A new discovery by European scientists confirms that 70 percent of all meteorites that fall on Earth originate from just three asteroid families from the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The new research by France-based CNRS, European Southern Observatory, and Charles University was published in two different research papers in Nature Journal on 16 October.
An asteroid family is a group of asteroids that have similar characteristics and originate from the same parent so in case of collisions, these are asteroids that are fragments of the same parent asteroid. The studies show that three ‘young’ asteroid families, between 5-40 million years old, are responsible for 70 percent of all meteorites that have struck Earth.
Their research is based on comparing the compositions of asteroids in the belt with the meteorite remains on Earth. Due to the telescopic technology that allowed this research to take place, scientists can also now trace the origins of kilometre-sized asteroids that are more of a threat to the Earth. Read more here.
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Why we like carbohydrates so much
A study tries to answer the question of why we crave carbohydrate-rich foods like bread and pasta. Scientists at the University of Buffalo have found that the gene that digests and tastes starch—the salivary amylase gene—is more than 800,000 years old, even older than homo sapiens.
In a paper published in Science journal on 17 October, researchers have shown how the first amylase gene (AMY1) might have developed in Neanderthals before homo sapiens evolutionarily diverged from them. This is especially noteworthy since this means the gene to digest starch was present and multiplying in humans before the beginning of domesticated agriculture—which is when humans actually started eating a lot of starch.
To conduct this research, scientists looked at genomes from humans as far back as 40,000 years ago and found that the amylase gene was present in these samples. More amylase genes mean that you can digest starchy food more effectively, and the advent of agriculture and wheat in the human diet led to more amylase gene duplication in the body. Read more here.
Why opioids aren’t as effective on women
A new study addresses how women and men process pain differently, and its different consequences on pain relief. It was published in the PNAS Nexus Journal on 14 October, which identified that different pain mechanisms could be the reason why regular opioids aren’t as effective on women. The study, conducted by University of California scholars, assessed clinical trials of 98 participants for lower back pain and found that regular opioids like morphine and fentanyl worked more effectively on male participants rather than on females.
This is because men, according to the study, rely on endogenous opioids—i.e. painkillers produced by the body itself—to relieve their pain. So external opioids work on them. But for women, the pain relief doesn’t work through natural painkiller/opioid methods. This indicates a huge gap in opioid research, and potentially harmful effects for women who often have to take higher doses of painkillers to get pain relief, therefore being more prone to addiction. The study suggests tailor-made solutions for women who look at neural pathways or other chemicals to address pain relief. Read more here.
The fastest-degrading bioplastic
A new research could potentially reduce plastic usage—the discovery of the fastest-degrading bioplastic material by scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This material, a type of cellulose diacetate (CDA) degrades in seawater even faster than paper and is a sustainable alternative to Styrofoam.
The study, published in the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering journal on 17 October, monitored different forms of bioplastics to see which one degrades faster in seawater under the right temperatures, light, and other factors. The goal was to create a sustainable consumer-friendly alternative to plastic, according to the press release by the institution based in the US.
Since CDA is also a type of foam, in its texture, it can be useful for packaging and other requirements for which currently the non-biodegradable plastic is used. Read more here.