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Agriculture and Food

“Uncovering Hidden Habits: Molecules in Blood and Urine Reveal Ultra-Processed Food Intake”

Sets of metabolites found in blood and urine reliably correspond with how much energy from ultra-processed food a person consumes, according to a new study.

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A groundbreaking study published in PLOS Medicine has shed new light on the relationship between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and human health. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute analyzed blood and urine samples from 718 older adults to identify chemical fingerprints, or poly-metabolite scores, linked to UPF intake.

The findings revealed that hundreds of metabolites in blood and urine were associated with the percentage of energy someone consumes from UPFs. By using 28 blood metabolites or 33 urine metabolites, a poly-metabolite score could be created that accurately predicted UPF intake among participants. This score was then validated in a controlled feeding study, confirming its ability to distinguish between high-UPF and no-UPF diets.

The researchers emphasize the potential of these poly-metabolite scores as objective measures of UPF intake in large population studies. By reducing reliance on self-reported dietary data, which can be prone to errors and biases, this approach could provide more accurate insights into the relationship between UPFs and human health.

The implications of this study are significant, given that ultra-processed foods account for over half of calories consumed in the average American diet. As the researchers note, their findings could serve as a starting point for further research into the role of UPFs in human health, potentially leading to more targeted and effective public health interventions.

Agriculture and Food

The Ozone Secret: Extending Mango Storage Life by 28 Days

Mango lovers and growers alike may soon rejoice: scientists at Edith Cowan University have found that a simple dip in ozonated water can drastically extend the shelf life of mangoes by up to two weeks while reducing spoilage. This technique, called aqueous ozonation, helps prevent chilling injuries that typically occur during cold storage, a long-standing challenge in mango preservation.

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The article highlights groundbreaking research conducted at Edith Cowan University, where scientists have discovered an innovative way to extend the storage life of mangoes by up to 28 days. Led by Dr Mekhala Vithana, the study reveals that dipping mangoes in ozonated water for 10 minutes before cold storage significantly reduces chilling injury and extends shelf life.

Mango lovers rejoice! The research is a game-changer for growers and traders alike, as it reduces food loss during storage and provides a longer market window. With the global demand for fruits and vegetables on the rise, this eco-friendly technology could minimize post-harvest losses of mangoes and reduce waste in Australia.

Traditionally, mangoes are stored at 13 degrees Celsius for up to 14 days, but this temperature is not cold enough to prevent chilling injury. Prolonged storage below 12.5 degrees causes physiological disorders that damage the fruit skin and lead to decreased marketability and significant food waste.

The study tested aqueous ozonation technology on Australia’s most widely produced mango variety, Kensington Pride, and found that dipping the mango in ozonated water for 10 minutes prior to cold storage at 5 degrees Celsius extended shelf life up to 28 days with much less chilling injury. This breakthrough could revolutionize the way we store mangoes and reduce food waste.

Dr Vithana emphasizes that aqueous ozonation is a cost-effective, controlled-on-site technology that can be used in commercial settings. The researchers hope to conduct further studies on other varieties of mangoes to test their responsiveness and achieve further reduction in chilling injury for extended cold storage.

As we continue to explore innovative solutions to reduce food waste, the ozone secret could hold the key to extending mango storage life by 28 days, benefiting both growers and consumers alike.

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Agriculture and Food

The Secret Motor Protein That Saves Crops from Drought: Uncovering Myosin XI’s Role in Plant Stress Response

Scientists have discovered that a protein once thought to be just a cellular “courier” actually helps plants survive drought. This motor protein, myosin XI, plays a critical role in helping leaves close their pores to conserve water. When it’s missing, plants lose water faster, respond poorly to drought, and activate fewer protective systems. The finding could open the door to hardier crops that can withstand a warming, drying world.

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The Secret Motor Protein That Saves Crops from Drought: Uncovering Myosin XI’s Role in Plant Stress Response

In a world where climate change is intensifying, drought has become a major threat to global agriculture. To survive such adverse events, plants have evolved remarkable strategies to conserve water and ensure their survival. One such strategy is “stomatal closure,” where the tiny pores on leaf surfaces, called stomata, close to limit water loss.

While the role of plant hormones like abscisic acid (ABA) in drought response is well-established, researchers have now identified a surprising contributor to this process: myosin XI, a motor protein traditionally known for transporting cellular components. This study, led by Professor Motoki Tominaga from Waseda University, Japan, aimed to determine whether myosin XI actively contributes to drought response in plants and to uncover the processes involved.

The researchers used Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant to investigate the role of myosin XI in drought response. They created genetically modified plants lacking one, two (2ko), or all three (3ko) major myosin XI genes and compared them to wild-type plants across several tests, including drought survival assays, water loss measurements, stomatal aperture analysis, and ABA sensitivity.

The results were striking. Plants lacking myosin XI, especially the 2ko and 3ko mutants, showed a higher rate of water loss, impaired stomatal closure, and lower survival under drought. They were also less responsive to ABA, as seen in higher germination rates and reduced inhibition of root growth under hormone treatment.

At the cellular level, these mutants exhibited reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and disrupted microtubule remodeling, both essential for ABA-induced stomatal closure. Key stress-related genes also showed decreased expression, indicating that myosin XI plays a regulatory role in ABA signaling.

This study reveals that myosin XI is not just a transport protein but actively supports plant drought defense by coordinating ROS signaling, microtubule remodeling, and gene activation in guard cells. This enables plants to close stomata more effectively and conserve water.

The findings of this research offer several important breakthroughs and pave the way for new research directions. They reveal a previously unrecognized role of myosin XI in plant abiotic stress response, offering deeper insight into how intracellular transport systems aid environmental adaptation.

This discovery is expected to advance fundamental research on how plants respond to stress and contribute to the development of technologies that improve water-use efficiency in crops grown in drought-prone regions. The researchers aim to further advance their research so that this knowledge can be applied to agricultural technologies that support farming in the face of climate change.

In summary, this study uncovers myosin XI as a critical player in plant drought response, linking cellular transport machinery to hormone signaling. As climate pressures grow, insights like these offer promising paths toward developing resilient, water-efficient crops for a changing world.

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Agriculture and Food

The Tiny Condos of Fiji’s Ant Plant: A Key to Harmonious Coexistence Among Unrelated Symbionts

High in Fiji s rainforest, the ant plant Squamellaria grows swollen tubers packed with sealed, single-door apartments. Rival ant species nest in these chambers, fertilizing their host with nutrient-rich waste while never meeting face-to-face. When researchers sliced open the walls, fatal battles erupted, confirming that the plant s compartmentalized architecture prevents war and sustains the partnership. CT scans of the tubers unveiled a meticulously isolated maze, showcasing evolution s clever fix for keeping multiple, unrelated houseguests peacefully productive.

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The Fiji ant plant, Squamellaria, has long been studied for its remarkable ability to form symbiotic relationships with ants. But what makes this relationship truly unique is the way the plant provides separate “condos” for each ant species, preventing conflicts that could arise from competition for resources. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis and Durham University in the United Kingdom have made a groundbreaking discovery about the secrets behind this harmonious coexistence.

The study, published in Science, reveals that compartmentalization is the key to mitigating conflicts between unrelated symbionts. By creating separate chambers within its tubers, Squamellaria prevents ant colonies from coming into contact with each other, thereby reducing competition for resources and eliminating deadly conflicts.

“We were able to visualize directly what theory has long predicted – that unrelated partners would conflict by competing for host resources,” said Susanne S. Renner, senior author of the study. “But here we also have a simple, highly effective evolutionary strategy to mitigate these conflicts: compartmentalization.”

The researchers used computed-tomography scanning and 3D modeling to visualize the tubers’ internal structure and understand how the plant enables multiple ant species to live together in harmony. They found that removing the partition walls between the chambers resulted in immediate conflict and high worker mortality, emphasizing the importance of compartmentalization.

This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of symbiotic relationships and the ecology and evolution of species interactions. It highlights the remarkable ability of Squamellaria to adapt to its environment and form mutually beneficial relationships with ants, even when faced with conflicting interests.

The study’s findings also shed light on a long-standing problem in ecological theory – how unrelated partners can form long-term mutualistic relationships despite competing for host resources. By providing separate compartments, Squamellaria has evolved an effective solution to this problem, allowing multiple ant species to coexist peacefully and benefiting from each other’s presence.

In conclusion, the tiny condos of Fiji’s ant plant have unlocked a secret to harmonious coexistence among unrelated symbionts, offering new insights into the complex relationships between species.

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