Should obesity be recognized as a disease?

With obesity now affecting almost a third (29%) of the population in England, and expected to rise to 35% by 2030, should we now recognise it as a disease? Experts debate the issue in The BMJ today.

* This article was originally published here

A new material for the battery of the future

Renewable sources of energy such as wind or photovoltaic are intermittent; production peaks do not necessarily follow the demand peaks. Storing green energy is therefore essential to moving away from fossil fuels. The energy produced by photovoltaic cells and wind power is stored to be used later on when needed.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/a-new-material-for-the-battery-of-the-future

Ants that defend plants receive sugar and protein

Biologists Laura Carolina Leal and Felipe Passos have performed a series of experiments to determine how plants with extrafloral nectaries interact with ants in Brazil's Northeast region—specifically, in the interior of Bahia State, where the semiarid Caatinga biome predominates.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/ants-that-defend-plants-receive-sugar-and-protein

Green fertiliser made from cow dung and chicken feathers could transform big agriculture

A raft of strategies is being trialled in Europe to turn nutrient-rich farm waste such as chicken feathers, cow dung and plant stalks into green fertiliser. Full of phosphorus and nitrogen, recycled products could help reduce intensive agriculture's emissions and reliance on fertiliser imports.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/green-fertiliser-made-from-cow-dung-and-chicken-feathers-could-transform-big-agriculture

Illusive patterns in math explained by ideas in physics

Patterns appear widely throughout nature and math, from the Fibonacci spirals of sea shells to the periodicity of crystals. But certain math problems can sometimes trick the human solver into seeing a pattern, but then, out of the blue, the pattern suddenly disappears. These illusive patterns crop up in many areas of math, with one example coming from certain calculus integrals that have deceived the intuition of even the best mathematicians.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/illusive-patterns-in-math-explained-by-ideas-in-physics

How invading fungus forces zombie ant's death grip

If it's thoughts of zombies that keep you awake at night, you shouldn't be worried about zombie humans; it's the carpenter ants (Camponotus castaneus) that should concern you most. When infected by a specialised fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato), the hapless ants are unable to resist its potent power. Losing free will, the unfortunate victims locate tall pieces of vegetation, marching to a high point before the fungal infection forces them to clamp their mandibles—jaws—tightly onto a leaf vein or twig. There, the ill-fated host expires, only to be consumed from within by its evil fungal lodger, ready to scatter its spores below in the hope of infecting the next unsuspecting victim. Yet, despite the insects' loss of control, Colleen Mangold from Pennsylvania State University, USA, explains that the fungus does not attack their brains directly: 'the mandibular muscles ... of infected ants are extensively colonised by the fungus', she says. Wondering how the fungus exerts control over the ants' powerful jaw muscles, Mangold and PI David Hughes decided to take a closer look inside the muscle itself. They have discovered that the fungus invades the mandibular muscles, breaks open the membrane covering the muscle fibres and forces the muscle to contract so forcefully that it wrecks the minute muscle filaments that slide past each other. The team publishes the discovery in Journal of Experimental Biology at http://jeb.biologists.org.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/how-invading-fungus-forces-zombie-ants-death-grip

Toxic toads found near Sydney spark fears of southward spread

A toxic cane toad prevalent in Australia's tropical north has been captured near Sydney, sparking fears the invasive species could be adapting to cooler weather and spreading southwards, further threatening the country's unique wildlife.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/toxic-toads-found-near-sydney-spark-fears-of-southward-spread

First US murder conviction overturned using DNA, family tree evidence

An American man was exonerated Wednesday for a decades-old murder he did not commit, using evidence based on DNA and a genetic family tree, the first such result using a revolutionary investigative technique.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/first-us-murder-conviction-overturned-using-dna-family-tree-evidence

Swiss specialities: chocolate, cheese and ... wine?

When foreigners think of Swiss specialities that might excite their taste buds, world-renowned chocolate and cheese likely come to mind.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/swiss-specialities-chocolate-cheese-and-wine

Researchers deploy a novel mobile lab for rapid, real-time pathogen testing in the field

University of Minnesota researchers have refined testing methods for tick-borne diseases in the field by using a new, deployable mobile laboratory and performing genetic sequencing of key pathogens to better understand how they move, evolve and function. The U of M research team based in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is one of the first in the U.S. to use this technology for tick-borne pathogens in this specific way.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-deploy-a-novel-mobile-lab-for-rapid-real-time-pathogen-testing-in-the-field

Should obesity be recognized as a disease?

With obesity now affecting almost a third (29%) of the population in England, and expected to rise to 35% by 2030, should we now recognise it as a disease? Experts debate the issue in The BMJ today.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/should-obesity-be-recognized-as-a-disease

Emotion-detection applications built on outdated science, report warns

Software that purportedly reads emotions in faces is being deployed or tested for a variety of purposes, including surveillance, hiring, clinical diagnosis, and market research. But a new scientific report finds that facial movements are an inexact gauge of a person's feelings, behaviors or intentions.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/emotion-detection-applications-built-on-outdated-science-report-warns

Timing of spay, neuter tied to higher risk of obesity and orthopedic injuries in dogs

Spaying or neutering large-breed dogs can put them at a higher risk for obesity and, if done when the dog is young, nontraumatic orthopedic injuries, reports a new study based on data from the Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. The spay/neuter study was published today in the journal PLOS ONE.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/timing-of-spay-neuter-tied-to-higher-risk-of-obesity-and-orthopedic-injuries-in-dogs

Jumbo squid mystery solved

The culprit responsible for the decline of Mexico's once lucrative jumbo squid fishery has remained a mystery, until now. A new Stanford-led study published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science identifies shifting weather patterns and ocean conditions as among the reasons for the collapse, which spells trouble for the Gulf of California's marine ecosystems and fishery-dependent economies. It could also be a sign of things to come elsewhere.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/jumbo-squid-mystery-solved

Over-claiming knowledge predicts anti-establishment voting

In light of the election and ballot victories of populist, anti-establishment movements, many people have been trying to better understand the behaviors and motivations of voters. Studying voter behavior on an EU treaty, social psychologists in the Netherlands found that knowledge overclaiming predicts anti-establishment voting, particularly at the radical right.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/over-claiming-knowledge-predicts-anti-establishment-voting

Graduates offer small businesses a route to innovation—but firms don't know how to access them

Graduates offer companies an untapped resource that leads to innovation, and small and medium-sized businesses need to embrace it.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/graduates-offer-small-businesses-a-route-to-innovation-but-firms-dont-know-how-to-access-them

PFAS move from mom to fetus at higher rate in women with gestational diabetes

A University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental epidemiologist studying the presence of PFAS compounds in new mothers and their babies found that women with gestational diabetes had a "significantly higher" rate of transferring the synthetic chemicals to their fetus.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/pfas-move-from-mom-to-fetus-at-higher-rate-in-women-with-gestational-diabetes

Shaky scaffold changes lung infrastructure

Our lungs work tirelessly all through the day to keep us breathing, seamlessly expanding and contracting. When lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred, it can lose its flexibility, making it harder to breathe.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/shaky-scaffold-changes-lung-infrastructure

One in 270 births have 'dual burden' of prematurity and severe maternal complications

A quarter of women who have serious maternal complications during childbirth also have premature births, posing a "dual burden" on families, finds research from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) California Preterm Birth Initiative, and Stanford University.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/one-in-270-births-have-dual-burden-of-prematurity-and-severe-maternal-complications

Species on the move

A total of 55 animal species in the UK have been displaced from their natural ranges or enabled to arrive for the first time on UK shores because of climate change over the last 10 years (2008-2018) - as revealed in a new study published today (18 July 2019) by scientists at international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London).

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/species-on-the-move

Red wine's resveratrol could help Mars explorers stay strong

Mars is about 9 months from Earth with today's tech, NASA reckons. As the new space race hurtles forward, Harvard researchers are asking: how do we make sure the winners can still stand when they reach the finish line?

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/red-wines-resveratrol-could-help-mars-explorers-stay-strong

Promising system delivers chemo drug straight into tumors with fewer side effects

A stealthy new drug-delivery system disguises chemotherapeutics as fat in order to outsmart, penetrate and destroy tumors.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/promising-system-delivers-chemo-drug-straight-into-tumors-with-fewer-side-effects

Modeling predicts blue whales' foraging behavior, aiding population management efforts

Scientists can predict where and when blue whales are most likely to be foraging for food in the California Current Ecosystem, providing new insight that could aid in the management of the endangered population in light of climate change and blue whale mortality due to ship strikes, a new study shows.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/modeling-predicts-blue-whales-foraging-behavior-aiding-population-management-efforts