The RNA world hypothesis
All living creatures today reproduce and evolve using a complex gene-enzyme cycle. If we look at a cell, for example, information encoded in its genes is used to produce functional proteins called enzymes. Some...
Category: Health / Science
Buttermilk: healthier than it sounds
Buttermilk’s name is deceptive since it contains no butter and is typically low in fat. This dairy beverage originated as a byproduct of traditional butter-making, being the protein-rich liquid left behind after all the...
New autonomous farm wants to produce food without human workers
Iron Ox isn’t like most robotics companies. Instead of trying to flog you its technology, it wants to sell you food. As the firm’s cofounder Brandon Alexander puts it: “We are a farm...
Did key building blocks for life come from deep space?
All living beings need cells and energy to replicate. Without these fundamental building blocks, living organisms on Earth would not be able to reproduce and would simply not exist. Little was known about a...
2018 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their discovery of cancer therapy by...
Gut bacteria’s shocking secret: They produce electricity
UC Berkeley scientists discovered that a common diarrhea-causing bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, produces electricity using an entirely different technique from known electrogenic bacteria, and that hundreds of other bacterial species use this same process. Many of...
Your gut is directly connected to your brain, by a newly discovered neuron circuit
The human gut is lined with more than 100 million nerve cells—it’s practically a brain unto itself. And indeed, the gut actually talks to the brain, releasing hormones into the bloodstream that, over the...
Eating in 10-hour window can override disease-causing genetic defects, nurture health
Scientists at the Salk Institute found that mice lacking the biological clocks thought to be necessary for a healthy metabolism could still be protected against obesity and metabolic diseases by having their daily access...
Forget BMI, scientists developed a more accurate, simpler way to measure your body fat
Body mass index, or BMI, is currently the most widely used method for assessing whether someone is overweight or underweight. But now scientists think they’ve come up with a new and improved alternative: say...
6 meals rich in omega-3s
Omega-3 fatty acids have gotten a lot of press in recent years, and for good reason. These long-chain polyunsaturated fats have been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Some research suggests that they...