Scientists find ‘mutant' gene behind foul-smelling species of wild ginger
With a smell of rotting flesh the flowers of certain species of wild ginger are unlikely to be used in a wedding bouquet – although they are irresistible to carrion-loving flies. Now researchers say they have worked out how the sulphurous scent is produced.
Scientists say the odour is down to small changes in an enzyme that prevents bad breath in humans.
'Some organisms have an extraordinary trait which is seemingly difficult to evolve, but such characteristics can evolve in a simpler manner than one would imagine,' said Dr Yudai Okuyama, the first author of the research from the National Museum of Nature and Science in Japan.
Writing in the journal Science, Okuyama and colleagues reported how they first investigated the origins of a key chemical known to be behind the sulfurous smell produced by some species of Asarum, or wild ginger.
This chemical, called dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), is thought to be produced from a substance called methanethiol. Methanethiol is known to cause bad breath in humans and is formed in plants and animals as the amino acid methionine is broken down.
The researchers confirmed this by feeding a form of methionine labelled with carbon-13 atoms to a species of wild ginger, A. fudsinoi, and found the DMDS released also contained carbon-13.
The team then looked at an array of different species of Asarum to identify genes whose activity varied with the amount of DMDS produced.
The work led to the identification of a gene that gives rise to a selenium-binding protein. Such proteins are found across the plant and animal kingdom, and typically convert methanethiol into less harmful substances. In humans this mechanism prevents halitosis.
The researchers found the 'normal' version of this gene was present in all of the plants and animals they considered, including the various species of Asarum. However, they found the latter also had a mutant form of the gene that produces a protein that turns methanethiol into DMDS. This mutant gene is more active in foul-smelling species.
The team said the change in function appeared to be down to a small number of mutations in the gene, with only two or three changes in the amino acids of the protein needed for the shift to occur.
Further work showed Eurya and Symplocarpus plants also have selenium-binding proteins that can turn methanethiol into DMDS, explaining why some species smell bad, with the team noting they appeared to have evolved independently.
However, not all foul-smelling plants produce their scent in the same way: the team found species of Amorphophallus – a group that includes a plant known as the 'corpse flower' – did not have a selenium-binding protein that converts methanethiol into DMDS.
'We think some similar enzyme that belong[s] to a different protein family might be responsible for the step,' said Okuyama.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Malaysia's first astrophysicist Mazlan Othman says AI can make students better thinkers if schools adapt
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Malaysia's first astrophysicist, Tan Sri Dr Mazlan Othman, believes artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to make students better thinkers, but she emphasises that schools must change how they assess students. Rather than expecting students to memorise and regurgitate answers, Mazlan suggests teachers should evaluate how creatively students prompt AI tools. 'The skill is in the questioning — teachers should assess students by the kind of questions they ask AI tools,' she told Malay Mail in a recent interview. 'We are far too focused on asking them to find solutions to equations or problems that we give them. Education must aim to let students think for themselves,' she added. Drawing from her astrophysics career, Mazlan said students should be inspired to explore science through an appreciation of arts and nature. 'For example, the way to attract students to maritime science or the maritime industry is not to teach them how to build boats but to inspire them about the sea,' she explained. Mazlan revealed that her own fascination with the sky and stars stemmed from her childhood love of poetry, long before she delved into the celestial sciences. One poem that remains etched in her memory is 'He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven' by Irish poet William Butler Yeats, which she described as 'a beautiful and poignant piece that captures the beauty of the sky.' Mazlan's fascination for the sky and stars sprung from her childhood love for poetry, way before she discovered astrophysics. — Picture courtesy of Sutra Foundation Breaking barriers in science Born in Seremban, Mazlan has achieved several firsts. She is Malaysia's first astrophysicist, the first woman to earn a doctorate from the University of Otago in New Zealand, and the first Malaysian to lead the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) — a role she held twice. Astrophysics, however, was not her initial career plan. As a Colombo Plan scholar, Mazlan was required to return to Malaysia after graduation to work as either a physics teacher or a physicist at a nuclear institute. But she hesitated to specialise in atomic or nuclear physics due to prevailing anti-nuclear sentiments in the scientific community. 'Luckily, I discovered astrophysics in my third year. So, I wrote to the Colombo Plan committee to inform them that I was staying in New Zealand to pursue astrophysics,' she said. After returning to Malaysia in 1981, Mazlan became a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), where she pioneered an astrophysics programme. In 1994, she was appointed an astrophysics professor. Mazlan also spearheaded the establishment of the National Planetarium and became its first director-general. She played a pivotal role in designing Malaysia's first remote-sensing satellite, TiungSAT-1, launched in 2000. From 2002 to 2007, she served as the founding director-general of Malaysia's National Space Agency (Angkasa). Leading the global space agenda Mazlan's tenure as UNOOSA director was marked by notable achievements, including negotiating a global protocol to address near-Earth object collisions, such as asteroid strikes. 'At that time, countries were pushing for a protocol to deal with asteroid strikes because a theory suggested that 65 million years ago, an asteroid strike caused the extinction of dinosaurs,' she said. The protocol gained consensus after three years of debates, though member states did not agree to let the UN Security Council make the final decision in such a scenario. During her time at UNOOSA, Mazlan was jokingly referred to as the first point of contact for aliens due to her office's resources and expertise. Highlighting the space sector's projected growth to nearly US$2 trillion (RM9.2 trillion) by 2035, Mazlan noted that global politics continue to heavily influence space-related decisions, as space dominance remains a strategic advantage in warfare. Between her two terms at UNOOSA, Mazlan led Malaysia's first space exploration mission, culminating in astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha's journey to the International Space Station in October 2007. When asked if Malaysia is ready to send a second astronaut to space, Mazlan said it would be worth considering if the country has something novel to contribute to space exploration.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Milky Way will be visible across the US this month. Here's how to get the best views.
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The bright band of the Milky Way is about to make its first great appearance of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. There are few more impressive sights than the arc of the Milky Way spanning the night sky, but skywatchers don't always know exactly how, when and where to see it. In fact, one-third of humanity — and 80% of Americans — cannot see it. The reason is light pollution, with the sky's brightness increasing by between 7% and 10% per year between 2011 and 2023, according to a 2023 study published in the journal Science. As a result, if you want to see the Milky Way, you'll need to be as far away from light pollution as possible. Good options include a Dark Sky Place or somewhere that looks dark on a light pollution map. Although the Milky Way can be seen in some form for about eight months of the year, the galaxy's bright core becomes easier to see — and gets higher in the sky — as of May as seen from midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the entire continental United States and the most populated parts of Canada. Related: The 10 best stargazing events of 2025 According to the Milky Way photography website Capture The Atlas, "Milky Way season" runs from February to October, usually between midnight and 5 a.m. local time, though your location and the phase of the moon matter a lot. During May, the period between the last quarter moon on May 20 and the new moon on May 30 is the time to look for the Milky Way. RELATED STORIES —Does the Milky Way orbit anything? —How many galaxies orbit the Milky Way? —James Webb telescope spots Milky Way's long-lost 'twin' — and it is 'fundamentally changing our view of the early universe' Even if you have a clear, moonless night, the viewing window is further restricted by when the galaxy's bright core rises from your location. The key is to find out when the Summer Triangle — a shape formed by three bright stars — becomes visible. This vast asterism of Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila sits across the Milky Way. If it's above the horizon, you have a good chance of spotting it. Between May 20 and May 30, the Summer Triangle will be up in the east at midnight and higher in the southeast by 3 a.m. local time. The Milky Way will rise higher into the sky — and appear earlier — as the Summer Triangle becomes more prominent in June and July, but a lack of darkness at mid-northern latitudes around the solstice on June 20-21 makes May the best time to grab a first glance before the Milky Way gets much brighter and higher in the sky in August and September.
CNET
20 hours ago
- CNET
Muscle Growth: How It Happens and When You'll See Results
Consistent strength training is the key to building muscle. While you may see some people gain muscle quickly all over social media, it's important to remember that building muscle is a marathon, not a sprint. Having a good routine and giving yourself a realistic timeline will yield the best results. Muscle growth -- specifically optimal muscle protein synthesis -- depends on several key factors. Your diet and genetics both have a role to play. And sleep, a factor that many ignore, also plays a bigger part than you may realize. Read on to break down how muscle growth works -- and how long it can really take. How muscle growth happens Each muscle is made up of muscle fibers, which are cylindrical cells. Weight training breaks them down and recovery helps them grow. Roger Harris/ScienceBuilding muscle involves the repair of microtraumas in your muscle fibers. Here's a breakdown of this extremely complex process: 1. Each muscle is made up of thousands of tiny muscle fibers. 2. When you lift weights (or do body weight exercises), your muscles endure tiny injuries throughout their fibers. 3. Then, when you rest your muscles, your body begins repairing your damaged muscle cells. 4. The repair process involves fusing torn muscle fibers back together, as well as laying down new proteins within each muscle cell. 5. Your muscles become bigger and stronger as a result of the repair process. Keep in mind that the above is a tremendously simplified version of what actually happens in your body after a weight training workout. In reality, the process includes more than just your muscles -- your nervous system, circulatory system and endocrine system all contribute to muscle repair and growth. How long does it take to see muscle growth? Building muscle is super hard. If it was easy, we'd all be no one muscle-building timeline, because several factors affect your ability to build muscle mass, including: Your protein intake: While all macronutrients have their roles, protein is king when it comes to building muscle. Your muscles need adequate protein to repair themselves after the stress of weight training. Without enough protein, muscle growth stagnates. Your calorie intake: If you don't eat enough calories on a daily basis, you won't build muscle even if you eat a lot of protein. To build muscle, your body must create new tissue, and it can't create something from nothing. Extra fuel from extra calories expedites muscle recovery and growth. This is one reason many people never reach their muscle growth goals -- they aren't willing to deal with the extra body fat that comes along with a muscle-building phase. Your sleep schedule: Lifting weights while sleep-deprived isn't a smart strategy. You might see some gains, but you definitely can't optimize muscle growth when you don't give your body a fighting chance to recover. Your lifting routine: If you're trying to build muscle, you should know about two key strength training concepts: frequency and volume. Frequency refers to how often you train a muscle or muscle group, while volume refers to the total load you stress a muscle with. For example, if you perform three sets of 10 reps on squats using 100 pounds, your total volume is 3,000 pounds. More volume and higher frequency typically equate to more muscle, unless you reach the point of overtraining. Your training age: The more advanced you are, the less muscle growth you'll see (yeah, that sounds backward). Everyone has a maximum genetic potential for muscle growth, and the closer you get to yours, the harder it gets to build more muscle. Your actual age: Like a lot of things, building muscle gets harder as you get older. Sarcopenia, or loss of muscle mass and function, is actually a big problem in older adults. That's one reason why it's so important to stay active as you get older. Other major factors include your genetic potential for building muscle (which is impossible to quantify without lab testing, and even then, kind of wishy-washy) and your testosterone levels -- which is why men typically have more muscle than women. Other hormones, including human growth hormone and insulin growth factor, also play a role in muscle growth. All that said, the muscle-building process starts the moment you challenge your muscles to do something. True beginners might see muscle growth within six weeks of starting a resistance training program, and advanced lifters may see results within six to eight weeks of switching up their usual strength training regimen. Regardless of fitness level, building muscle takes several weeks, even when your diet, sleep and training regimen are all dialed in to optimize muscle growth. Can you build muscle doing cardio? Cardio that involves high-volume weight training can help you build depends on your definition of cardio and your training age. Most people won't build much muscle from traditional cardio, such as walking or jogging, and people who've been training for a long time definitely won't build new muscle through traditional cardio. It doesn't recruit your muscles in a way that sends a muscle-building signal to your body. However, cardio that involves high-intensity exercises like plyometrics (think jump squats) or high-volume weight training can help you build muscle to an extent. Sprinting hills, hiking, skiing and other outdoor cardio can also contribute a small amount to muscle mass, especially for beginners. People with a long training history may not see as much success with cardio. Although cardio can improve your overall fitness and help build muscle in select scenarios, strength training remains the best way to build muscle mass. Muscle growth FAQs How long does it take to build muscle? There isn't a fixed timeline for how long it'll take to build muscle. It can take several weeks to several months. Beginners will see results earlier than intermediate or advanced people. However, the main crux is to find and follow the right combination of resistance training, eating habits and rest. These will help your body achieve muscle protein synthesis -- the process that builds muscle -- and result in muscle growth. How long does it take to have visible abs? Like any other muscle group, training your abs will help them grow and become visible, but there is also an added variable of body fat. An expert we consulted mentioned a typical person will need to have 15% body fat (or less) for abs to be visible. However, this number can change based on your genetics. Do your muscles grow on rest days? Yes, muscles grow on rest days. Our muscles don't grow while exercising because working out results in small muscle tears. Rest days allow your muscles to repair and build back up from exertion. If you don't take adequate rest days, your muscles will break down and throw off your progress. Focusing on proper nutrition and getting enough sleep is essential during your rest days.
