New Mutagenic Compounds Found

Researchers have discovered a new class of compounds called nitrogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAH) found naturally in combustion products such as vehicle exhaust and charred meat that can be up to hundreds of times more mutagenic than known carcinogens.

Fruits, Vegetables Still Alive

New research shows that fruits and vegetables can respond to circadian cycles up to about a week after harvest, adapting their internal levels of nutrients and protective chemical compounds in response to predator cycles.

Rickets in Medici Children

Examination of recently discovered skeletons of nine Medici children ranging from newborn to five years old born in the sixteenth century reveals they suffered from rickets, a disease caused by Vitamin D deficiency and commonly associated with poverty and malnutrition but most likely brought about by the privileged family living most of their lives indoors.

Cooking Made Us Human

A new study links the surge in human brain size 1.8 million years ago to the advent of cooking our food, separating Homo erectus from the other primates' inefficient raw diet by unlocking 100% of the digestible nutrition in cooked foods for calorie-expensive brain growth.

Neanderthals Cooked Vegetables

A new examination of the dental plaque collected from Neanderthal fossils reveals a range of carbohydrates and starches as well as phenols and hydrocarbons, meaning the extinct species of hominids were not just strict carnivores but also smoked and roasted plants and vegetables as part of their diet.

Ancient Peruvians Ate Popcorn

New studies of corncobs found at the Peruvian sites of Paredones and Huaca Prieta show that inhabitants of that area were eating popcorn and making flour from maize as early as 4700 B.C.

Potatoes and Blood Pressure

Researchers have found that purple potatoes can reduce blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure due to natural phytochemicals with effects similar to those of prescribed ACE-inhibitor medications.