Chimpanzees are aping robots and scientists are scratching their heads
Researchers found that chimpanzees yawned and lay down in response to yawns made by the android robot, suggesting that observing another individual yawn may act as a cue to rest.
The study involved exposing 14 adult chimpanzees to an android head that simulated facial expressions, including yawns, gaping, and neutral expressions.
Eight of the 14 chimpanzees yawned in response to the android's "yawn" expression, with the highest contagion occurring when the android displayed a fully wide-open mouth.
The findings shed light on primates' susceptibility to contagiously induced behaviours, but the exact biological mechanisms surrounding contagious yawning remain unclear, prompting further research.
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The Independent
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- The Independent
The gut bacteria that could be causing insomnia – and what to do about it
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Microplastics found in highest amounts in these popular drinks
Microplastics are all around us – in the air we breathe, in seas and rivers, they're found in the guts of sharks, and inside growing plants. They're also inside humans, too: in our blood, accumulating in our brains, and even in our testicles. So it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that one of the key means of entering the body is through the fluids we drink. Previous studies have established that microplastics are present in both tap water and bottled water, but new research has revealed that hot drinks may be an even bigger source of microplastics than was previously realised. A research team at the University of Birmingham tested 155 common soft drinks, including hot and cold drinks, for microplastics to get a picture of average human exposure through a realistic spectrum of daily drinks available in one country. The study, believed to be the first of its kind, found the highest concentrations of microplastics were in hot tea and hot coffee. The study also tested iced tea and coffee for microplastics, but found significantly less, suggesting the high temperatures and processes used for making hot drinks contribute to the levels of microplastics which end up in the product. The team assessed 31 different types of drinks in total from popular UK brands, all bought from supermarkets and coffee shops in 2024. These included hot and iced coffee, hot and iced tea, juices, energy drinks, and soft drinks. The samples were filtered, and then microplastic counts were determined through microscope imaging. Cold drinks were filtered immediately, while hot drinks were allowed to cool for 30 minutes before analysis. Hot tea in disposable cups contained the highest level of microplastics (MPs), averaging 22MPs per cup, compared to 14MPs per cup for glass cups. More expensive teabags leached the greatest amount of plastic, the study found, averaging 24 to 30MPs per cup. Similarly, the research team said that for hot coffee, their findings "strongly suggest that the disposable cup material is a primary source of [microplastics] in our hot coffee samples'. As not all samples were cup-sized, the team expressed their overall findings in microplastics per litre. The authors said their study "proves for the first time that assessment of exposure via drinking water only may substantially underestimate the risk" posed to humans by higher microplastics prevalence in other drinks. The same team published research in 2024, revealing the average microplastics concentration in tap water (24 to 56 MP per litre) was 'statistically indistinguishable" from that in bottled water (26 to 48 MP per litre). Professor Mohamed Abdallah from the University of Birmingham, who was one of the lead authors of the new research, told The Independent: "We noted that a lot of research in the microplastics sphere is focusing on drinking water – tap water, bottled water – and we've also released a paper from the UK on water. But we realised that people don't only drink water during their day. You drink tea, coffee, juices... "We found a ubiquitous presence of microplastics in all the cold and hot drinks we looked at. Which is pretty alarming, and from a scientific point of view suggests we should not only be looking at water, we should be more comprehensive in our research because other sources are substantial." He added: "We're consuming millions of teas and coffees every morning so it's something to definitely look at. There should definitely be legislative action from the government and also from international organisations to limit human exposure to microplastics … they're everywhere." The authors said the new research "serves as a critical step towards better understanding of the extent of MPs exposure under real-life scenarios, and advocates for more comprehensive studies for accurate risk assessment of MPs intake via dietary sources, to enable broader environmental and public health interventions".
Medical News Today
6 hours ago
- Medical News Today
The secret to weight loss? Opt for minimally processed foods
People whose diet contained fewer processed foods lost more weight than people who ate more ultra-processed foods, a recent study both groups lost weight, those eating less in the way of processed foods shed twice as many key to weight loss in both groups was likely that they both consumed a well-balanced diet, with the only difference being the amount of ultraprocessed foods they who ate a diet of minimally processed foods lost twice as much weight as other people consuming ultra-processed foods in a new randomized crossover groups shed pounds during the weight-loss trial, in which all participants followed a diet based on the UK Eatwell Guide. The only difference between their diets was the proportion of processed foods they people in the minimally processed foods group lost twice as much weight as those in the ultra-processed foods group, suggesting that eating less processed foods can better help one maintain a healthy on a minimally processed foods diet consumed 289.9 fewer calories per day, and lost 2% of their body weight on average. According to the study authors, this could amount to as much as a 13% weight loss for men and 9% for women over a period of 1 eating ultra-processed foods reduced their daily calorie intake by less, 119.5 calories, and lost 1% of their weight over the course of the study appears published in Nature processed foods linked to fewer cravings, more weight lossAt the outset, the authors of the study ran a battery of tests on all 55 participants, capturing measurements for a comprehensive suite of health were divided randomly into either the minimally processed or ultra-processed foods group, and followed the corresponding diet for 8 the individuals could choose what to eat, they chose from food delivered to them by the researchers that matched both the Eatwell profile and the minimally processed foods/ ultra-processed foods group to which they had been food they received contained more calories than they needed, and they were instructed to eat as much as they wanted. Participants regularly responded to questionnaires on which they reported their food Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, a preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished, who was not involved in the study, commented to Medical News Today that 'the free-living setup makes the findings more realistic but also introduces variables that are hard to control, so while the results seem compelling, they should be interpreted with caution.'Individuals on the minimally processed foods diet reported greater success at resisting cravings, although they were the group that turned out to be losing the most 8 weeks, a 4-week washout period took place, during which participants returned to their normal diet. This was followed by a 2-week baseline period in which the researchers performed additional health tests to observe the effects of individuals' 8-week minimally processed foods or ultra-processed foods this break, participants switched sides, with the individuals in the minimally processed foods group moving to the ultra-processed foods diet and vice versa for another 8 the end of those 2 months, the researchers once more assessed both groups' health metrics.'The study's crossover design and use of a washout period strengthened its internal reliability, and coaching likely improved adherence,' noted Routhenstein.'However,' she said, 'reliance on self-reported food diaries and the exclusion of certain dietary groups limit generalizability.''Unusual' finding: Ultra-processed foods may not increase bad cholesterolUnexpectedly, the researchers found that the ultra-processed foods diet was associated with a lower LDL ('bad') cholesterol level. Ultra-processed foods are often criticized for adding unhealthy elements into a person's described this finding as 'unusual,' saying that it 'doesn't align with most existing research.' She noted, however, that 'it may reflect the specific types of ultra-processed foods consumed, such as those lower in saturated fat or fortified with cholesterol-lowering ingredients.''This underscores the importance of considering the full dietary context rather than judging foods by broad categories alone,' Routhenstein a balanced diet can aid weight lossIt is likely that the reason both groups lost weight is that they both ate to Routhenstein, 'a balanced, nutrient-dense diet, such as the one outlined in [United Kingdom] guidelines, helps to support weight management, metabolic function, heart health, and healthy aging by providing the essential nutrients the body needs.''While ultraprocessed foods are often linked to poor outcomes,' she said, 'what we choose to include in our diet may matter even more than what we avoid.'MNT also spoke with Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, who was not involved in this told us that:'What we recommend to our patients, and what is the basis for most successful diets, is reducing carbohydrate and sugar intake and emphasizing protein and non-starchy vegetables in the diet. Minimizing carbohydrates and sugars helps direct the body towards burning fat.''Ultraprocessed foods,' he cautioned, 'tend to have additional additives that can be detrimental, so it is better to minimize these foods as well. Therefore, having the proper nutrients and a good source are both important.''It's also,' added Routhenstein, 'important to consider the nutritional quality of individual foods, as not all [ultra-processed foods] are the same, and broad labels can miss meaningful differences in the nutritional composition, and therefore health impact.'How do ultra-processed foods affect weight loss?'While ultra-processed foods may not directly hinder weight loss, prior research has linked them to poor metabolic health, increased cardiovascular risk, higher mortality, and negative impacts on gut health,' Routhenstein told us.'Their engineered flavors, low satiety, and high palatability can lead to overeating, and they often contain additives, preservatives, or contaminants with unknown long-term effects,' she ultra-processed foods still afforded study participants a measure of weight loss, the trial 'did show a benefit of minimally processed foods over ultra-processed foods,' Ali further shakes are one type of processed food that may be of value in healthy dieting — with some caveats — said Ali. They 'can be helpful for weight loss, provided they have the right ingredients.' He cited 'smoothies with a lot of fruit, though not ultraprocessed.''Low-sugar shakes that are high in protein can be beneficial, but not ultraprocessed [shakes, which] will not help weight loss due to sugar content,' he added.
