than animals that live in warmer climates.
Now, Mason and his colleagues have discovered that arctic seals have the most complex gnathonasal turbinates ever reported.
Researchers took a CT scan of a bearded seal (Elignathus barbatus), commonly found in the Arctic, and the Mediterranean monk seal (monax monax). Both species had complex turbinates, but the researchers found that the bearded seal’s nasal bones were much denser and more complex than anything seen before.
Mason and his colleagues used computer models to measure how much energy is lost as heat in physical processes at -30°C and 10°C (-22°F and 50°F). We compared how well the seals retain heat and moisture.).
With each breath at -30°C, Mediterranean monk seals lost 1.45 times more heat and 3.5 times more water than bearded seals. Similarly, at 10°C, monk seals lost about 1.5 times more water and heat than arctic seals.
“More complex structures evolved to make life in the Arctic possible,” he says. Sign Kelstrup At the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Illustration of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft diving through the plume of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology
The plumes of water vapor spewing from Enceladus’ surface appear to contain hydrogen cyanide, which, perhaps counterintuitively, suggests that there may be life in the oceans beneath the surface of this icy moon of Saturn. It shows that it is possible.
The Cassini spacecraft flew through Enceladus’ plume several times in the early 2000s, capturing samples as it hurtled past. Preliminary analyzes of these samples have revealed several elements and compounds that may be important for life, but many are not, as the molecules tend to fracture after impacting Cassini’s sampling chamber at high speeds. It has been difficult to identify specific compounds.
Jonah Peter Researchers at Harvard University performed a reanalysis of the Cassini data using new statistical methods and were able to extract more compounds present in the plume. They found evidence of several previously undetected compounds, including hydrogen cyanide, acetylene, ethane, and even trace amounts of the alcohol methanol.
All of these compounds could be part of chemical reactions important to life, but hydrogen cyanide is particularly promising.
“We still don’t have a complete picture of the molecules that are there and are necessary for the origin of life. We don’t even know how the origin of life occurred on Earth,” Peter said. say. “But we know a lot about some of the building blocks that are necessary for the beginning of life, and hydrogen cyanide is one of those very versatile building blocks.”
We know that it can be a building block for amino acids, RNA, and other large biomolecules, so its presence in the plume points to the possibility of life in Enceladus’ subsurface ocean. That’s a good sign.
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