Secrets of Ancient Romans revealed by fast food find
The study, published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, analysed animal bones from a cesspit dating between the first century BC and the first century AD.
Researchers found that these fast-food joints, known as popinae and tabernae, served fried small thrushes. More than 165 thrush bones were found in the pit.
The discovery challenges the previously held belief that songbirds were exclusively a luxury dish for the wealthy.
Evidence indicates that food shops followed a standardised approach to preparing the birds, removing the sternum to flatten them for rapid cooking in oil.
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The Independent
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Scientists invent ‘superfood' they hope will save honeybees and boost global food security
Scientists have devised a food supplement for bees that they say will have a wide-reaching effect on global food security. The experts say the yeast strain will help honeybees live longer as intensive farming and the climate crisis rob the insects of flowers and pollen. It is hoped the breakthrough will stem the decline in populations of wild bees, which are important pollinators. They help contribute to the production of at least 70 per cent of major global crops such as almonds, apples and cherries. But severe declines – caused by nutrient deficiencies, climate change, mite infestations, viral diseases and pesticides – pose a significant threat to food security and biodiversity. The scientists in Oxford genetically engineered a strain of yeast called Yarrowia lipolytica to produce vital nutrients called sterols that are absent in the artificial pollen substitutes that beekeepers use. Commercial supplements, made of protein flour, sugars and oils, lack the right sterol compounds. After a three-month trial, the scientists found the colonies fed with the sterol-enriched yeast had reared up to 15 times more larvae to the viable pupal stage, compared with colonies fed controlled diets, and reared brood for significantly longer. 'The use of this method to incorporate sterol supplements into pollen substitutes will enable honeybee colonies to produce brood in the absence of floral pollen,' they wrote in the journal Nature. 'Optimised diets created using this yeast strain could also reduce competition between bee species for access to natural floral resources and stem the decline in wild bee populations.' The yeast diet provides honeybees with all the nutrients, in six sterols, that they need to survive, the researchers concluded. Lead author Elynor Moore said: 'For bees, the difference between the sterol-enriched diet and conventional bee feeds would be comparable to the difference for humans between eating balanced, nutritionally complete meals and eating meals missing essential nutrients like essential fatty acids. 'Using precision fermentation, we are now able to provide bees with a tailor-made feed that is nutritionally complete at the molecular level.' Sterols are hard to reproduce, so the experts who spent 15 years developing them said the success of the trials was a huge accomplishment. They say further large-scale field trials are needed to assess long-term effects on colony health and pollination efficacy, but that potentially the supplement could be available to farmers within two years.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
A hearing aid before the age of 70 can dramatically reduce risk of dementia, new research finds
People who use a hearing aid before the age of 70 can dramatically reduce their risk of dementia, new research shows. Dementia, which is the loss of cognitive functioning, affects more than six million Americans and leads to more than 100,000 deaths each year, according to the National Institutes of Health. As the U.S. population ages, dementia cases are expected to double by 2060, NIH says. Age-related hearing loss is a risk factor for developing dementia, and a research letter published in JAMA Neurology on Monday found that using hearing aids could reduce this risk. After studying nearly 3,000 participants over up to two decades researchers found those with hearing loss who used hearing aids had a 61 percent lower risk for dementia among those younger than 70 years at the time of their hearing loss diagnosis. 'This finding highlights the importance of early intervention for HL [hearing loss] for possible prevention of dementia,' the authors of the study wrote. But the study noted only 17 percent of people with moderate to severe hearing loss use hearing aids. UCLA Health gave three possible theories for the link between hearing loss and dementia including that hearing loss causes the brain to deteriorate faster. Additionally, your brain works harder to understand conversation when you can't hear well. Straining your brain regularly like this can impact your cognitive function. Hearing loss can also limit your social engagement as conversing in noisy environments is less enjoyable. Your brain may struggle to be intellectually stimulated without socialization. Age-related hearing loss affects one in three people older than 60, according to the American Academy of Audiology. One in two people older than the age of 85 has hearing loss. Common signs of hearing loss include asking people to repeat things, difficulty hearing and understanding speech in noisy settings, and turning the TV or radio up louder than normal. The American Academy of Audiology warns untreated hearing loss can be connected to cognitive decline as well as depression, anxiety, paranoia and poor social relationships.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mysterious blue brain found in autopsy linked to RFK Jr's 'miracle cure'
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The researchers emphasized that while the color changes darkened upon exposure to air during autopsies, the effect was not linked to the causes of death. Instead, it highlights how methylene blue persists in the body and can dramatically affect organ appearance, raising questions for forensic and medical examinations. The individuals who received methylene blue in the hospital were generally being treated for severe medical conditions, often involving life-threatening shock or critical illnesses. Most were in intensive care units (ICUs) for issues like septic shock from infections, heart failure, complications following surgeries, or severe COVID-19 infections. Hospital staff administered the dye intravenously as a last-resort treatment to improve blood flow and oxygen delivery when standard treatments failed. The startling discovery, published in the journal Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology, was made while researchers were conducting an autopsy on a 72-year-old man and found his brain was blue. To understand why, they searched their institute's database of 15,820 autopsy records from 2000 to 2023, looking for similar cases of doctors finding 'blue-green,' 'greenish,' or 'turquoise' organs during autopsies. They found 11 cases, including the 72-year-old, where various organs throughout the body had this unusual color. In each case, they found that six of these individuals with blue organs had ingested or been given a dosage of methylene blue shortly before their deaths. The other five had received or ingested a medical dye called toluidine blue, a sedative called Rohypnol that contains the blue dye indigocarmine, or a cleaning agent with the blue dye Brilliant Blue FCF. Study authors in Germany found 6 people who received dosages of methylene blue while in the hospital had blue brains and hearts after death The patients had taken the medical dye as a last resort treatment for various illnesses, including COVID-19 Although RFK Jr has not publicly confirmed that he uses methylene blue, a February 2025 video showed the health secretary putting droplets of a cobalt-blue liquid into what looked like water. Recent studies have explored its use in fighting early-stage COVID-19 by potentially reducing viral damage and improving oxygen delivery. It's also been investigated for its ability to boost brain health, treat shock, and potentially as an anti-aging serum. Some research has even suggested it can kill cancer cells under specific conditions. In fact, actor Mel Gibson claimed three of his friends recovered from stage four cancer after taking a supplement regimen that included methylene blue. In fact, actor Mel Gibson claimed three of his friends recovered from stage four cancer after taking a supplement regimen that included methylene blue. The Daily Mail has requested a comment from RFK Jr and the Department of Health and Human Services about the findings and is awaiting a response. While medical professionals only use the dye in extreme cases, methylene blue has taken over TikTok and Instagram with claims it can sharpen focus and boost mood. Methylene blue is FDA approved to treat the rare blood disorder methemoglobinemia, though it has also been used off label for anti-aging and cancer Influencers have dubbed it 'brain fuel' and a 'limitless pill,' with some studies claiming it can also alleviate mental health issues. However, neuroscientist Anne-Sophie Fluri told the Daily Mail in June that many of the supposed benefits being promoted online are based on preliminary research using rodents or petri dishes, not conclusive human clinical trials. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public safety warning about methylene blue's potential to cause serotonin syndrome when combined with common antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft, or Cymbalta. Serotonin syndrome is a dangerous condition caused by too much serotonin in the body, leading to symptoms like confusion, high fever, seizures, and, in rare cases, death. Methylene blue can trigger this syndrome when taken with antidepressants because it blocks an enzyme that normally breaks down serotonin, causing a harmful buildup.
