Food News

November 18, 2024

Top Headlines

'Walk This Way': How Ants Create Trails to Multiple Food Sources

Nov. 16, 2024 — Researchers have discovered that in a foraging ant's search for food, it will leave pheromone trails connecting its colony to multiple food sources when they're available, successfully creating the first model that explains the phenomenon of trail ...

The Blue-Green Sustainable Proteins of Seaweed May Soon Be on Your Plate

Nov. 13, 2024 — The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed also contains many other important nutrients, and is grown without needing to be watered, fertilized or ...

Children's Gut Bacteria May Hold the Key to Diarrhea Treatment

Nov. 13, 2024 — Diarrhea claims the lives of 500,000 children each year in low- and middle-income countries. Now researchers have linked chronic diarrhea to a specific pattern of gut bacteria, a discovery that could pave the way for new treatments capable of saving ...

Why Health and Price, Not Sustainability, Drive US Meat Consumption Choices

Nov. 8, 2024 — Environmental sustainability isn't a major factor influencing meat consumption decisions for most Americans, despite increasing awareness of the climate impacts of red meat production, according to ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:15pm EST

Pathogens Which Cling to Microplastics May Survive Wastewater Treatment

Nov. 6, 2024 — Wastewater treatment fails to kill several human pathogens when they hide out on microplastics in the water, according to a new ...

Small Reductions to Meat Production in Wealthier Countries May Help Fight Climate Change, New Analysis Concludes

Nov. 4, 2024 — Scientists and environmental activists have consistently called for drastic reductions in meat production as a way to reduce emissions and, in doing ...

Water Fern Gains More Evidence as Safe Potential Global Food Insecurity Solution

Nov. 1, 2024 — Is the floating freshwater fern commonly called Carolina azolla the potential answer to global food insecurity or a possible threat to humanity? On ...

Restricting Sugar Consumption in Utero and in Early Childhood Significantly Reduces Risk of Midlife Chronic Disease, Study Finds

Oct. 31, 2024 — Children who experienced sugar restrictions during their first 1,000 days after conception had up to 35% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and ...

Alcohol Consumption Among Non-Human Animals May Not Be as Rare as Previously Thought, Say Ecologists

Oct. 30, 2024 — Anecdotes abound of wildlife behaving 'drunk' after eating fermented fruits, but despite this, nonhuman consumption of ethanol has been assumed to be ...

Co-Culture System for Sustainable Cultured Meat Production

Oct. 28, 2024 — Cultured meat is grown from animal muscle cells, and animal serum is required to promote the growth of these cells. However, the use of serum poses significant challenges because of its high cost and ...

Thermal Imaging May Help Fruits, Veggies Stay Fresher Longer

Oct. 28, 2024 — A recent review suggests new temperature measuring technologies could make that process much simpler, amid growing agricultural challenges fueled by fluctuating ...

Lab-Grown Pork Gets Support from Sorghum Grain

Oct. 28, 2024 — Meat grown in a lab isn't science fiction anymore. Cultured meats have existed for over a decade, and as of 2023, you might even find lab-grown chicken in restaurants (in the U.S., at least). Now, ...

Tiny Medicine Combats Infections and Drug Resistance

Oct. 24, 2024 — Researchers have developed a new technology that can hold an entire course of antibiotics in one tiny dose and deliver on demand just the right amount of medication that a particular patient needs to ...

Marri Trees a Lifeline for Many Native Bee Species in Biodiversity Hotspot

Oct. 23, 2024 — New research has revealed Marri trees are critical to the survival of more than 80 species of native bee in Western Australia's South West region, which is one of the world's most biologically rich ...

Polar Bears' Exposure to Pathogens Is Increasing as Their Environment Changes

Oct. 23, 2024 — As the Arctic warms, polar bears now face a greater risk of contracting several pathogens than bears three decades ago, according to a new ...

With 'Electro-Agriculture,' Plants Can Produce Food in the Dark and With 94% Less Land, Bioengineers Say

Oct. 23, 2024 — Photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that enables almost all life on Earth, is extremely inefficient at capturing energy -- only around 1% of light energy that a plant absorbs is converted into ...

Full-Bodied Cheese Flavor Quickly and Efficiently

Oct. 22, 2024 — Peptides formed during cheese ripening are crucial for the full-bodied flavor of aged cheeses, known as kokumi. A research team led by the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical ...

Understanding the Relationship Between Food Waste, Climate Change, and Aging Population

Oct. 21, 2024 — Household food waste is an important contributor to global food loss and waste and greenhouse gas emissions, but not much is known about what types of food are wasted the most and by whom. Now, ...

New Research Could Lead to Genetically Tailored Diets to Treat Patients With IBS

Oct. 21, 2024 — An international study has found that genetic variations in human carbohydrate-active enzymes may affect how people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) respond to a carbohydrate-reduced ...

Raising Happy Eaters: Unlocking the Secrets of Childhood Appetite

Oct. 17, 2024 — The foundation for healthy eating behavior starts in infancy. Young children learn to regulate their appetite through a combination of biological, psychological, and sociological factors. Researchers ...

Providencia Rustigianii Has Virulence Gene Akin to Salmonella's

Oct. 17, 2024 — Scientists have identified a new virulence gene from a whole genome analysis of Providencia rustigianii, which can cause severe food poisoning ...

AI Decodes Microbes' Message in Milk Safety Testing Approach

Oct. 17, 2024 — By combining the genetic sequencing and analysis of the microbes in a milk sample with artificial intelligence (AI), researchers were able to detect anomalies in milk production, such as ...

Study Finds Widespread Exposure to Hormone-Disrupting Chemical During Pregnancy

Oct. 17, 2024 — Researchers link zearalenone levels to diet quality and call for further ...

Chickpeas: Sustainable and Climate-Friendly Foods of the Future

Oct. 16, 2024 — Climate change has a negative impact on food security. Researchers have now conducted a study to investigate the natural variation of different chickpea genotypes and their resistance to drought ...

Having a Sweet Tooth Is Linked to Higher Risk of Depression, Diabetes, and Stroke, Study Finds

Oct. 9, 2024 — People with a preference for sweets are at a higher risk of developing depression, diabetes, and suffering a stroke, according to new ...

Study Probes How Eating Less Can Extend Lifespan

Oct. 9, 2024 — Researchers tracked the health of nearly one thousand mice on a variety of diets to see if these diets would extend the mice's lifespan. The study was designed to ensure that each mouse was ...

A Matter of Taste: Electronic Tongue Reveals AI 'Inner Thoughts'

Oct. 9, 2024 — Researchers recently developed electronic tongue capable of identifying differences in similar liquids, such as milk with varying water content; diverse products, including soda types and coffee ...

Invasive Apple Snail Could Spread Further in Africa, Study Reveals

Oct. 7, 2024 — New research reveals that the invasive Apple Snail -- which threatens rice crops -- could spread further in Africa. A team of researchers suggest that South West along Tana River, Western Kenya and ...

Toddlers Get Nearly Half Their Calories from Ultra-Processed Foods

Oct. 3, 2024 — Toddlers in the UK obtain nearly half (47%) of their calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), and this rises to 59% by the age of seven, according to a new study. The most common UPFs consumed by ...

Eyes on the Fries: How Our Vision Creates a Food Trend

Oct. 2, 2024 — Research shows that how we rate food is influenced by 'serial dependence' -- our judgement cascades on from the food we've just ...

Turning Plants Into Workout Supplement Bio-Factories

Oct. 2, 2024 — It's important to eat your veggies, but some essential vitamins and nutrients can only be found in animals, including certain amino acids and peptides. But, in a proof-of-concept study, ...

Pervasiveness of Inflammation-Inducing Foods in American Diet

Oct. 1, 2024 — Almost six in 10 Americans have pro-inflammatory diets, increasing the risk of health problems including heart disease and cancer, according to a new study that used a tool designed to examine ...

Keeping a Longer Overnight Fast and Eating an Early Breakfast May Be Associated With a Lower Body Mass Index

Oct. 1, 2024 — To keep weight in check, it is not only important to consider what we eat, but also the times at which we eat. According to a new study, there are two specific habits that are associated with a lower ...

Thaumatin: Natural Sweetener With Anti-Inflammatory Potential

Sep. 30, 2024 — A new study shows that bitter tasting protein fragments (peptides) are produced in the stomach during the digestion of the natural sweetener thaumatin. In a cellular test system, the peptides are ...