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Category: food

Dietary restriction fuels T-cells with ketones, boosting their cancer-fighting stamina

Reducing calorie intake helps cancer-fighting immune cells do their jobs more effectively, reports a study by Van Andel Institute scientists and collaborators. The findings lay the groundwork for developing dietary strategies to boost the effects of a powerful class of cancer immunotherapies.

“Growing evidence suggests dietary restriction has anti-cancer effects but the ‘why and how’ are not well understood. Our new study reveals one way this relationship may work: by providing T cells, the soldiers of the immune system, with the right mix of nutrients to more effectively fight cancer,” said Russell Jones, Ph.D., chair of VAI’s Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming and corresponding author of the study.

“Additional research is needed but we are hopeful these insights can inform evidence-based dietary guidelines to improve the effectiveness of immune-based cancer treatments.”

Investigating the rise of early-onset cancer | Four Corners Documentary

Australians in their 30s and 40s are facing an alarming surge in cancer diagnoses and researchers are scrambling to understand why.

From bowel and breast to liver and kidney, aggressive cancers are hitting younger people; they’re often detected late, with devastating outcomes.

Dr Norman Swan investigates what’s behind the change.

Could it be ultra-processed foods, stress, or exposures dating back to childhood, even pregnancy?

He meets those grappling with a diagnosis and searching for answers.

Generation Cancer asks what can be done to curb the rise, and are we ready?

Continue reading “Investigating the rise of early-onset cancer | Four Corners Documentary” | >

Turning plastic waste into valuable chemicals with single-atom catalysts

The rapid accumulation of plastic waste is currently posing significant risks for both human health and the environment on Earth. A possible solution to this problem would be to recycle plastic waste, breaking it into smaller molecules that can be used to produce valuable chemicals.

Researchers at Nanjing Forestry University and Tsinghua University recently introduced a new approach to convert polystyrene (PS), a plastic widely used to pack some foods and other products, into toluene, a hydrocarbon that is of value in industrial and manufacturing settings. Their proposed strategy, outlined in a paper published in Nature Nanotechnology, entails heating polystyrene waste in hydrogen and breaking it down into smaller vapor molecules, a process known as hydro-pyrolysis.

Life-cycle and techno-economic analyses performed by the team showed that the newly introduced process could reduce the carbon footprint of toluene production by 53%, producing toluene at an estimated cost of $0.61/kg, which is below the current industry benchmark.

Efficient site-specific integration of kilobase-length DNA fragments in plant cells via Kp03 recombinase

Employing this sensitive assay, we revealed that the integration efficiencies of the 9.9-kb attP-containing DNA donor in rice cells remained remarkably high at 80.5%, relative to the 3.4-kb attP-containing donor, which was set as the baseline for 100% integration efficiency (Figure 2 B). However, a significant decrease in recombination efficiency was observed for donor DNA exceeding 17 kb. The integration efficiency of the 17.4-kb attP-containing plasmid decreased to 42.5% (Figure 2 B), and for the 27.3-kb attP-containing plasmid, it further declined to 8.2% (Figure 2 B). Similar trends were observed in Arabidopsis, with recombination efficiencies of 51.4%, 26.5%, and 9.0% for the 9.9-, 17.4-, and 27.3-kb attP-containing donors, respectively (Figure 2 C). Furthermore, PCR amplification of the attL junctions confirmed that the donor attP sequences had indeed been recombined into the attB as expected (Figures 2 D and 2E). Collectively, these results demonstrate that the Kp03 system can efficiently mediate targeted insertion of large DNA donors up to 27.3 kb in plant cells.

Interestingly, in addition to donor size, we also observed that Kp03-mediated recombination efficiency is sensitive to temperature, exhibiting differential efficiency under varying thermal conditions (Figure S2).

Could cheese protect your brain health? Study links high-fat cheese and cream to lower dementia risk

Eating more high-fat cheese and high-fat cream may be linked to a lower risk of developing dementia, according to a new study published in Neurology. This study does not prove that eating high-fat cheese and high-fat cream lowers the risk of dementia, it only shows an association.

High-fat cheeses contain more than 20% fat and include varieties such as cheddar, Brie and Gouda. High-fat creams typically contain 30–40% fat and include whipping cream, double cream and clotted cream. These are commonly labeled as “full-fat” or “regular” versions in stores.

“For decades, the debate over high-fat versus low-fat diets has shaped health advice, sometimes even categorizing cheese as an unhealthy food to limit,” said Emily Sonestedt, Ph.D., of Lund University, Sweden.

Real-time social interactions reveal how we balance cooperation and competition

When people reach for the same object, walk through a narrow doorway, forage for food, or work together on a shared task, they continuously negotiate—often without noticing—how much to cooperate or compete. Unlike classical laboratory games that force players to choose between fixed options in advance, real-life interactions unfold dynamically, with movement timing and subtle cues shaping social behavior from one moment to the next.

A collaborative research team from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI), the University of Göttingen, and the German Primate Center—Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ) has developed a novel experimental framework that captures this natural complexity. Their study, published in Communications Psychology, reveals how human pairs spontaneously settle into stable cooperative, intermediate or competitive roles—and how these strategies arise from the interplay between social motives, cost-benefit constraints, and sensorimotor skills.

Ultra-low power, fully biodegradable artificial synapse offers record-breaking memory

In Nature Communications, a research team affiliated with UNIST present a fully biodegradable, robust, and energy-efficient artificial synapse that holds great promise for sustainable neuromorphic technologies. Made entirely from eco-friendly materials sourced from nature—such as shells, beans, and plant fibers—this innovation could help address the growing problems of electronic waste and high energy use.

Traditional artificial synapses often struggle with high power consumption and limited lifespan. Led by Professor Hyunhyub Ko from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, the team aimed to address these issues by designing a device that mimics the brain’s synapses while being environmentally friendly.

30,000 Brain Scans Reveal a Hidden Danger in Ultra-Processed Foods

Brain imaging of 30,000 people revealed that ultra-processed foods are associated with structural differences in the brain that could fuel overeating.

The study suggests that additives like emulsifiers may influence these effects. While some processed foods are beneficial, ultra-processed products pose a clear risk.

Brain imaging study reveals concerning links to ultra-processed foods.

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