Archive for the ‘food’ category: Page 288
Apr 16, 2016
Penn Researcher uses CRISPR/Cas9 to snip out tiny piece of DNA from gene in white button mushroom
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, food
CRISPR to improve shelf life of vegetables and fruits. I magine what this would mean for populations in remote locations with horrible climates or in disaster zones that need fresh foods.
Yinong Yang, a Penn State University researcher, has used a famous gene editing tool known as CRISPR/Cas9 for cutting out a small piece of DNA from one specific gene in a white button mushroom. With this, Yang was able to stop the gene, which in turn cuts the production of an enzyme known as polyphenol oxidase in mushroom. With this gene editing of white mushrooms, the mushroom doesn’t get spoiled as natural mushrooms.
You might have heard something like this earlier as scientists have also developed non-browning versions of apples and potatoes. However, those crops were called GMOs as scientists had put in new, slightly altered genes within those plants to ‘silence’ the natural gene.
Apr 15, 2016
Researchers have found a ‘striking’ new side effect from eating fast food — By Roberto A. Ferdman | The Washington Post
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in categories: food, health
“Researchers at George Washington University have linked fast-food consumption to the presence of potentially harmful chemicals, a connection they argue could have “great public health significance.””
Apr 13, 2016
This study 40 years ago could have reshaped the American diet. But it was never fully published
Posted by Amnon H. Eden in categories: biotech/medical, food, government, health
#nutrition #CrapScience
So after 40 years of prescribing low fat diets & demonising cholesterol, the largest & longest clinical experiment ever (40 years, 9,000 patients, randomly assigned diets) shows that “Patients who lowered their cholesterol, presumably because of the special diet, actually suffered MORE heart-related deaths than those who did not.”
In other words, if you’ve been cutting on steaks, butter etc. for 4 years or more, you may have INCREASED your mortality rate from heart disease by %8.
Apr 8, 2016
High-Resolution, SWAXS Characterisation of Nanostructures and Nanomaterials with the SAXSpace
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: food, nanotechnology, particle physics
Nanostructured samples and materials can be efficiently and reliable characterized using Anton Paar’s SAXSpace small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) system. Users can obtain the size, shape, and size distribution of nano-sized samples and particle domains with the help of the SAXSpace. The device is ideally suited for the analysis of colloidal, biological (Bio-SAXS), and isotropic samples.
The SWAXS system also has a wide selection of accurate and versatile sample stages to meet each SAXS application. Easy handling and automatic alignment facilitate smooth operation. With the unique combination of robust design, short measurement time, and high system uptime, the device not only provides superior WAXS or SAXS results but also ensures high sample throughput. These capabilities make SAXSpace ideally suited to explore nanostructure in various materials, including surfactants, pharmaceuticals, proteins, foods, polymers, and nanoparticles.
Key Features
Apr 7, 2016
Why E.T. Will Need Customer Service
Posted by Bruce Dorminey in categories: alien life, food, transportation
If history is a guide, trade may be widespread among space-voyaging civilizations throughout the galaxy. Cultures that hate each other, still find common ground across a bartering table — as noted in this article blast from the past. #SETI
Sitting in the waiting room of my local auto repair, I honestly began to wonder if on some other far-flung planet, pointy-eared aliens would be listening for someone to sing out that they, too, were “Good to Go.”
Or, to them, would the sort of back and forth banter that we all take for granted in day-to-day business here on Earth seem as alien as ice cream? Would a highly-advanced civilization circling another sunlike star even need this sort of social lubricant?
Apr 7, 2016
Guangzhou restaurant fires its robot staff for their incompetence
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: food, robotics/AI
To the Robots of this restaurant “You’re Fired!”.
Employing robots and artificial intelligence in Chinese restaurants has turned out to be not such a smart idea after all, with restaurants in Guangzhou either closing down or firing their mechanical staff.
According to Workers’ Daily, two restaurants which made use of robotic waiters have closed down and a third which remains open has given all but one of the robots the sack.
Continue reading “Guangzhou restaurant fires its robot staff for their incompetence” »
Apr 7, 2016
The world’s largest vertical farm will produce 2 million pounds of lettuce every year
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: food, sustainability
Apr 7, 2016
Taco Bell wants you to order food from a chat bot
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: food, robotics/AI
We’ve seen some clever ways to order food online in our day, but this one is decidedly off the wall. Taco Bell is testing TacoBot, a chat AI that helps you order (what else?) tacos in a Slack conversation. Think of it as a tasty text adventure — you can ask questions about the menu, customize your order and check your cart. It’s only in a private beta with a few companies at the moment, but you can sign up for a waiting list to have your Slack team give TacoBot a try. Just think — you could have tacos sent your way while you’re stuck in a planning session.
