New dinosaur species with foot-long claws discovered in Mongolia
A new species of dinosaur uncovered in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia had two gigantic claws on each arm, according to findings published Tuesday in the journal iScience.
The fossils of Duonychus tsogtbaatari studied by scientists included an 'exceptionally preserved' and strongly curved claw, one that probably made the species adept at grasping vegetation, the study authors wrote.
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Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Scientists Sent Miso to Space to Ferment — and It's Apparently Delicious
Scientists studied miso fermentation on the ISS versus Earth to understand how space conditions affect flavor, texture, and microbial composition. Space-fermented miso developed a darker color and a 'nutty' and 'roasted' flavor, likely due to higher temperatures and increased pyrazine levels. The research highlights how microbes adapt in space and raises ethical questions about relocating Earth-based life, while also suggesting new culinary possibilities for long-term space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) do a lot of important work to help advance science, including experiments and research to support humanity's potential future as outer space explorers. And that extends to researching how to make food taste better on both long-haul space missions and down here on Earth. In April, researchers published the findings of their study titled "Food Fermentation in Space" in the open access journal iScience, highlighting the differences in taste between miso fermented on Earth — specifically in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Copenhagen, Denmark — versus miso fermented in the ISS. If you're unfamiliar with miso, this fermented soybean paste is a powerhouse of flavor. It's a staple in Japanese cooking, and the umami-packed paste can be used for everything from classic miso soup to marinades, salad dressings, and so much more. There are many different varieties of miso and variables that can influence its flavor. But one factor that hadn't been tested until now? Space. Related: 16 Robust, Complex Miso Recipes, From Pasta to Dessert For the first stage of this experiment, the scientists made three batches of miso starter and sent it off to the three locations. The misos on board the ISS and in Cambridge were each placed inside an environmental sensing box to carefully monitor variables like temperature, humidity, and radiation levels. The one in Copenhagen was left in a standard container to act as a control group to see if it was the box or space that made changes to the miso. After a 30-day wait, the miso onboard the ISS was sent back to Earth for analysis against the two already on terra firma, where scientists could measure its texture, color, microbial population, and flavor profiles. The researchers found that the miso fermented in space had higher levels of certain microbes — microscopic organisms that are crucial to the fermentation process — which they note could be because of the warmer temperatures aboard the ISS. "While the ISS is often seen as a sterile environment, our research shows that microbes and non-human life have agency in space, raising significant bioethical questions about removing plants and microbes from their home planet and introducing them to extraterrestrial environments," Maggie Coblentz, an industrial design scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explains in a statement. The flavor of the three miso pastes also differed. The researchers found that the space miso exhibited a darker color along with a "nutty" and "roasted" taste, which could be attributed to an increased production of pyrazines — an organic compound that the report says displays "baked, roasted, and nutty flavor characteristics" — in the space miso due to the higher temperatures. Related: Foods Like Kimchi and Miso May Have Major Mental Health Benefits, New Study Suggests "By bringing together microbiology, flavor chemistry, sensory science, and larger social and cultural considerations, our study opens up new directions to explore how life changes when it travels to new environments like space," Joshua Evans, a food scientist at the Technical University of Denmark, details. What does this mean for the future? According to Evans, these learnings "could enhance astronaut well-being and performance, especially on future long-term space missions. More broadly, it could invite new forms of culinary expression, expanding and diversifying culinary and cultural representation in space exploration as the field grows." Read the original article on Food & Wine
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
Scientists conduct ‘space miso' experiment, find ‘nuttier' taste
(NewsNation) — Astronauts conduct many experiments on the International Space Station (ISS), and apparently, making miso is one of them. American and Danish astronauts conducted the iScience experiment in 2020, and scientists said the flavor was nuttier and more roasted than miso made on Earth. Skywatcher video of 'summoned' UFOs coming soon: Ross Coulthart But the experiment was about more than just miso soup. Scientists wanted to see if it would be possible to ferment foods in space — and what influences the environment would have on the microbiome. Researchers who participated in the study were sent a package that contained the miso paste ingredients — cooked soybeans, rice koji and salt — to the ISS. They allowed those ingredients to ferment for 30 days. Researchers back on Earth also started miso batches in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Copenhagen, Denmark. Then, they monitored the environmental conditions of all three setups. After the month was over, the miso in space was sent back and compared to the batches on Earth. NASA nominee prioritizies Mars over moon In a press release, co-lead author Joshua D. Evans of the Technical University of Denmark said, 'There are some features of the space environment in low Earth orbit — in particular, microgravity and increased radiation — that could have impacts on how microbes grow and metabolize and thus how fermentation works. We wanted to explore the effects of these conditions.' Despite finding microbial composition of each miso soup, the team found that 'overall, the space miso is a miso,' but the findings 'suggest a specific fermentation environment in space.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Institute researchers find links between exposure to Carcinogens and aromatics released from gasoline
Apr. 1—Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, PhD, professor at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, is the author of a paper appearing in the scientific journal iScience titled "Aromatics from fossil fuels and breast cancer." In a review of existing scientific literature, researchers identified links between exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) aromatics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from fossil fuels and breast cancer risk in humans. Breast cancer rates continue to rise, especially in young women. Years of scientific research has shown breast cancer risk which runs in families is often caused by germline mutations — mutations in parental cells that are passed down to offspring. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are two of the most commonly known genetic mutations linked to inherited breast cancer risk. At the same time, more than 80% of breast cancers develop sporadically without any inherited mutations — and causes for these breast cancers have remained unknown. Several risk factors have been identified, such as timing of puberty onset and menopause, age at first pregnancy, diet and lifetime exposure to estrogens. However, these factors do not cause breast cancer, but alter vulnerability to environmental carcinogens that then can cause breast cancer. The Biofuels Research Project researchers have studied the carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effects of compounds originating from burning fossil fuels. In their newly published review of existing scientific literature, researchers identify exposure to PAHs from fossil fuels as key mutagens (compounds that can lead to DNA mutations) causing breast cancer in humans. Among their key findings: —Exposure to BTEX aromatics in fossil fuels may add to the adverse effects of PAH exposure. —Exposure to BTEX compounds early in life, including in utero, may increase susceptibility to PAH-initiated breast cancer. —Early life exposure to BTEX compounds may increase later breast cancer risk by silencing DNA repair mechanisms, increasing the number of targets in the breast that are known to be the sites where breast cancers are initiated (terminal lobular ductal units or TLDUs), and causing persistent gut dysbiosis (imbalance of healthy and harmful gut bacteria) which in turn impairs immune responses in the tumor microenvironment, preventing effector CD8+ T cells from killing cancer cells. "It is essential to reduce exposure to the products from burning fossil fuels to prevent breast cancer. We are studying if reducing BTEX exposure will reduce susceptibility to PAH induced breast cancer. One way to reduce BTEX compounds is to reduce exposure by adding ethanol to gasoline," Hilakivi-Clarke said. The Hormel Institute researchers Theresa Jolejole, PhD candidate; Joas Lucas da Silva, PhD, post-doctoral associate; and Fabia de Oliveira Andrade, PhD, senior scientist, are among the authors of the paper. The research project is supported by 15 different ethanol and biofuels funding agencies.
