BSF’s News Digest April 2024 ¦ Selector Ján Peťka
In the spotlight
Artificial sweeteners don’t make you hungry. They may actually help reduce blood sugar levels. | ZME Science
A new study suggests that artificial sweeteners, including aspartame and saccharin, do not increase hunger or food intake, but help reduce blood sugar levels, reducing appetite. This is particularly important for people at risk of type 2 diabetes, who require a safer alternative.
Researchers hijacked bacteria to produce sustainable, meat-like protein | ZME Science
Researchers have engineered cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, to produce a protein that mimics the texture and taste of meat. This protein is formed in fibrous strands that resemble meat fibers, which could be used in plant-based meat, cheese, or other new types of food. The process involves inserting foreign genes into the cyanobacteria, using it as a host organism, and then re-arranges itself into tiny threads (nanofibers). This process requires minimal processing, allowing cyanobacteria to generate meat-like protein all from the get-go.
ACS Spring 2024 explores many flavors of chemistry in New Orleans | C&EN News
The American Chemical Society held its annual spring meeting March 17–21 in New Orleans and online. As of March 19, 14,368 people had registered to attend: 1,246 attended virtually, and a majority, 13,122, attended in person in the Big Easy. This year’s theme, “‘Many Flavors of Chemistry,” drew nearly 12,000 oral and poster presentations.
Pred-O3, a web server to predict molecules, olfactory receptors and odor relationships | Nucleic Acids Research
Pred-O3, a web server based on 5802 odorant molecules and their annotations to 863 olfactory receptors (human) and 7029 odors and flavors annotations, provides insights into olfaction. It uses AI to suggest olfactory receptors and odors associated with a new molecule, and proposes structural models for physicochemical features. Pred-O3 is well suited to aid in the design of new odorant molecules and assist in fragrance research and sensory neuroscience. It is accessible at ‘https://odor.rpbs.univ-paris-diderot.fr/’.
Devastating, rapidly spreading virus threatens world's chocolate supply; What is Cacao Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD)?| Science Times
Cacao Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) is a devastating virus spreading rapidly, potentially disrupting the world's supply of chocolate due to tiny mealybugs eating cacao trees' leaves and flowers.
Huge genetic study redraws the tree of life for flowering plants| New Scientist
Botanists have compiled a tree of life based on genomic data from over 9500 flowering plant species, aiding in understanding their evolutionary relationships and future conservation efforts.
Think you understand evaporation? Think again, says MIT | New Atlas
Researchers at MIT have discovered that light in the visible spectrum can cause water molecules to evaporate, leading to the "photomolecular effect." This discovery could help understand how sunlight interacts with natural water bodies, impacting weather and climate, and potentially lead to high-performance water desalination.
The complex history of non-alcoholic wine | Mashed
Consumer demand for non-alcoholic wine started sparking innovation more than a century ago. The first wine-adjacent invention was created in response to church leaders' worries about the growing alcoholism rates in the 1800s. In 1869, minister Thomas Welch developed a flash-pasteurization process that stopped grapes from fermenting, allowing churches to offer a non-alcoholic communion "wine."
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