Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: food – Page 3

Is Chronic Kidney Disease Due to Cadmium Exposure Inevitable and Can It Be Reversed?

Cadmium (Cd) is a metal with no nutritional value or physiological role. However, it is found in the body of most people because it is a contaminant of nearly all food types and is readily absorbed. The body burden of Cd is determined principally by its intestinal absorption rate as there is no mechanism for its elimination. Most acquired Cd accumulates within the kidney tubular cells, where its levels increase through to the age of 50 years but decline thereafter due to its release into the urine as the injured tubular cells die. This is associated with progressive kidney disease, which is signified by a sustained decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria. Generally, reductions in eGFR after Cd exposure are irreversible, and are likely to decline further towards kidney failure if exposure persists.

Spider-inspired magnetic soft robots could perform minimally invasive gastrointestinal tract procedures

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a collection of organs and structures inside the bodies of humans and other animals that is responsible for the digestion of food, the absorption of nutrients and the expulsion of waste. Its underlying parts include the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, rectum and anus.

Over the past decades, the incidence of cancer in the GI tract and some other conditions affecting the digestive system has risen substantially. Existing approaches to diagnose and treat GI cancers rely on endoscopy, a medical procedure that entails the inspection of internal organs via a flexible tube with an embedded camera (i.e., endoscope), which is inserted into the body through the anus, mouth or a small incision.

In addition to being highly uncomfortable for patients, endoscopy often fails to reach regions that are deep into the GI tract or are difficult to access due to the body’s natural configuration. Some have thus been trying to devise alternative systems that could inspect parts of the digestive system more effectively, while causing patients minimal discomfort.

Smells interpreted as taste!

When we eat or drink, we don’t just experience taste, but rather a ‘flavor’. This taste experience arises from a combination of taste and smell, where aromas from food reach the nose via the oral cavity, known as retronasal odor. Researchers have now shown that the brain integrates these signals earlier than previously thought – already in the insula, a brain region known as the taste cortex – before the signals reach the frontal cortex, which controls our emotions and behavior.

“We saw that the taste cortex reacts to taste-associated aromas as if they were real tastes,” explains the lead author. “The finding provides a possible explanation for why we sometimes experience taste from smell alone, for example in flavored waters. This underscores how strongly odors and tastes work together to make food pleasurable, potentially inducing craving and encouraging overeating of certain foods.”

The study involved 25 healthy adults who were first taught to recognize both a sweet taste and a savory taste through combinations of taste and smell. This was followed by two brain imaging sessions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in which the participants were given either a tasteless aroma or a taste without smell. The researchers trained an algorithm to recognize patterns in brain activity for sweet and savory tastes, and then tested whether the same patterns could be identified when the participants were only given aromas.

Elon Musk: Robotaxis Will Replace Personal Cars, Not Just Uber

Questions to inspire discussion.

🧠 Q: How does Tesla’s upcoming AI chip compare to the current one? A: Tesla’s AI5 chip will be 40 times better than the current AI4 chip, which is already capable of achieving self-driving safety at least 2–3 times that of a human.

💰 Q: What is the expected pricing for Tesla’s robotaxi service? A: Tesla’s robotaxi service is projected to cost $2 per mile at launch, which is cheaper than Uber rides in high-cost areas like Seattle.

Impact on Transportation.

🚘 Q: How will robotaxis affect car ownership? A: Robotaxis are expected to become a viable alternative to car ownership, especially when prices reach $1 per mile, making them cheaper than options like airport parking.

💼 Q: How does Tesla’s robotaxi cost compare to competitors? A: Tesla’s robotaxi can be built and deployed for half the cost of competitors like Whim, potentially offering more competitive pricing.

Continue reading “Elon Musk: Robotaxis Will Replace Personal Cars, Not Just Uber” | >

Stored for 130 years: Bottles reveal evidence of Danish butter production and hygiene practices of the past

Two forgotten bottles in a basement in Frederiksberg containing bacterial cultures from the 1890s have provided researchers at the University of Copenhagen with unique insight into Denmark’s butter production history. Using advanced DNA analysis, they have examined the contents of the bottles, which offered several bacterial surprises and a reminder of the challenges of hygiene at the time.

Lactic acid bacteria have long been used to flavor food and extend its by acidifying it and displacing . Denmark was among the first to use the magic of lactic acid bacteria industrially, which, together with the introduction of pasteurization, helped to ensure the high quality of dairy products and, not least, keep them free of disease.

This is evidenced by the discovery of two bottles of white powder, which researchers from the University of Copenhagen found by chance in a dusty moving box last year. The bottles had labels indicating that they contained cultures consisting of lactic acid bacteria, but had not seen the light of day since the late 1800s and were well hidden away in a basement under the greenhouses on Rolighedsvej near the old Agricultural College in Frederiksberg.

‘More than just an image’: New algorithm can extract hyperspectral info from conventional photos

Professionals in agriculture, defense and security, environmental monitoring, food quality analysis, industrial quality control, and medical diagnostics could benefit from a patent-pending innovation that opens new possibilities of conventional photography for optical spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging.

Young Kim, Purdue University professor, University Faculty Scholar and Showalter Faculty Scholar, and postdoctoral research associate Semin Kwon of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering created an algorithm that recovers detailed spectral information from photographs taken by conventional cameras. The research combines computer vision, color science and optical spectroscopy.

“A photograph is more than just an image; it contains abundant hyperspectral information,” Kim said. “We are one of the pioneering research groups to integrate computational spectrometry and spectroscopic analyses for biomedical and other applications.”

Satiation variability prediction using AI for obesity treatment

Meal size and termination is regulated by a process called satiation, which varies widely among adults with obesity.

The researchers assessed calories to satiation (CTS) and integrated a machine learning genetic risk score (CTSGRS) to predict obesity treatment outcomes.

High CTS or CTSGRS identified individuals who responded better to phentermine-topiramate, whereas low CTS or CTSGRS predicted greater weight loss with liraglutide, highlighting personalized obesity therapy.

/* */