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Category: food – Page 80

Palm oil alternative is better for health and environment

A new palm oil substitute called PALM-ALT has been developed by researchers at Queen Margaret University in Scotland. The plant-based ingredient is shown to be healthier, as well as 70% better for the environment than conventional palm oil and is described as “the holy grail to replace it.”

Food experts at Queen Margaret University (QMU) in Edinburgh have developed a new ingredient which has the potential to replace palm oil in bakery products. The new substitute is both healthier and more environmentally friendly than palm oil, which is currently used in a vast amount of baked goods. This could be a game-changing solution for the food industry, allowing manufacturers to satisfy increasing demand for tasty, lower fat, healthier products, whilst also reducing deforestation of the world’s rainforests.

New study disproves Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘rule of trees’

A “rule of trees” developed by Leonardo da Vinci to describe how to draw trees has been largely adopted by science when modeling trees and how they function.

Now, scientists at Bangor University in the U.K. and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have discovered that this rule contradicts those that regulate the internal structures of .

Da Vinci’s interest in drawing led him to look at size ratios of different objects, including trees, so that he could create more accurate representations of them. To correctly represent trees, he perceived a so-called “rule of trees” which states that “all the branches of a tree at every stage of its height are equal in thickness to the trunk when put together.”

Preventing $220 Billion in Damages — Scientists Discover Potential Way To Disarm a Mysterious Family of Microbial Proteins

Many of the bacteria that ravage crops and threaten our food supply employ a shared tactic to induce disease: they inject a cocktail of harmful proteins directly into the plant’s cells.

For 25 years, biologist Sheng-Yang He and his senior research associate Kinya Nomura have been investigating this set of molecules that plant pathogens use to cause diseases in hundreds of crops globally, from rice to apple orchards.

Now, thanks to a team effort between three collaborating research groups, they may finally have an answer to how these molecules make plants sick — and a way to disarm them.

From Human Uniqueness to Mental Imagery: This Week’s Top 5 Neuroscience Insights, September 17, 2023

Summary: New research delves into the distinctive human trait of sequential memory, setting us apart from bonobos. A recent study has also highlighted the joy in chasing passions over accomplishments. Groundbreaking discoveries show the human brain’s computational prowess, mirroring high-powered computers.

Additionally, the footprint of Big Tobacco is evident in the modern American diet through the promotion of hyperpalatable foods. Lastly, understanding the range of mind’s visualization abilities, from hyperphantasia to aphantasia, opens avenues for innovative treatments.

Overeating and addiction may have roots in early human brain evolution and prosocial behaviors

Research led by the Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Ohio, has investigated neuropeptide Y innervation in an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens of various primate species, including humans. The research was focused on understanding its role in brain evolution and any implications for human health, particularly regarding addiction and eating disorders.

In a paper, “Hedonic eating, obesity, and addiction result from increased neuropeptide Y in the nucleus accumbens during human ,” published in PNAS, the researchers suggest that the combination of increased neuropeptide Y (NPY) and dopamine (DA) within the human nucleus accumbens (NAc) may have allowed for enhanced . This same configuration may have also made humans exceptionally vulnerable to eating disorders and , hinting at addictive traits having a deep evolutionary origin.

NPY plays a role in the reward system, emotional behavior and is associated with increased alcohol use, drug addiction and . The NAc brain region is central to motivation and action, exhibiting one of the highest densities of NPY in the brain and is of great interest to researchers investigating brain-related promoters of addiction.

Vertical farms could take over the world | Hard Reset by Freethink

Vertical farming saves water, land, and energy — and it could be how we grow food on Mars.

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Vertical farming is a type of indoor farming where crops are grown in stacked layers, rather than spread out across large plots of land. These farms offer many benefits over traditional ones, including the prospect of better access to healthy foods in underserved communities.

Because vertical farms use LED lighting, their output isn’t subject to the natural elements that typically affect plant production such as adverse weather, insects, and seasons.

They’re better for the environment because they require less energy and put out less pollution, without a need for heavy machinery, pesticides, or fertilizers. Additionally, soil-less farming methods like aeroponics require just 10% of the amount of water consumed by outdoor farms.

Adopting these sustainable farming practices could lead to a monumental shift in how we produce food on Earth, and enable us to create a reliable food source beyond our planet.

Continue reading “Vertical farms could take over the world | Hard Reset by Freethink” | >

Fiber from crustaceans, insects, mushrooms promotes digestion

Digesting a crunchy critter starts with the audible grinding of its rigid protective covering — the exoskeleton. Unpalatable as it may sound, the hard cover might be good for the metabolism, according to a new study, in mice, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The researchers, led by Steven Van Dyken, PhD, an assistant professor of pathology & immunology, found in mice that digesting chitin, an abundant dietary fiber in insect exoskeletons and also mushrooms and crustacean shells, engages the immune system. An active immune response was linked to less weight gain, reduced body fat and a resistance to obesity. “Obesity is an epidemic,” Van Dyken said. “What we put into our bodies has a profound effect on our physiology and on how we metabolize food. We’re investigating ways to counteract obesity based on what we learn about how the immune system is engaged by diet.”

Findings, in mice, suggest engaging immune system with such fiber to counteract obesity.

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