Right now, the European Union doesn’t have enough animal feed of its own to nourish livestock, forcing it to bring in supplies from beyond the bloc’s borders. To face this unsustainable dependency, researchers are looking for alternative protein sources. More than the 70 percent of the protein sources required by animals bred in the European Union are imported from non-EU countries. Soybean dominates the protein supply for animal feed. This dependency is costly, subjected to market fluctuations and price rises. The European Parliament adopted a resolution stating the urgency in replacing at least part of the imported feeding stuff with alternative sources, of EU origin. One of the exit-strategies investigated by researchers is reusing food waste to feed animals, with the help of low energy consumption technologies. Considering the huge amount of food waste generated in Europe, estimated to be 88 million tons each year, the project NOSHAN identified functional feeding ingredients derived from food waste that can be adapted to the needs of animals. A free food waste database has been created, which includes the molecular characterisation performed on 42 different waste streams.

Scientists from the University of Würzburg have synthesized a complex sugar molecule which specifically binds to the tumor protein Galectin-1. This could help to recognize tumors at an early stage and to combat them in a targeted manner. Galectins are a family of proteins that have become a promising source of cancer research in recent years. A representative thereof is galectin-1. It sits on the surface of all human cells; on tumor cells, however, it occurs in enormous quantities. This makes it an interesting target for diagnostics and therapy. "Among other things, it is known that galectin-1 hides the tumor cells from the immune system," explains Professor Jürgen Seibel of the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany. Recent studies have shown that when Galectin-1 is blocked, the immune system can recognize the tumor and attack it with T cells.

Working in collaboration with teams from the Czech Republic and Japan, researchers from the Institut Pasteur, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), and Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM) have identified, for the first time, the likely origin of the cross-reactivity between cypress pollen, peaches and citrus fruits. Their work has shown that these sources contain allergens belonging to a new family of proteins involved in pollen food associated syndrome. This discovery, which was published in JACI on August 3rd, paves the way for the development of novel allergy diagnostic tests.

Today, more and more people suffer from allergies, especially in industrialized countries (where almost 30% of the population is affected). In view of this, doctors are observing an increase in cases of "pollen food associated syndrome", or "combination" allergies, i.e. those which occur via a cross-reaction between pollen (respiratory allergies) and food (food allergies). In Mediterranean regions, allergic reactions to cypress pollen/peach and cypress pollen/citrus fruits have been described in clinical practice. In such cases, certain people, having been exposed and sensitized to cypress pollen from a young age, go on to develop allergies to citrus fruits and peaches in adulthood. It is estimated that 60% of food allergies occur in combination with respiratory allergies.

Europe is demographically divided. In the north, west and centre of the continent, comparatively high fertility rates and immigration are ensuring population growth for the foreseeable future. By contrast, many regions in southern and Eastern Europe are threatened with accelerated aging processes and marked population losses.

Europe is not just the proverbial “old” continent. Its populations are also on average older than elsewhere in the world. Even now, there are only some three persons of working age to every pensioner. By the middle of the century, this ratio may fall to one to two. This will have consequences for the economy and social systems. It will become more difficult to finance social benefits, and companies will find it harder to find suitable personnel. “This is all the more serious in view of the fact that the economies of the twenty-first century require well-qualified people rather than major industrial plants”, says Reiner Klingholz, Director of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development. 

Researchers from the University of Würzburg are working on a chewing gum that is capable of detecting oral inflammation. (Photo: JMU )

Dental implants occasionally entail complications: Six to fifteen percent of patients develop an inflammatory response in the years after receiving a dental implant. This is caused by bacteria destroying the soft tissue and the bone around the implant in the worst case. In future, patients will benefit from a quick and affordable method assessing whether they carry such bacteria: using a chewing gum based diagnostic test developed by a pharmaceutical research team at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany. In practice, the test works as follows: If there is an inflammation in the oral cavity, a bittering agent is released while chewing the gum. Patients can then visit their dentist who confirms the diagnosis and treats the disease. This type of early detection aims at preventing serious complications such as bone loss. "Anyone can use this new diagnostic tool anywhere and anytime without any technical equipment," Professor Lorenz Meinel says; he is the head of the JMU Chair for Drug Formulation and Delivery. He developed the new diagnostic tool with Dr. Jennifer Ritzer and her team; the invention is currently featured in an article in the journal "Nature Communication".

Scientists have discovered fossil remains of a new carnivorous mammal in Turkey, one of the biggest marsupial relatives ever discovered in the northern hemisphere. The findings, by Dr Robin Beck from the University of Salford in the UK and Dr Murat Maga, of the University of Washington who discovered the fossil, are published today in the journal PLoS ONE. The new fossil is a 43 million year old cat-sized mammal that had powerful teeth and jaws for crushing hard food, like the modern Tasmanian Devil. It is related to the pouched mammals, or marsupials, of Australia and South America, and it shows that marsupial relatives, or metatherians, were far more diverse in the northern hemisphere than previously believed. Dr Maga found the fossil at a site near the town of Kazan, northwest of the Turkish capital, Ankara. It has been named Anatoliadelphys maasae, after the ancient name for Turkey, and Dr Mary Maas, a Turkish-American palaeontologist. The fossil is remarkably well preserved, and includes parts of the skull and most of the skeleton. It shows that Anatoliadelphys weighed 3-4 kilograms, about the size of a domestic cat, and that it was capable of climbing. It had powerful teeth and jaws, for eating animals and possibly crushing bones. Features of the teeth and bones of Anatoliadelphys show that is closely related to marsupials, but it is not known whether it had a pouch or not.

Un recente studio dell’Isac-Cnr evidenzia come i microrganismi che vivono nel ghiaccio marino antartico influenzino la composizione dell’aerosol atmosferico e la sua capacità di formare nubi, con possibili effetti su precipitazioni e clima. Il lavoro pubblicato su Scientific Reports

Il ghiaccio marino polare rappresenta uno dei più grandi ecosistemi del pianeta ed è composto da un ambiente complesso, caratterizzato da condizioni estreme, che tuttavia ospita al suo interno una grande varietà di microrganismi in grado di tollerarle. La presenza di questi microrganismi e la loro vita all’interno del ghiaccio marino risulta fondamentale non solo per la biologia degli oceani ma anche per la composizione dell’atmosfera soprastante, con importanti conseguenze potenziali sul clima globale. È questa una delle conclusioni di un team internazionale che coinvolge ricercatori dell’Istituto di scienze dell’atmosfera e del clima del Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche (Isac-Cnr), in un lavoro pubblicato sulla rivista Scientific Reports. “Lo studio coordinato dall'Istituto di scienze marine, Icm-Csic di Barcellona (Spagna), afferma che il ghiaccio marino, grazie al metabolismo degli organismi che vivono al suo interno, risulta una delle principali fonti di azoto organico contenuto nel particolato atmosferico di alcune regioni dell’Oceano Australe limitrofe alla calotta antartica”, dice Marco Paglione, assegnista di ricerca presso l’Isac-Cnr di Bologna. “La concentrazione e la composizione del particolato atmosferico (o aerosol) a loro volta contribuiscono in maniera sostanziale alla formazione e alle caratteristiche delle nubi, elementi chiave nella regolazione del clima di tutto il pianeta”.

Un nuovo studio pubblicato sull'Astrophysical Journal Letters realizza un nuovo modello utile ad effettuare il censimento delle galassie nane vicine di casa e a comprendere il legame con la dark matter

E’ un grosso enigma di piccola taglia quello rappresentato dalle galassie nane vicine di casa, aggregazioni di stelle che “abitano” nei pressi della Via Lattea, la cui presenza potrebbe fornire la chiave per risolvere il più intrigante dei misteri dell’Universo, quello della materia oscura. Secondo gli astronomi, nel vicinato galattico mancano all’appello molte delle nane predette dai modelli cosmologici: la latitanza di queste congreghe in miniatura solleva molte domande legate alla componente oscura e al suo ruolo nei processi di formazione. La dark matter – ipotetica componente di materia non osservabile conosciuta solo per gli effetti gravitazionali che esercita su gas e polvere di stelle - infatti forma circa un quarto dell’Universo e gioca un ruolo cruciale nei processi di formazione. Perciò è così importante comprenderne il legame con le galassie.

 Lentils and broccoli, algae and insects: science is investigating traditional and new diets in a bid to reduce the risks of us getting ill

The importance of healthy eating for our well-being is scientifically proven and having a varied diet goes without saying. Part of this are the so-called superfoods, which are exploding in popularity because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, even if we must pay attention to sensationalist promises. In 2007 the EU banned the use of "superfood" on labels without a health claim that’s “clear, accurate and based on scientific evidence”, explaining why the food is good for the health of consumers. Some superfoods appear quite exotic, things like Goji berries, quinoa or algae. Many companies are testing out new recipes, including these ingredients, to whet Western palates. Take the Irish start-up Seamore, for example. At this year’s edition of Seeds & Chips,  a global food innovation summit, the company presented reinterpretations of traditional foods like Italian “tagliatelle” or English bacon, replacing pasta and pork with marine algae. Founder and CEO Willem Sodderland explained that “in essence, seaweeds are a vegetable, but they contain nutrients absent in most vegetables, like Iodine and Omega-3. Indeed, fish get their Omega-3 from seaweed.” The three cold-water seaweeds studied by the start-up, namely the brown Himanthalia, the red Palmaria Palmata, which tastes like bacon, and the most known green variety have very little fat.

I cebi barbuti di Fazenda Boa Vista, in Brasile, tramandano di generazione in generazione comportamenti tecnologici come l’uso di strumenti per rompere noci di palma: allo studio che ha ottenuto la copertina di Pnas partecipa Elisabetta Visalberghi dell’Istituto di scienze e tecnologie della cognizione del Cnr

 Le tradizioni culturali umane si mantengono attraverso meccanismi quali l’imitazione e l’insegnamento. Ma cosa accade in altre specie? I risultati di uno studio su una popolazione di cebi barbuti ‘Sapajus libidinosus’, condotto da un gruppo di ricercatori - fra cui Elisabetta Visalberghi dell’Istituto di scienze e tecnologie della cognizione del Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche di Roma (Istc-Cnr) - a Fazenda Boa Vista, nel Nord-Est del Brasile, mostrano che l’uso di strumenti per queste scimmie è una ‘tradizione’ che gli individui imparano da giovani e che passa di generazione in generazione. L’articolo ‘Synchronized practice helps bearded capuchin monkeys learn to extend attention while learning a tradition’ è stato appena pubblicato sul numero dei Proceeding of the National Academy of Science (Pnas) guadagnandosi anche l’onore della copertina. “I risultati sono chiarissimi. Se un cebo esperto usa strumenti, l’attenzione di quelli inesperti viene ‘catturata’ facendo aumentare significativamente la frequenza con cui questi individui eseguono comportamenti rilevanti per l’apprendimento dell’uso di strumenti, come battere una noce su un’incudine o un sasso sulla noce. Anche dopo che il cebo esperto ha rotto la sua noce, quelli inesperti continuano a svolgere queste attività per parecchi minuti”, spiega Visalberghi.