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Category: food – Page 2

3D map of rice development charts gene activity across plant’s entire life cycle

Rice is one of the world’s most familiar staple foods, but how does a single cell develop into a rice plant with specialized tissues and organs? A new study offers a detailed look at this process through a three-dimensional (3D) spatiotemporal atlas covering 10 organs and 61 developmental stages across the rice life cycle, from seed to seed.

The study, published in Cell, was conducted by a research team led by professor Yang Weicai from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with several other research teams.

The plant life cycle alternates between a haploid phase, which produces sperm and egg cells, and a diploid phase, which develops following fertilization. In plants, the diploid zygote develops into a multicellular organism through coordinated cell divisions and cell fate specification. Understanding how these processes are regulated across different tissues and developmental stages is a fundamental goal of developmental biology.

New electrochemical sensor could make food quality testing faster and less expensive

Researchers at the Oregon State University College of Science have developed a new electrochemical sensor for rapidly and accurately detecting a naturally occurring compound widely used in the food, beverage and fragrance industries.

The compound is eugenol, which gives cloves their telltale flavor and smell, and measuring its presence in commercial products is important for manufacturers and regulators.

The findings are published in Materials Today Chemistry.

Why some young ants start hunting and caring for others early

Some insects, including honeybees and ants, live in highly organized colonies where individuals take on specific roles. In many ant societies, young adult workers typically care for developing young inside the nest before beginning to forage, or search for food, outside it. Some ant species, however, start hunting for food as soon as they reach adulthood, without undergoing a transition period.

One example is Stigmatomma pallipes, a species belonging to a group commonly called Dracula ants because adults can pierce the skin of their developing young and drink a bloodlike fluid called hemolymph. The age-independent behavior of these ants was first reported in a Science paper published in 1978 by Dr. James Traniello, who is now a professor of biology at Boston University.

Researchers at Boston University recently tried to better understand how the brain development of S. pallipes workers contributes to this early readiness for work. Their findings, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggest that regions in the brains of S. pallipes reach their largest size during the pupal stage, when immature ants transition into adulthood.

Mounting Evidence Shows a Common Plastic Chemical Can Affect Human Ovaries

A class of chemicals called phthalates is widespread in our lives, and there are growing concerns about what impact they’re having on our reproductive health.

The most common phthalate – DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) – is usually added to materials to make them more flexible. It’s used in PVC pipes, cling wrap, shower curtains, medical tubing, eyelash glue, and many other everyday items.

It can easily get into our bodies, particularly if it’s in our food or water, since it’s readily absorbed through the lining of the intestines. When DEHP enters the human body, our enzymes convert it to MEHP (mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate).

Scientists engineer microbe to help humanity settle Mars

Now, researchers at Pioneer Labs in Emeryville, California, have developed a microbe they suggest may be a useful, safe first step toward terraforming Mars.

“On Mars, nature will do the same jobs for us that she does on Earth — create fertile soil, shelter, oxygen and food,” Erika DeBenedictis, CEO of Pioneer Labs, told Space.com.

A trick from tardigrades could help human blood withstand freezing

Tardigrades survive conditions that would destroy most other living things: freezing, dehydration and the vacuum of space. Researchers even put tiny tattoos on them, and the animals don’t seem to mind. By learning how these critters carry on, researchers hope to find ways to protect human cells.

One potential application is red blood cell cryopreservation—a process that stores rare blood types for long periods until they are needed. Blood cells are typically treated with glycerol to stop ice crystal formation during freezing. But glycerol must be removed before a transfusion, which causes cell damage.

Tardigrades offer a simpler option: They have a protein called CAHS (cytosolic abundant heat-soluble) that they use to survive in extreme conditions. These proteins uniquely interact with trehalose, a sugar that stabilizes cell membranes and proteins. It’s often used to reduce freezer burn in frozen foods. So, Hui Yang, Leming Sun and colleagues wanted to explore whether combining CAHS proteins and trehalose could protect red blood cells in mice better than glycerol could alone.

To mate or predate?

The specialized arm that male octopuses use for mating is also a sensory organ that can detect the ovarian hormone progesterone, according to a recent Science study.

The researchers say the dual-purpose organ offers an example of how sensory adaptations may shape reproductive behavior in ways that can contribute to speciation.

Octopuses use the same system for sensing food or a mate, which has implications for speciation.

Anna Di Cosmo Authors Info & Affiliations

Science

Vol 392, Issue 6793

Continue reading “To mate or predate?” | >

Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry launches ‘LOBA’ a digital Consumer-Protection Platform

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of National Economy announced on 5 October 2026 the launch of a national digital platform called LOBA (also rendered ‘Loba’) intended to enable consumers to report abusive practices, obtain information on consumer rights and track the progress of complaints.

The platform is based on a synergy of efforts between the Competition Commission (COMCO) and sectoral regulatory authorities covering telecommunications, banking, insurance, electricity, aviation, pharmaceuticals, food and health sectors.

The Ministry’s Communications Unit said the platform would ‘centralise consumer requests and simplify the processing of claims’ and would also ‘contribute to building a database to better identify and analyse recurring problems related to consumer protection in the DRC’

Ultraprocessed meals produce distinct metabolic and brain responses

Most nutrition science suggests that meals with the same basic nutritional profile will have the same impact on a person’s blood sugar.

But is there something about food processing itself that influences how our bodies respond?

Researchers exploring that question were surprised to find that minimally and highly processed meals nutritionally matched on calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water, salt, and weight produced distinct metabolic responses.

Finally: Rose-Tinted Solar Panels Could Let Crops And Electricity Share The Same Land

Plants are the original solar panels, and they’re very good at converting light into energy – red and blue light, that is.

But what if a solar panel could co-exist with plants, capturing the light that they aren’t using while allowing those red and blue wavelengths through?

That’s what a team led by Silvia Ma Lu of Mälardalen University in Sweden has tested in a new study, using semi-transparent, rose-tinted solar panels that let specific wavelengths of light through to plants growing below, while also capturing solar energy for electricity.