science wire

Gene related to fat preferences in humans found
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A preference for fatty foods has a genetic basis, according to researchers, who discovered that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those who have other forms of this gene. The results help explain why some people struggle when placed on a low-fat diet and may one day assist people in selecting diets that are easier for them to follow.

Straight from the gut: Microbes can cause obesity
Obesity and chronic liver disease can be triggered by a family of proteins that alter populations of microbes in the stomach, a discovery that suggests the condition may be infectious, Yale scientists report. The study, in the advance online publication of Nature , expands on earlier Yale research that showed how similar microbial imbalances caused by the same family of proteins increases the risk of intestinal diseases such as colitis.

Obesity operations a mystery for diabetes researchers
Within just a few days of having obesity surgery, the majority of patients cease to suffer from type 2 diabetes. At the Lund University Diabetes Centre, a research group is trying to get to grips with the apparently inexplicable connection. It is hoped that in the long run a cure could be developed.

Divided opinions on radical land reform at thesis defence
Was the land reform in Zimbabwe in the year 2000, when thousands of white farmers were forced off their land, a disaster or a success for the country?

Four Breast Cancer-Related Studies Seeking Participants
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center researchers examine role of diet and exercise An active lifestyle and a healthy diet can help you feel more energetic, control your weight, help you sleep better, and reduce your risk of many diseases.

Hip size may be the key to link between obesity and premature death
A research team headed by Associate Professor Stefan Söderberg from Umeå University has for the first time demonstrated that the effect of obesity on the risk of premature death is seriously underestimated unless a person's hip circumference is taken into account. By looking at the relationship between waist and hip circumference* in a 20-year study of almost 8000 Mauritians, the research is also the first ever study to link obesity to mortality in a South Asian population.

What the Olympic Games have done for us
The genuine scientific benefits that have emerged from the modern Olympic Games have often been lost in the hype surrounding these high profile international events.

The History Channel will feature Penn State research on farm fields
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A Penn State Extension field demonstration of technology designed to reduce odors and nutrient losses from agricultural fields will be a featured segment on the History Channel's "Modern Marvels" program.

Breeding better grasses for food and fuel
Newly discovered family of genes could help us breed grasses with improved properties for food and fuel. Unlike starchy grains, the energy stored in the woody parts of plants is locked away and difficult to get at.

Vitamin D deficiency rates cause for concern
Almost one-third of adults over the age of 25 have a Vitamin D deficiency, a new study evaluating the Vitamin D status of Australian adults has found. The paper is the largest study of its kind, drawing on 11,218 people from the AusDiab Study and includes Australians from Darwin to Hobart.

Picky females prefer well-fed males
A good upbringing can make you more attractive to females - if you are a mosquitofish, that is.

Scientists reassess weight loss surgery for type 2 diabetes
Weight loss surgery is not a cure for type 2 diabetes, but it can improve blood sugar control, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Surgery. Whereas some previous studies have claimed that up to 80 per cent of diabetes patients have been cured following gastric bypass surgery, researchers at Imperial College London found that only 41 per cent of patients achieve remission using more stringent criteria.

Satellites can help to grow the perfect grape
Satellites can help to grow the perfect grape A little water is needed to make wine, but how do you know when enough is enough? ESA's GrapeLook service can give you the answer.

Disease-causing fungi prevalent in sink drains, study finds
University pledges continued cooperation with NCAA inquiry Hotels to support RAINN over commencement weekend A message from President Rodney Erickson As lawmakers review child abuse laws, Erickson expresses support Blue out, canning efforts raise $47,000 to fight child abuse, rape UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.

What are the prospects for sustaining high-quality groundwater?
Intensive agriculture practices developed during the past century have helped improve food security for many people but have also added to nitrate pollution in surface and groundwaters. New research has looked at water quality measurement over the last 140 years to track this problem in the Thames River basin.

Teens more likely to eat breakfast if visited by virtual ’pets’
A fake Fido can motivate your child to eat breakfast, reports a new study. In a Cornell experiment, researchers found that teens who received feedback from virtual pets on a smartphone about their morning food choices were twice as likely to eat breakfast. The study - one of the first to test efficacy of mobile technologies to motivate adolescents to make healthy nutritional choices - was published Nov.

Least Nutritious Cereals Served Most Often in Minority Homes with Children
In the first study to examine cereal-buying patterns in homes in the United States, researchers at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity found that minority families with children are most likely to buy the least nutritious cereals that are advertised directly to children. The study appears online in the journal Public Health Nutrition.

Lending a helping hand to develop African soil information
West African soil scientists are learning how to make the most out of sub-Saharan African soil during a six-week visit to the University of Sydney.

Young Australians’ lack good quality fruit and vegetable knowledge
A new survey of young Australians has found one in two don't know how many servings of fruit and vegetables to eat in a day, and even fewer know the serving sizes of common fruit and vegetables.

Researchers: Mapping underground water sources for drip irrigation could transform African village life
Investments in small-scale irrigation and geophysical mapping will help relieve food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa, Stanford researchers say.

Boyce Thompson joins forces with other plant nonprofits to benefit humanity
Boyce Thompson joins forces with other plant nonprofits to benefit humanity The Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (BTI) at Cornell has joined forces with three other U.S. nonprofit plant science research institutions to form the Association of Independent Plant Research Institutes (AIPI) in an effort to target research to meet the profound challenges facing society in a more coordinated and rapid fashion.

Food served in children’s hospitals rated largely unhealthy
Given the obesity epidemic among the nation's young, one might hope that children's hospitals would serve as a role model for healthy eating.

$7 million grant to help boost Uganda’s banana production
Pests and diseases that attack the Matoke banana, one of Uganda's primary food staples, is the focus of a $7.07 million grant awarded to Cornell by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Obesity as a Vicious Circle
Berkeley, CA, Nov. 23, 2011 - America's waistline has been expanding at an accelerating rate, prompting both concern about the nation's health and puzzlement over the cause. Now a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has come up with some intriguing new data and a provocative hypothesis: that obesity itself makes people much more susceptible to risk factors that promote weight gain in the first place.

National hunger 'events' highlight difficulties of living on less
President gives thanks for Penn State community's support A Message from President Rodney Erickson: Moving Forward Penn State Shenango to hold vigil for victims of child abuse Nov.

New projection shows global food demand doubling by 2050
Increasing yield in poor countries could lower environmental impact Media Note: Embargoed until 2 p.m. Nov. 21 MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/21/2011) —Global food demand could double by 2050, according to a new projection by David Tilman, Regents Professor of Ecology in the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences, and colleagues, including Jason Hill, assistant professor in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.

Female athletes with low iron levels face a competitive disadvantage
Female athletes with low levels of iron in their bodies, yet who are not anemic, may be at a disadvantage even before their competitive season starts, according to a new Cornell study. These athletes could benefit from early screening and monitoring for anemia and low iron reserves at the beginning of the training season, the authors found.

Pesticide-resistant weeds closing in on Pennsylvania
Town Hall Forum video posted Board executive committee reaffirms, ratifies earlier decisions Students host fundraiser to benefit abused children Penn State, PA Coalition Against Rape join to

Childhood obesity - what are the health risks?
It is widely suspected that the current wave of obesity among children will result in greater rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes over the next few decades. But a second systematic review of research into childhood obesity and metabolic disease in adult life has shown there is little evidence of a direct link and suggests that treating obesity during childhood will remove any risk of lasting harm.

Big portions, cheap food and other factors make us fat
To eat or not to eat - that would seem to be the question for people who want to lose weight. But a dieter's decision to eat is often determined by powerful environmental cues that he or she is probably not even aware of.

Saving cereals: Colin Wellings wins Farrer Medal
Many of us eat cereals for breakfast, bread in our lunch and foods such as pasta, rice, quinoa, breads, pastry and pizza bases for dinner.

Gifted 14-year-old scientist conducts research at Cornell
Could your discarded jack-o'-lantern be repurposed... as a water purifier? That's what one young scientist has come to Cornell to find out.

University’s Historic Clock Tower to be Lit up for Diabetes Day
The 110 metre high clock tower will be one of a number of iconic buildings across the world turning blue as part of the day's events.

Better muscles thanks to a genetic knock-out
A team of researchers has improved the muscle structure and stamina of mice and nematodes by reducing the function of a natural inhibitor, suggesting treatments for age-related or genetically caused muscle degeneration are within reach. If they weren't held back by the effect of a natural inhibitor, our muscles would be stronger, more powerful and better formed than they are in reality.

California making headway in battle against childhood obesity, but successes are uneven
A new study released today offers hope that California may finally be getting a handle on its 30-year battle with childhood obesity, but it also showcases a patchwork of progress that leaves the majority of the state's counties still registering increases in obesity rates among school-age children.

U of M scientists, Master Gardeners part of team to analyze biofuel production and land use
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/07/2011) —Can a single biofuel production system reduce water and nutrient runoff from farm fields, cut down on soil erosion and turn a profit for the farmers who grow it?

Scientists hone the power of grass fuel -- with help from New York school district
It takes 70 million years to grow a crop of fossil fuel but just 70 days to grow a crop of grass pellet fuel.

Scientists tackle threat to New York’s garlic industry
Cornell nematologist George S. Abawi, Ph.D. '70, is on a mission to help save one of New York's burgeoning agricultural commodities: garlic.

Microbes and toxins might be making you fat or diabetic
Could persistent pollutants like DDT and PCBs or chemicals found in plastics be making you fat or diabetic? The answer may depend on what sort of bacteria you have churning around in your gut, according to Cornell scientists.

Obesity: Genes are the loaded gun, ’but environment pulls the trigger’
Universities need to work with industry to develop realistic solutions to harmonize food systems with human health, according to panelists at a Morrison Hall symposium on Oct.

Crowdsourcing nutrition in a snap
Counting calories in photos, PlateMate proves the wisdom of the (well-managed) crowd Americans spend upwards of $40 billion a year on dieting advice and self-help books, but the first step in any healthy eating strategy is basic awareness - what's on the plate. If keeping a food diary seems like too much effort, despair not: computer scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have devised a tool that lets you snap a photo of your meal and let the crowd do the rest.

Despite industry promises, Yale study finds unprecedented marketing of sugary drinks to youth
Young people are being exposed to a massive amount of marketing for sugary drinks, such as full-calorie soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks, according to a new study from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

Obese people regain weight after dieting due to hormones
28 Oct 2011 Obese people may regain weight after dieting due to hormonal changes, a University of Melbourne and Austin Health study has shown. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Worldwide, there are more than 1.5 billion overweight adults, including 400 million who are obese.

USDA funds $2.3M study of organically growing spelt, emmer, einkorn
To enhance the market value of such organically grown grains such as heritage wheat, emmer, spelt and einkorn, Cornell has received $2.3 million over four years from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Movember is coming
November is around the corner, but have you heard about Movember ? Movember —the “mo” stands for moustache—is an international month-long event aimed at increasing awareness of the cancers that men face.

Native bees are better pollinators, more plentiful than honeybees, finds entomologist
The honeybee has hogged the pollination spotlight for centuries, but native bees are now getting their fair share of buzz: They are two to three times better pollinators than honeybees, are more plen

Unexpected bequest a boost for agricultural sustainability
Research into sustainable agricultural science has been given a huge boost with the announcement of a major bequest to the University of Sydney.

Testing to begin on U of M, Twin Cities' Campus Wide Emergency Alert System Oct. 24
Activation and testing work will begin on Monday, Oct. 24 on the university's new Campus Wide Emergency Alert System.

Read the story Research Star chef Ian Curley to take Sydney ’back to cooking basics’
As Sunday 16 October marked World Food Day , Alana Mann from the Department of Media and at the University of Sydney reflected on a global social movement struggling to assert rights over food.

Researchers attack a stinker of a pest; iPhone users can help track the invader
A new hobo pest - the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) - is pigging out on many of North America's most important crops, posing an unprecedented threat to U.S. agriculture, say experts. "There's been nothing like this in several decades," says Peter Jentsch, a researcher at Cornell's Hudson Valley Laboratory and one of 10 Cornell scientists and 70 others, including some as far afield as Oregon and Florida, looking for ways the curb the pest, which caused catastrophic damage in 2010.

Study with Dr. Oz: Peer mentors help improve diets in at-risk high schools
A Cornell economist in collaboration with Oz of TV fame finds that using peer mentors in high schools is an effective way to get teens to make better food choices and get more exercise. The study's most striking finding: The mentoring program prompted high school students to cut their consumption of soda pop by 13 percent - 26 percent among girls.

Expect some fizz in pop tax debate
Mention the idea of a government-imposed pop tax at your next dinner party and there's a good chance you'll spark a lively debate.

International team crafts plan to feed world and protect planet
U of M-led researchers create a recipe for globally sustainable agriculture MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/12/2011) —Can we feed the more than 9 billion people anticipated to live on this planet in 2050 without destroying Earth's life support systems?

Feeding the world while protecting the planet
International team of researchers designs global plan for sustainable agriculture The problem is stark: One billion people on earth don't have enough food right now.

Decade of effort yields diabetes susceptibility gene
Ten years of meticulous mouse breeding, screening and record-keeping have finally paid off for Alan Attie and his lab members. The University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers' efforts, published today (Oct. 6) at in the journal PLoS Genetics , pinpointed a gene that confers diabetes susceptibility in obese mice.

Read the story Research Improving early detection of breast cancer
The University of Sydney's Suzie Ferrie has been named runner-up in the Trans-Tasman Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, overcoming 41 other students from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to take home the $2000 prize.

Familiarity increases the fullness that children expect from snack foods
New research, led by psychologists at the University of Bristol, has found that children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling. This finding , published (online ahead of print) in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , is important because it reveals one way in which children over-consume snack foods and increase their risk of becoming overweight.

On the rise at 50
As one of Australia's oldest agricultural institutes is poised to celebrate 50 years of grains research, its scientists are perfecting new wheat grains that could produce healthier and more nutritious bread.

Over-the-counter dietary supplement may lower risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome
UCLA researchers have demonstrated that an over-the-counter dietary supplement may help inhibit insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, conditions that are involved in the development of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which affect millions worldwide.

Pinstrup-Andersen co-pens new book on food policy
Despite technological advances in agriculture, nearly a billion people around the world still suffer from hunger and poor nutrition.

Three minute thesis winner heads to Trans-Tasman finals
Download video (mp4) Explaining your research thesis can be challenging at the best of times, so imagine having to do it in just 180 seconds to an audience who know nothing about your field.

Getting kids to eat whole grains: What will it take U of M researchers may have some answers
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (09/20/2011) —Children and adolescents aren't eating enough whole grains, but new research from the University of Minnesota offers some insight into how parents and school lunch professionals can improve kids' whole grain intake. Fewer than 1 percent of Americans between the ages of 9 and 18 currently eat the recommended daily 3 to 5 servings of whole grains.

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz: Alka-Seltzer found to help wine industry, with potential for construction industry, too
Plop, plop, fizz, fizz: Alka-Seltzer found to help wine industry, with potential for construction industry, too Alka-Seltzer has been soothing human indigestion and heartburn for years. Now, it's helping out the wine industry. Elemental sulfur is wine's "frenemy" - it effectively keeps the ubiquitous powdery mildew disease in vineyards at bay, but excessive residues carried over into wine can result in a rotten egg aroma.

Cornell raspberry variety extends harvest into November
Cornell's new raspberry variety, Crimson Giant, is fashionably late.

Book gives the skinny on wide-ranging obesity research
Along with a sharp rise in recent decades in worldwide obesity rates has come a flood of research on the subject - more than 66,000 papers in the past 10 years, according to one estimate.

Largest rice genetics study finds vast differences between Asian rice subpopulations
The largest publicly available genomewide association mapping study in rice to date has found that although the five subpopulations of Asian rice - indica, aus, temperate japonica, aromatic and tropical japonica - all belong to one species ( Oryza sativa ), their genetic structures are so different that, genetically speaking, they are almost like different species.

University of Minnesota study highlights the potential for boosting global biofuels crop production
Researchers spotlight potential for biofuels production on existing croplands, underscores the importance of “sustainable intensification” MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (09/13/2011) —New research published online this week in the journal Environmental Research Letters by a team from the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin shows that closing agricultural “yield gaps” around the world could lead to more efficient agricultural production – and thus more biofuels – without the need to clear more land globally.

Workshops teach caregivers, those with chronic disease to ’Live Well’
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Living with a chronic disease, or being a caretaker for a loved one in failing health, can be frustrating as well as emotionally and physically draining.

Going with the flow nets researchers Eureka Prize

Gov. Dayton declares September 'Farm to School Month'
U of M Extension efforts support farmers, schools, students MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (09/02/2011) —Gov.

Sunday is Maroon and Gold Day at the State Fair
U president Kaler, athletic director Maturi and Marching Band to headline State Fair parade An annual highlight for fairgoers takes place this Sunday, Aug.

Irrigation impacts on global carbon uptake
Globally, irrigation increases agricultural productivity by an amount roughly equivalent to the entire agricultural output of the U.S., according to a new University of Wisconsin-Madison study. That adds up to a sizeable impact on carbon uptake from the atmosphere. It also means that water shortages — already forecasted to be a big problem as the world warms — could contribute to yet more warming through a positive feedback loop.

Simply eating a lighter lunch can prompt weight loss
Losing weight without dieting, going hungry or using an expensive high-protein liquid diet can be as simple as eating a smaller lunch, reports a new Cornell study that is online and will be published in the journal Appetite in October.

New U of M grants foster healthy eating in underserved communities
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (08/09/2011) —A new series of grants from the University of Minnesota's Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute is aimed at helping people who live in disadvantaged communities eat healthier, safer diets.