"Gluten Sensitivity" May Not Actually Be Caused By Gluten

A recent study claims that people who are gluten-sensitive may not actually be as sensitive as they think they are. Instead, something else may be the culprit, and it’s not gluten.

The study, led by researchers from the University of Oslo in Norway and Monash University in Australia, was published in the journal Gastroenterology.

About 13 percent of people claim to be gluten-sensitive, with symptoms including a bloated feeling after eating foods like bread and pasta. Just 1 percent of people, however, have a recognized disease called coeliac disease, which can cause a severe autoimmune reaction that includes symptoms such as diarrhea and indigestion.

“Gluten was originally assumed to be the culprit because of coeliac disease, and the fact that people felt better when they stopped eating wheat,” Peter Gibson from Monash University told New Scientist. “Now it seems like that initial assumption was wrong.”

Gluten sensitivity remains highly controversial. Some research has shown that non-ceoliacs show no difference in symptoms between food that does or doesn’t contain gluten. Nonetheless, it has since spawned a number of food lines that are gluten free.

This study backs up some of that earlier research, pointing the finger at a sugar chain called fructans rather than gluten. Both are found in wheat, barley, rye, and more.

In the research, 59 non-celiacs who ate a gluten-free diet were asked to eat special cereal bars. One type contained gluten, another fructans, and the third had neither. The participants were split into three groups, with each person eating one bar a day for a week, before having a week’s break and then eating the next bar. They didn’t know which bar was which.

The results showed that the fructans bar triggered bloating 15 percent more than the control bar, and gastrointestinal symptoms 13 percent more. However, the gluten bar was found to be no different from the control bar.

This suggests that gluten sensitivity may not be correct and that fructans may instead be the cause. This could open up foods that are low in fructans but high in gluten, like soy sauce, while also lowering the risk of developing type 2 diabetes for people that were on a gluten-free diet.

(H/T: New Scientist)

4000-Year-Old Tablet Reveals Ancient Marriage Contract

This is not just any ordinary engraved tablet you’d find at the back of a dusty museum. Teams of archaeologists in Turkey have been looking at this ancient engraving and believe it's actually a marriage contract, containing insights into divorce and sacred prostitutes along with the earliest known references to infertility and surrogate parenting.

The 4,000-year-old Assyrian baked clay tablet was originally unearthed at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kültepe-Kanesh in Turkey’s central Kayseri province. The tablet features small illustrations and a wealth of text written in cuneiform script, an early system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia.

According to new research detailed in the medical journal Gynecological Endocrinology, this text describes the marriage of a man and woman known as Laqipum and Hatala. As part of their agreement, it says the husband could employ the help of a surrogate mother if the couple failed to conceive a baby two years after the date of marriage.

These surrogate mothers were actually female slaves or “sacred prostitutes” known as hierodules. Bizarrely, there is some evidence that both male and female prostitution occurred in religious temples of numerous cultures through antiquity.

"The female slave would be freed after giving birth to the first male baby and ensuring that the family is not left without a child," said Professor Ahmet Berkız Turp from Harran University's Gynecology and Obstetrics Department, according to the Daily Sabah.

In this particular culture, monogamy was the normal practice. It's thought this system of surrogacy and hierodules was a means of maintaining marriages even if infertility complications arose. Furthermore, infertility was not an acceptable grounds for divorce in ancient Assyria.

According to the study, the rest of the script reads: “Should Laqipum choose to divorce her, he must pay [her] five minas of silver – and should Hatala choose to divorce him, she must pay (him) five minas of silver. Witnesses: Masa, Ashurishtikal, Talia, Shupianika.”

This means the tablet also serves a bit like a marriage contract and a prenuptial agreement, outlining the issue of finances should a divorce occur.

The tablet is currently on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. Almost 25,000 cuneiform tablets and texts have been discovered alongside this particular tablet at the site in Kültepe-Kanesh since excavations started in 1948.

Scientists Have Edited The Genetic Code Directly Inside An Adult Human's Body For The First Time

US scientists have tried to change a person's DNA by editing their genetic code directly inside their body. This has never attempted before and the team hopes it will permanently cure the disease the patient suffers from.

As reported in an exclusive Associated Press news story, the procedure was conducted on Monday in California, where the patient, Brian Madeux, was injected with billions of copies of a corrective gene and a genetic tool for swapping his DNA around. The first results are expected within a month, but the team will know for certain whether it has worked in three months' time.   

Madeux, who is 44 years old, suffers from Hunter Syndrome, a rare genetic condition. The syndrome is inherited, and caused by a missing or malfunctioning gene that stops the body from breaking down complex molecules. These molecules then build up in the body leading to permanent and progressive damage.

As the first person to try this radical new approach, Madeux told the Associated Press: “It’s kind of humbling. I’m willing to take that risk. Hopefully it will help me and other people.”

If this approach is successful, it could have a major impact on the field of gene therapy. Alternative gene editing techniques have already been employed in other approaches. For example, scientists have altered specific cells in the lab before injecting them into patients. Other genetic therapies don’t alter DNA at all. These methods can only be used for certain conditions and are often temporary.

The promise that in-body gene therapy holds cannot be ignored, but it is important to remember that this is the very beginning of the therapy in humans. And there’s no “cancel button”. Once the change occurs, we cannot turn the genetic code back to the original. 

Extensive safety tests have been run in animal models, so scientists are generally positive, but cautious as they should be. It’s a brand-new technology and might have consequences we haven't prepared for. Despite the risks, the potential to be free from his disease was enough for Madeux to give it a try.

“I’m nervous and excited,” he stated. “I’ve been waiting for this my whole life, something that can potentially cure me.”

The gene editing tool is called Zinc Finger Nucleases and works by inserting a new gene and two zinc finger proteins into a harmless virus. The virus then travels to specific cells (in the liver in this case) and goes inside them. The cells begin to copy the zinc finger proteins, cutting the DNA in the process. That’s when the new gene slips in. Madeux needs just 1 percent of his liver cells to be corrected to successfully be freed from the disease.

[H/T: Associated Press]

Sleeping On Your Side During Last Three Months Of Pregnancy Could Reduce Risk Of Stillbirth

There is one thing pregnant women can do to cut their risk of stillbirth by half and that's to sleep on their side during the third trimester.

The Midlands and North of England Stillbirth Study (MiNESS) examined more than 1,000 pregnancies – 291 that ended in a stillbirth and 735 that ended in a live birth – and found that women who slept on their back were 2.3 times more likely to experience a late stillbirth (after 28 weeks gestation) compared to those who slept on their side.

The research, recently published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, is the largest study to examine the relationship between maternal sleeping patterns and the risk of stillbirth. It backs up previous studies in New Zealand (2011) and Australia (2015).

“This is an important study which adds to the growing body of evidence that sleep position in late pregnancy is a modifiable risk factor for stillbirth," Edward Morris, Vice President for Clinical Quality at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said in a press release.

"This new research is extremely welcome as a significant number of stillbirths remain unexplained, particularly those in late pregnancy." 

In the UK, roughly one in every 225 pregnancies ends in a stillbirth. In the US, it's one in every 100. But less than 10 percent of stillbirths are the result of a predetermined condition. This means that in over 90 percent of cases, they can be prevented.

And according to the researchers, as many as 130 UK babies could be saved every year if women slept the final three months of pregnancy on their side. (This advice goes for napping too.)

Why exactly sleeping position effects the risk of stillbirth is uncertain but the researchers suggest that it could be because the weight of the baby and the womb pushes down on the blood vessels, restricting blood flow and oxygen to the fetus. Another theory put forward is that sleeping on your back can disturb your breathing pattern.  

Still, if you do wake on your back, there is no need to panic.

"What I don't want is for women to wake up flat on their back and think 'oh my goodness I've done something awful to my baby'," Alexander Heazell, clinical director at the Tommy's Stillbirth Research Centre at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester and lead author, explained.

"The question that we asked was very specifically what position people went to sleep in and that's important as you spend longer in that position than you do in any other.

"And also you can't do anything about the position that you wake up in but you can do something about the position you go to sleep."

Toyota Wants To Build A Renewable Power Plant Fueled Completely By Cow Poop

We all know that methane produced by cows is terrible for the environment – in 2015, it comprised about 16 percent of all greenhouse gases. In fact, it is estimated that over 100 years, methane's global-warming potential is 28 times bigger than that renowned villain, CO2. But what if methane could be used for good? Well, Toyota has a plan. The company wants to build a renewable energy plant in California and run it purely on methane released from cow poop.

The new plant, which is hoped to come online in 2020, will use the methane produced by cow manure to create water, electricity, and hydrogen. The new “Tri-Gen Project” was announced at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, which is currently taking place.

According to USA Today, it will be "the world's first commercial-scale 100 percent renewable power and hydrogen generation plant” – exciting news when our effects on the environment are becoming more and more apparent. It will be located at California’s Port of Long Beach.

The new plant will produce vast amounts of energy, enough to power 2,350 homes and 1,500 hydrogen-powered cars each day. The plant will therefore also have one of the world’s largest hydrogen fueling stations to power cars.

As a car manufacturer, Toyota is aware that things need to change. "Environmentally conscious motorists demand newer, cleaner forms of transportation,” the company wrote on its website. In fact, they're aiming to end production of traditional internal combustion engines by as soon as 2040. They also hope to cut carbon emissions from their vehicles by 90 percent over the next 30 years.

“Tri-Gen is a major step forward for sustainable mobility and a key accomplishment of our 2050 environmental challenge to achieve net zero CO2 emissions from our operations,” added Doug Murtha, vice president for strategic planning at Toyota’s North America Group, to USA Today.

With temperatures rising and severe levels of pollution, finding ways to bring clean energy to the masses is key. It already appears that electric cars will become a huge success, producing around half as much carbon over their lifetime than ordinary diesel cars. Various countries, like France, India, and the UK, will totally ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars in a few decades’ time. It’s pretty clear that renewable energy is coming along.

Let’s hope that if Toyota's new power plant is a success, others will follow, so that clean energy can take over and keep our planet green for the years to come.

This Biohacker Became The First Person To Edit His Own DNA

Josiah Zayner is the first person known to have edited his own DNA and he showed the world just how easy it is to do, live-streaming the process on his blog, "Science, Art, Beauty". Zayner claims this was the second time he has genetically modified himself.

Using CRISPR, a relatively new gene-editing technique, he removed the protein Myostatin from an area in his forearm. Myostatin inhibits muscle growth so he should, at least in theory, notice an increase in muscle mass in this area after the experiment.

The process involved just one piece of DNA that contains a protein (Cas9) and a guide RNA (gRNA), which essentially tells the protein where to go. When the modified DNA was injected into his forearm, the protein and gRNA targeted and then deleted the myostatin gene.

Whether he'll be gifted with superhuman strength, we'll have to wait and see but, as he says on his blog, that was never the point of the experiment.

"The point is that we are on the cusp of humanity changing," said Zayner.

"This is the first of many people who will change their genomes. This will happen for medical reasons, for science, athletics or maybe just because people wanted to or were bored."

Now an ardent proponent of citizen science and a self-identified biohacker, Zayner is an ex-NASA scientist, who worked on developing bacteria to support human life on Mars. His goal today is to democratize science and provide everyone with the tools for do-it-yourself biology and genetic engineering – a somewhat controversial ambition. Some experts have expressed concern that it could lead to a poorly regulated community of DIY scientists that lack the oversight of traditional scientific institutions but others are far more positive.

"This is the first time in the history of the Earth that humans are no longer slaves to the genetics they are born with," saidZayner.

"As I write this, the FDA is in the process of approving the first human gene therapy treatment. Still, it's too slow for me, clinical trials have been going on since before 2008. I want to accelerate that. I want people to have a choice about their genetics."

Our Knowledge Of Basic Human Anatomy Is Awful, Study Concludes

Ever wondered where your heart is exactly, or your stomach? Okay, how about your small intestines, or your kidneys? What about your diaphragm, your liver, or your gallbladder? You may have a rough idea, but there’s a solid chance that you might not be as knowledgeable about basic human anatomy as you think.

Recently, a team at Lancaster University in the UK wanted to find out if people knew where 20 non-obscure parts of the body were located. A small group of 63 volunteers comprising men and women of various ages (mean age, 36.5 years) were given an outline of a person; they were then asked to label roughly where they suspected these organs, muscles, and ligaments might be.

You’ll be pleased to know that, according to the report in the journal Anatomical Sciences Education, 100 percent of people successfully located the brain. The rest of the results were fairly mixed, however.

The cornea was one of the most easily identified parts, with more than 90 percent of both male and female participants getting this right. Over 80 percent knew where the biceps and thyroid gland were.

More than 70 percent knew where the lungs were, although we’d love to know where the 30 percent of those that didn’t thought their breathing bags were located.

Things like the spleen, gallbladder, adrenal glands, and the pancreas evaded detection most often. No more than 30 percent of people knew where the spleen was located, for example.

Curiously, men scored higher than women when it came to identifying muscles, but not when it came to identifying human organs, generally speaking.

Just over 80 percent of male participants knew where the triceps were located, but just over 50 percent of female participants did, for example. When it came to the spleen, twice as many female subjects knew where it was compared to males.

As expected, and to everyone’s relief, those in healthcare were far better at this little game than those that weren’t. Still, our awareness of our basic biological architecture is clearly lackluster, something which is lamented by the research team.

“Public knowledge of the anatomical 'self' is lacking and evidence points towards a growing need for anatomy education to the wider public,” the authors surmised in their study.

“The current study demonstrates the general public’s eagerness to learn anatomy despite their limited knowledge of the human body, and the need for widening participation,” they explained, adding that “it raises an awareness of the anatomical literacy needs of the general public, especially in school children and young adults.”

[H/T: Popular Science]