ScienceDaily

Researchers examine the properties of several dairy-free butter alternatives inside one of the region’s most well-known snacks: Scottish shortbread. The group tested the alternatives in their lab, selecting three types of vegan butter substitutes with different levels of fat and comparing their consistencies and responses to heat. The vegan alternative with the highest fat content behaved like butter when baked and yielded the most positive feedback in taste testing. Butter typically has a fat content around 80%, and the group recommends choosing a vegan butter with a similar consistency.

The pathogen C. diff — the most common cause of health care-associated infectious diarrhea — can use a compound that kills the human gut’s resident microbes to survive and grow, giving it a competitive advantage in the infected gut. A team has discovered how C. diff (Clostridioides difficile) converts the poisonous compound 4-thiouracil, which could come from foods like broccoli, into a usable nutrient. Their findings increase understanding of the molecular drivers of C. diff infection and point to novel therapeutic strategies.

Scientists investigated whether email interventions informed by behavioral science could help teachers help students learn math.

A storm, even once it has passed, can leave traces in the ocean that last for thousands of years. These consist of sediment layers composed of coarse particles, which are different from the finer sediments associated with good weather. In the Caribbean, an international research team has now examined such sediments using a 30 m long core from a ‘blue hole’ offshore Belize. The analysis shows that over the past 5,700 years, the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes in the region has steadily increased. For the 21st century, the research team predicts a significant rise in regional storm frequency as a result of climate change.

Mathematicians studied the flow of human crowds and developed a way to predict when pedestrian paths will transition from orderly to entangled. Their findings may help inform the design of public spaces that promote safe and efficient thoroughfares.

A team of researchers has developed a new tool designed to revolutionize hardware troubleshooting, with the help of 3D phone scans.

Researchers have discovered that chimpanzees living in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania employ a degree of engineering when making their tools, deliberately choosing plants that provide materials that produce more flexible tools for termite fishing.

Maintaining a healthy diet rich in plant-based foods, with low to moderate intake of healthy animal-based foods and lower intake of ultra-processed foods, was linked to a higher likelihood of healthy aging — defined as reaching age 70 free of major chronic diseases and with cognitive, physical, and mental health maintained, according to a new study. The study is among the first to examine multiple dietary patterns in midlife in relation to overall healthy aging.

Investigators have developed a long-acting contraceptive implant that can be delivered through tiny needles to minimize patient discomfort and increase the likelihood of medication use. Their findings in preclinical models provide the technological basis to develop self-administrable contraceptive shots that could mimic the long-term drug release of surgically implanted devices.

Scientists used light to control how a starfish egg cell jiggles and moves during its earliest stage of development. Their optical system could guide the design of synthetic, light-activated cells for wound healing or drug delivery.