An essential amino acid that is mistakenly believed to cause drowsiness after eating turkey has been found in an asteroid for the first time, giving scientists clues to the origin of life on Earth.
Category: food
How a key protein helps drive healthy longevity by maintaining a precise balance
Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have discovered how the longevity-associated protein Sirt6 orchestrates a delicate molecular balancing act that protects the body from age-related decline and disease. The new findings, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal how Sirt6 preserves health during aging and may pave the way for therapies that promote a longer, healthier life.
Sirt6, often described as a master regulator of aging, is known for its powerful protective effects against age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, inflammation, and frailty. Its impact closely resembles that of calorie restriction, a dietary regimen proven in animals to extend lifespan and enhance the body’s natural repair and healing mechanisms.
Calorie restriction—eating fewer calories without malnutrition—has long been known to improve health and extend lifespan. One of its key effects is to increase the body’s production of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a tiny gas molecule that supports wound healing, heart health, and brain function. This new study found that as we age, H2S levels naturally decline, weakening these protective benefits.
Pesticides and other common chemical pollutants are toxic to ‘good’ gut bacteria, lab-based screening indicates
A large-scale laboratory screening of human-made chemicals has identified 168 chemicals that are toxic to bacteria found in the healthy human gut. These chemicals stifle the growth of gut bacteria thought to be vital for health. The research, including the new machine learning model, is published in the journal Nature Microbiology.
Most of these chemicals, likely to enter our bodies through food, water, and environmental exposure, were not previously thought to have any effect on bacteria.
As the bacteria alter their function to try and resist the chemical pollutants, some also become resistant to antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin. If this happens in the human gut, it could make infections harder to treat.
Sensor-integrated food wrapper can facilitate real-time, non-destructive detection of nutritional components
Food quality and safety are crucial. However, conventional food-monitoring methods, including ribotyping and polymerase chain reaction, tend to be destructive and lengthy. These shortcomings limit their potential for broad applications. In this regard, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing, with real-time, non-destructive, and high sensitivity capabilities, is a highly promising alternative.
In a new breakthrough, a team of researchers, led by Associate Professor Ji-Hwan Ha from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanbat National University, Republic of Korea, has developed a two-in-one nanostructured SERS sensor integrated into a stretchable and antimicrobial wrapper (NSSAW) that not only monitors food directly on the surface but also actively preserves it.
Their novel findings are published in the journal Small.
Collaborating minds think alike, processing information in similar ways in a shared task, study shows
Whether great minds think alike is up for debate, but the collaborating minds of two people working on a shared task process information alike, according to a study published in PLOS Biology by Denise Moerel and colleagues from Western Sydney University in Australia.
Humans rely on collaboration for everything from raising food to raising children. But to cooperate successfully, people need to make sure that they are seeing the same things and working within the same rules. We must agree that the red fruits are the ones that are ripe and that we will leave green fruits alone.
Behavioral collaboration requires that people think in the same way and follow the same instructions. To better understand people’s cognitive processes during a shared task, the authors of this study collected data from 24 pairs of people.
AlphaFold: The 50-year grand challenge cracked by AI
For half a century, scientists struggled to predict how proteins fold. A puzzle at the heart of understanding life and curing disease. Then, five years ago, the #alphafold team cracked the code.
Since then, more than 3 million researchers across 190+ countries have used AlphaFold’s freely available database of 200 million+ protein structures, accelerating discoveries in everything from drug design to disease-resistant crops, bee conservation, and plastic-eating enzymes.
Further reading:
Aged blood vessel cells drive metabolic diseases
Previous research by the investigators showed that eliminating senescent cells with drugs called senolytics improved metabolic function, the body’s method for turning food and drink into energy.
In the current study, investigators focused on senescent blood vessel cells. They selectively removed these cells from obese laboratory mice and found that the animals’ inflammation and fat mass were reduced—and blood sugar levels improved.
When the investigators transplanted senescent blood vessel cells into lean laboratory mice, those mice developed inflammation in fat tissue and metabolic dysfunction.
The lead said this occurred because senescent blood vessel cells release high levels of inflammatory molecules.
The investigators next treated both groups of mice with fisetin, a naturally occurring senolytic compound, and found that the mice had fewer senescent blood vessel cells and improved diabetic symptoms. Investigators saw a similar decline in senescent blood vessel cells when they treated tissue samples from obese human patients with fisetin.
Investigators found that aged blood vessel cells play a key role in the development of metabolic disorders, including diabetes. The preclinical findings, published in Cell Metabolism, could lead to new treatments for these complex disorders.
Vegetarian diet and healthy aging among Chinese older adults: a prospective study
From the article:
Following a vegetarian diet can be a boon for your health, even possibly cutting your risk of certain chronic illnesses, according to the Mayo Clinic. Yet a recent study, conducted by nutrition experts and published in the Nature journal npj Aging, suggests that not everyone will experience the same benefits when they cut out meat entirely. Adults over the age of 60 may have different nutritional needs, meaning a more diverse diet could instead help them live longer… Utilizing data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, the study reviewed information from nearly 2,900 Chinese older adults who were considered to be healthy. Participants’ diets were categorized four ways:
- vegan (avoiding any animal products, including eggs, seafood, or dairy) — ovo-vegetarian (vegetarian plus the inclusion of eggs) — pesco-vegetarian (vegetarian plus the inclusion of fish and seafood) — omnivorous (eating both plant-and animal-based products)
After an average follow-up period of six years, “Individuals who maintained omnivorous diets from age 60 years had higher odds of achieving healthy aging” versus those who “consistently” followed vegetarian eating patterns. When the team further analyzed the health data of those who survived to age 80, omnivorous eaters were more likely than vegetarians to avoid major chronic disease, physical function impairment, and cognitive impairment.
“Given age-related physiological changes in digestive and metabolic systems” in aging adults, the study specifically flagged the potential for muscle loss and bone fracture for those adhering to vegetarian diets. Another interesting discovery: older adults following a vegan diet were “most strongly associated with adverse effects on healthy aging,” which the text attributes to an increased risk of protein deficiency.”
npj Aging — Vegetarian diet and healthy aging among Chinese older adults: a prospective study. npj Aging 11, 25 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-025-00213-4