3 Questions. 3 Hints. 3 Answers. Every Tuesday.
1. What recent retraction once again emphasizes that the grass is not always greener over there?
Hint:
Answer: looking for a weight loss solution? Don’t bother with Dr. Oz’s publicized Green Coffee extract. A paper, based on a study alleging promising weight-loss results has been retracted by its authors. The flawed study has proven costly to Applied Food Sciences, Inc., makers of a green coffee ingredient found in dietary supplements. Among other requirements, the company will have to pony up $3.5million dollars in accordance with the terms of a settlement agreement between it and the FTC. Read more here.
2. What does bread have in common with milk?
Hint:
Answer: if it’s syn-bio milk we’re talking about, yeast. A California plant-based food start-up called Muufri (get it? “moo free”) hopes its genetically engineered yeast will produce a tasty, superior glass of milk worthy of an oreo cookie. This is a first in the area of food substitution and sustainability. A new world has opened up for all the vegans out there — if they ignore the cow DNA sequences that are added to the yeast cells during the process. Read the details here.
3. What discovery has clarified the nature of something that goes “tick-tock” ?
Hint:
Answer: scientists at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have unraveled some of the mysteries of the female biological clock. Eggs in the uterus need nutrients and support from the granulosa cells of the primary follicle. The mTOR signaling pathway in the granulosa cells plays a key role in egg growth and survival, among other things. The researchers’ goal is to use this knowledge toward eventual interventions and treatments for female infertility. Read the story here.