Author: mintra

Changing gut bacteria through diet affects brain function

UCLA researchers now have the first evidence that bacteria ingested in food can affect brain function in humans. In an early proof-of-concept study of healthy women, they found that women who regularly consumed beneficial bacteria known as probiotics through yogurt showed altered brain function, both while in a resting state and in response to an emotion-recognition task. The study, conducted by scientists with UCLA’s Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress and the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at UCLA, appears in the June edition of the peer-reviewed journal Gastroenterology. Source: Changing gut bacteria through diet affects brain...

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The 1st ASEAN Microbial Biotechnology Conference 2014 (AMBC2014)

Conference: The 1st ASEAN Microbial Biotechnology Conference 2014 (AMBC2014) Date: 19 – 21 February 2014 Venue: Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok, Thailand Organized by: National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology National Science and Technology Development Agency Ministry of Science and Technology Download document:  ORAL Papers List  POSTER Papers List URL:...

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Eat spinach or eggs for faster reflexes: Tyrosine helps you stop faster

A child suddenly runs out into the road. Brake!! A driver who has recently eaten spinach or eggs will stop faster, thanks to the amino acid tyrosine found in these and other food products. Leiden cognitive psychologist Lorenza Colzato publishes her findings in the journal Neuropsychologia. The German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach has already said it: Der Mensch ist was er iβt. You are what you eat. Substances that we ingest through our food can determine our behaviour and the way we experience our environment. Researchers at Leiden University and the University of Amsterdam have carried out the first-ever study to test whether the intake of tyrosine enhances our ability to stop an activity at lightning speed. The findings seem to indicate that this is the case. Source: Eat spinach or eggs for faster reflexes: Tyrosine helps you stop...

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It’s Aliiiiive! These Clothes Were Made by Bacteria

Microbes: huge in 2014. In the video below, from Dezeen, Suzanne Lee of the company BioCouture explains how she makes clothing out of bacteria. So far, she’s making jackets and shoes out of a material called bacterial cellulose. They’re quite nice-looking. Source: It’s Aliiiiive! These Clothes Were Made by...

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