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Asahi Shimbun
7 days ago
- Science
- Asahi Shimbun
Miso produced in 1st fermentation attempt in space tasted 'nuttier'
Miso that has been returned to Earth after being fermented in space (Provided by Maggie Coblentz) In one small step for astronaut foods and one giant leap for Japanese cuisine, miso became the first successful fermentation in space, although it had a stronger flavor than paste produced on Earth. A scientific paper was published this past spring trumpeting the success aboard the International Space Station. The U.S. and European researchers who conducted the study chose miso, instead of cheese or wine, as the food item to be fermented. An interview with leading authors of the article showed their enthusiasm for the selection of the traditional Japanese condiment. 'I think 'surreal' is the word.' 'Yeah, it was crazy.' Maggie Coblentz, a research affiliate of space food with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, and Joshua Evans, a senior researcher of fermented foods with the Technical University of Denmark's Center for Biosustainability, sounded excited as they were interviewed. A group of scientists including Coblentz and Evans prepared a mixture of steamed soybeans, rice koji (boiled rice fermented with the Aspergillus oryzae fungus) and salt, and put several hundred grams of the paste in a transparent, semihermetic container. They sent the mixture aboard a rocket to the International Space Station in March 2020. The space facility is under 'microgravity,' equivalent to one-10,000th to one-one-millionth of the gravity on Earth. The paste was kept for about 30 days in a special box that can sense changes in temperature, humidity, off-gassing and other conditions. The container was returned safely to Earth, even though the power supply was disrupted a few times. The scientists said they had to overcome many hurdles during the experiment. They received a succession of inquiries from the ISS operator, including on the possible toxicity of the fermentation and on potential impact on other equipment aboard the ISS. They grappled with mountains of documents to clear the rigorous safety standards one by one. That was a single-shot test, wherein the experimental equipment couldn't have been repaired even if had succumbed to abnormalities in space. The researchers were told, ahead of the rocket lift-off, that a strange smell was coming from their equipment. They explained that was just the miso, giving off a beautiful aroma. CLOSE SHAVE OF 3 DAYS The rocket was launched around the time COVID-19 was raging across the globe. Evans said that, had the lift-off been scheduled for three days later, the experiment could have been rendered impossible by the pandemic-imposed lockdowns. Analysis of samples taken from the container of the miso raw materials showed they contained microbes of the same species that are found in miso fermented on Earth. The scientists concluded, on the basis of the taste, aromas and ingredients, that miso was present. Following peer-reviews and other procedures, their article was published in iScience, a U.S. science journal, in April to describe what they label as the first food fermentation experiment in space. Western media outlets covered the topic of the 'space miso' one after another. That is considered the first time that food was fermented aboard the ISS, even though a test culture of yeast cells, wine maturing, and other processes had taken place earlier in space. The researchers said the space miso contained more glutamic acid, an umami ingredient, than miso made from the same raw materials during the same period on Earth, and had a stronger 'nutty' and 'roasted' aroma. But lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, both of which are considered essential for Japanese miso production, were not found in the space miso. A chef who has lived in Japan used the space miso residue from the experiment to prepare miso soup, which members of the research team relished. 'Bringing it to space was really exciting for us to expand the creativity and the challenge of how to cook and prepare miso,' Evans said. 'It offered me the chance to view Earth as if I were seeing it from space by proxy.' FOOD DIVERSITY INSTEAD OF BIAS Coblentz stressed food diversity as she explained why she and her colleagues chose miso for the first fermentation project in space. Western food items account for the bulk of the space food offered aboard the ISS. 'Much of the research on fermented foods has tended to be predominantly in English,' Evans said. 'There can sometimes be a bias toward Western products such as bread, cheese and wine. Why not use that platform to showcase a greater diversity of products and traditions?' Since it is said that humans have a reduced sense of taste in outer space, nutritional efficacy is the major consideration in space food. 'Something like miso is really powerful because it's so concentrated in umami, protein, and flavor, and it is very versatile culinarily,' Evans said. 'It struck us as the ideal choice.' There are expectations the latest experiment will mark a step toward food diversification, which would make long-term stays in space closer to life on Earth in the future. In addition, the experiment will also be helpful for research on fermentation processes under microgravity. The experiment used rice koji spores, an essential ingredient for miso production, that were manufactured by Bio'c Co., a seed koji maker based in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. Bio'c officials said they learned of the fact only upon reading the article. 'I find it a great honor that our product was used there,' said Bio'c President Yuichiro Murai. 'Miso is popular in Western countries, where, as I have been told, many people eat it without knowing that it has its origins in Japan. I hope we will take this opportunity to advertise the charms of miso.' SAKE BREWER IN WAITING Dassai Inc., a sake brewer based in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is hoping to follow on the heels of the miso fermentation by making Japanese rice wine in space. The company has plans to send a set of raw materials and equipment, aboard a domestically produced H3 rocket, to the ISS's Japanese experiment module Kibo by the end of this fiscal year. The raw materials will be placed in a special device for fermentation into 'moromi' sake mash, which will be returned to Earth in refrigerated storage, where it will be used to make a commercial product, Dassai officials said. A 100-milliliter bottle of sake from the project was put on sale, through a preorder, to the tune of about 100 million yen ($670,000). The preorder slot has already been sold, company officials added. Dassai CEO Kazuhiro Sakurai said he felt heartened by the space miso experiment, as he has ambitions to brew sake on the moon in the future. 'The fermentation process in space marks a very big step,' Sakurai said. 'Humans will need pleasures and delights when they expand their sphere of living to outer space in the future. I hope that sake has a role to play there.' Takeo Koizumi, director of the nonprofit Fermentation Culture Promotion Agency, sounded skeptical about the authenticity of the space miso. 'It remains open to question whether that could be called a miso of the sort that Japanese usually have in mind,' he said, pointing out that yeasts and other microbes were not found in the space miso. But Koizumi sounded more upbeat as he added: 'The very fact the space miso became the talk of the town across the world is a positive note for the future of Japan's fermentation culture.'
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
ChatGPT use linked to cognitive decline, research reveals
Relying on the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT to help you write an essay could be linked to cognitive decline, a new study reveals. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab studied the impact of ChatGPT on the brain by asking three groups of people to write an essay. One group relied on ChatGPT, one group relied on search engines, and one group had no outside resources at all. The researchers then monitored their brains using electroencephalography, a method which measures electrical activity. The team discovered that those who relied on ChatGPT — also known as a large language model — had the 'weakest' brain connectivity and remembered the least about their essays, highlighting potential concerns about cognitive decline in frequent users. 'Over four months, [large language model] users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels,' the study reads. 'These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of [large language model] reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning.' The study also found that those who didn't use outside resources to write the essays had the 'strongest, most distributed networks.' While ChatGPT is 'efficient and convenient,' those who use it to write essays aren't 'integrat[ing] any of it' into their memory networks, lead author Nataliya Kosmyna told Time Magazine. Kosmyna said she's especially concerned about the impacts of ChatGPT on children whose brains are still developing. 'What really motivated me to put it out now before waiting for a full peer review is that I am afraid in 6-8 months, there will be some policymaker who decides, 'let's do GPT kindergarten,'' Kosmyna said. 'I think that would be absolutely bad and detrimental. Developing brains are at the highest risk.' But others, including President Donald Trump and members of his administration, aren't so worried about the impacts of ChatGPT on developing brains. Trump signed an executive order in April promoting the integration of AI into American schools. 'To ensure the United States remains a global leader in this technological revolution, we must provide our Nation's youth with opportunities to cultivate the skills and understanding necessary to use and create the next generation of AI technology,' the order reads. 'By fostering AI competency, we will equip our students with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to adapt to and thrive in an increasingly digital society.' Kosmyna said her team is now working on another study comparing the brain activity of software engineers and programmers who use AI with those who don't. 'The results are even worse,' she told Time Magazine. The Independent has contacted OpenAI, which runs ChatGPT, for comment.
Indianapolis Star
20-06-2025
- Science
- Indianapolis Star
What happens when you use ChatGPT to write an essay? See what new study found.
Artificial intelligence chatbots may be able to write a quick essay, but a new study from MIT found that their use comes at a cognitive cost. A study published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab analyzed the cognitive function of 54 people writing an essay with: only the assistance of OpenAI's ChatGPT; only online browsers; or no outside tools at all. Largely, the study found that those who relied solely on ChatGPT to write their essays had lower levels of brain activity and presented less original writing. "As we stand at this technological crossroads, it becomes crucial to understand the full spectrum of cognitive consequences associated with (language learning model) integration in educational and informational contexts," the study states. "While these tools offer unprecedented opportunities for enhancing learning and information access, their potential impact on cognitive development, critical thinking and intellectual independence demands a very careful consideration and continued research." Here's a deeper look at the study and how it was conducted. Terms to know: With artificial intelligence growing popular, here's what to know about how it works AI in education: How AI is affecting the way kids learn to read and write A team of MIT researchers, led by MIT Media Lab research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna, studied 54 participants between the ages of 18 and 39. Participants were recruited from MIT, Wellesley College, Harvard, Tufts University and Northeastern University. The participants were randomly split into three groups, 18 people per group. The study states that the three groups included a language learning model group, in which participants only used OpenAI's ChatGPT-4o to write their essays. The second group was limited to using only search engines for their research, and the third was prohibited from any tools. Participants in the latter group could only use their minds to write their essays. Each participant had 20 minutes to write an essay from one of three prompts taken from SAT tests, the study states. Three different options were provided to each group, totaling nine unique prompts. An example of a prompt available to participants using ChatGPT was about loyalty: "Many people believe that loyalty whether to an individual, an organization, or a nation means unconditional and unquestioning support no matter what. To these people, the withdrawal of support is by definition a betrayal of loyalty. But doesn't true loyalty sometimes require us to be critical of those we are loyal to? If we see that they are doing something that we believe is wrong, doesn't true loyalty require us to speak up, even if we must be critical? Does true loyalty require unconditional support?" As the participants wrote their essays, they were hooked up to a Neuoelectrics Enobio 32 headset, which allowed researchers to collect EEG (electroencephalogram) signals, the brain's electrical activity. Following the sessions, 18 participants returned for a fourth study group. Participants who had previously used ChatGPT to write their essays were required to use no tools and participants who had used no tools before used ChatGPT, the study states. In addition to analyzing brain activity, the researchers looked at the essays themselves. First and foremost, the essays of participants who used no tools (ChatGPT or search engines) had wider variability in both topics, words and sentence structure, the study states. On the other hand, essays written with the help of ChatGPT were more homogenous. All of the essays were "judged" by two English teachers and two AI judges trained by the researchers. The English teachers were not provided background information about the study but were able to identify essays written by AI. "These, often lengthy essays included standard ideas, reoccurring typical formulations and statements, which made the use of AI in the writing process rather obvious. We, as English teachers, perceived these essays as 'soulless,' in a way, as many sentences were empty with regard to content and essays lacked personal nuances," a statement from the teachers, included in the study, reads. As for the AI judges, a judge trained by the researchers to evaluate like the real teachers scored each of the essays, for the most part, a four or above, on a scale of five. When it came to brain activity, researchers were presented "robust" evidence that participants who used no writing tools displayed the "strongest, widest-ranging" brain activity, while those who used ChatGPT displayed the weakest. Specifically, the ChatGPT group displayed 55% reduced brain activity, the study states. And though the participants who used only search engines had less overall brain activity than those who used no tools, these participants had a higher level of eye activity than those who used ChatGPT, even though both were using a digital screen. Further research on the long-term impacts of artificial intelligence chatbots on cognitive activity is needed, the study states. As for this particular study, researchers noted that a larger number of participants from a wider geographical area would be necessary for a more successful study. Writing outside of a traditional educational environment could also provide more insight into how AI works in more generalized tasks.
USA Today
20-06-2025
- Science
- USA Today
What happens when you use ChatGPT to write an essay? See what new study found.
Artificial intelligence chatbots may be able to write a quick essay, but a new study from MIT found that their use comes at a cognitive cost. A study published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab analyzed the cognitive function of 54 people writing an essay with: only the assistance of OpenAI's ChatGPT; only online browsers; or no outside tools at all. Largely, the study found that those who relied solely on ChatGPT to write their essays had lower levels of brain activity and presented less original writing. "As we stand at this technological crossroads, it becomes crucial to understand the full spectrum of cognitive consequences associated with (language learning model) integration in educational and informational contexts," the study states. "While these tools offer unprecedented opportunities for enhancing learning and information access, their potential impact on cognitive development, critical thinking and intellectual independence demands a very careful consideration and continued research." Here's a deeper look at the study and how it was conducted. Terms to know: With artificial intelligence growing popular, here's what to know about how it works AI in education: How AI is affecting the way kids learn to read and write How was the study conducted? A team of MIT researchers, led by MIT Media Lab research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna, studied 54 participants between the ages of 18 and 39. Participants were recruited from MIT, Wellesley College, Harvard, Tufts University and Northeastern University. The participants were randomly split into three groups, 18 people per group. The study states that the three groups included a language learning model group, in which participants only used OpenAI's ChatGPT-4o to write their essays. The second group was limited to using only search engines for their research, and the third was prohibited from any tools. Participants in the latter group could only use their minds to write their essays. Each participant had 20 minutes to write an essay from one of three prompts taken from SAT tests, the study states. Three different options were provided to each group, totaling nine unique prompts. An example of a prompt available to participants using ChatGPT was about loyalty: "Many people believe that loyalty whether to an individual, an organization, or a nation means unconditional and unquestioning support no matter what. To these people, the withdrawal of support is by definition a betrayal of loyalty. But doesn't true loyalty sometimes require us to be critical of those we are loyal to? If we see that they are doing something that we believe is wrong, doesn't true loyalty require us to speak up, even if we must be critical? Does true loyalty require unconditional support?" As the participants wrote their essays, they were hooked up to a Neuoelectrics Enobio 32 headset, which allowed researchers to collect EEG (electroencephalogram) signals, the brain's electrical activity. Following the sessions, 18 participants returned for a fourth study group. Participants who had previously used ChatGPT to write their essays were required to use no tools and participants who had used no tools before used ChatGPT, the study states. Quality of essays: What did the study find? In addition to analyzing brain activity, the researchers looked at the essays themselves. First and foremost, the essays of participants who used no tools (ChatGPT or search engines) had wider variability in both topics, words and sentence structure, the study states. On the other hand, essays written with the help of ChatGPT were more homogenous. All of the essays were "judged" by two English teachers and two AI judges trained by the researchers. The English teachers were not provided background information about the study but were able to identify essays written by AI. "These, often lengthy essays included standard ideas, reoccurring typical formulations and statements, which made the use of AI in the writing process rather obvious. We, as English teachers, perceived these essays as 'soulless,' in a way, as many sentences were empty with regard to content and essays lacked personal nuances," a statement from the teachers, included in the study, reads. As for the AI judges, a judge trained by the researchers to evaluate like the real teachers scored each of the essays, for the most part, a four or above, on a scale of five. Brain activity: What did the study find? When it came to brain activity, researchers were presented "robust" evidence that participants who used no writing tools displayed the "strongest, widest-ranging" brain activity, while those who used ChatGPT displayed the weakest. Specifically, the ChatGPT group displayed 55% reduced brain activity, the study states. And though the participants who used only search engines had less overall brain activity than those who used no tools, these participants had a higher level of eye activity than those who used ChatGPT, even though both were using a digital screen. What's next for future studies? Further research on the long-term impacts of artificial intelligence chatbots on cognitive activity is needed, the study states. As for this particular study, researchers noted that a larger number of participants from a wider geographical area would be necessary for a more successful study. Writing outside of a traditional educational environment could also provide more insight into how AI works in more generalized tasks. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
