Biology
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Pop a “miracle berry” into your mouth, and you might wonder if it was named by an overreaching marketing department. The small red fruit tastes of very little – it has a “ mildly sweet tang… [like] a less flavorful cranberry ”. But it’s not the taste of the fruit itself that matters.
How the miracle fruit changes sour into sweet | Not Exactly Rocket Science
Climate Change
Ugli
Die Ugli ist eine Zitrusfrucht , welche als Produkt einer Hybridisierung aus Mandarine ( Citrus reticulata ) und Grapefruit ( Citrus × aurantium ) oder Pampelmuse ( Citrus maxima ) entstanden sein soll. Kreuzungen aus Mandarine und Grapefruit werden als Tangelo bezeichnet. Sie wurde in Jamaika um 1917 gefunden und ab den 1930er Jahren kommerziell vermarktet. Als Handelsmarke ist die Frucht als UGLI® von der Cabel Hall Citrus Ltd. registriert. Der Name leitet sich angeblich von ihrer rauen und grünlich-gelben Schale ab, welche Assoziationen mit dem englischen Wort ugly für hässlich weckte. Die grün-gelbe Ugli-Frucht
Longevity Protein Discovered
A protein that can extend the lifetimes of worms could have implications for human longevity and development of cancers, a new study suggests. Roundworms ( C. elegans ) born without the protien called arrestin lived a third longer than normal, while worms with triple the amount of the protein cut their lives short by one-third. The findings could have implications for humans, because most proteins in worms have human counterparts, according to study researcher Jeffrey L. Benovic, professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Thomas Jefferson University. For instance, the human version of one of these longevity proteins is PTEN, a well-known tumor suppressor.
Lab-made organ implanted for first time
Scientists created an artificial trachea using polymers that had a spongy and flexible texture. In June, doctors implanted an artificial trachea into a 36-year-old man The organ was created in a lab and bathed with the patient's stem cells It took away the need for the patient to wait for a donor organ (CNN) -- For the first time, a patient has received a synthetic windpipe that was created in a lab with the patient's own stem cells and without using human donor tissue, researchers said Thursday.Fascinating Animals
Drugs