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When civet cats eat coffee beans, they excrete them in clumps (shown) that can later be processed to make a pricey drink.Credit: Faiz Dila/GettyIt has been described as nutty, chocolatey, earthy and even fishy: a wildly expensive coffee that can sell for more than 100 times the price of regular brews, made from beans eaten and excreted by civet ‘cats’.Scientists have long wondered what lies behind civet coffee’s unique flavour. A team now says that the digested beans contain high levels of two compounds commonly used as flavouring agents in dairy products — and these might contribute to the coffee’s…
By tracking wild civets in India’s Western Ghats, scientists revealed how animal digestion transforms simple Robusta beans into a luxury brew.Image credit:©iStock, JodiJacobsonIf there’s one thing that coffee producers from the South Asian countries of India, Indonesia, and Philippines, among others, are excited by, it’s the sighting of fresh civet cat poop. Buried within the fecal matter of this nocturnal mammal are fermented coffee beans that sell for 600–1,300 USD per pound, compared to 2.5 USD per pound for the traditional undigested Robusta coffee beans. What makes civet coffee, better known as kopi luwak, intensely coveted is its enhanced aroma,…
In early 2019, Gerald Voelbel, PhD, associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at New York University, was attending a scientific conference when he noticed that something felt “off.” That morning, he’d woken up with a terrible migraine, and as the day progressed, he began having difficulty with balance and coordination. When he wasn’t able to see a presentation projected on a screen that afternoon, he knew something was wrong. “That’s when I got scared,” Dr. Voelbel recalls.He went to see his primary care doctor the next day, but it took a while — and many tests and appointments with multiple specialists…
Meal Plan at a Glance BREAKFAST/ A.M. SNACK LUNCH/ P.M. SNACK DINNER Omelet & apple/ Pear Salad & kefir/ Walnuts & blueberries Salmon & quinoa Yogurt & raspberries/ Almonds Spinach salad & peach/ Raspberries & kefir Pesto pasta & veggies Toast, nut butter & apple/ Almonds & plum Spinach salad & peach/ Blackberries Ranch chicken & rice Yogurt & raspberries/ Pear Spinach salad & peach/ Walnuts & blueberries Steak fajitas Toast, nut butter & apple/ Yogurt & blueberries Spinach salad & peach/ Almonds & plum Veggie gnocchi salad Yogurt & raspberries/ Banana & nut butter Chicken kale wraps/ Peach Shrimp…
The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Holiday streams Nov. 3 on The Roku Channel for free.Celebrity bakers include Baron Davis, Cheri Oteri, Oliver Hudson and Janelle James.Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith return for festive bakes and comedic holiday chaos. The holiday spirit is heating up in the tent with The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Holiday, available to stream this November 3 on The Roku Channel. In this festive one-episode special, hosts Casey Wilson and Andrew Rannells welcome a star-studded lineup ready to mix, knead and compete for holiday glory. Stepping up to the challenge are two-time NBA All-Star…
Rebecca Coombes, head of journalismThe BMJrcoombes{at}bmj.comYou will have seen the images: the maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, in 2022—its exterior ripped away, wards reduced to rubble, wounded pregnant women and newborns carried from the debris. A year later, Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City after a major explosion—the burnt-out cars, blown windows, and bodies of blast victims laid beneath hastily constructed tents. These scenes have renewed calls to protect medical facilities in conflict zones. If such images feel almost normal now, that’s because they are.This week The BMJ uses infographics and data to show how attacks on healthcare have become…
Humann, leveraging Nobel Prize-winning research, expands its nitric oxide supplement leadership with innovative clinical data, enhanced delivery systems and strategic partnerships to redefine cardiovascular and performance health.
Ethical complianceAll animal procedures performed in this study were approved by the UK Government (Home Office) and by the Crick Institutional Animal Welfare Ethical Review Panel.MiceAnimals were housed in individually ventilated cages on a 12/12-h light–dark cycle (lights on: 22:00–10:00) at 21 °C and 32% humidity with food and water available ad libitum. Standard mouse chow (2018S Teklad Global 18% Protein Rodent Diet) was used in all experiments. Baseline (Pre) behavioural testing was performed in the first 4 h of the dark phase, and testing after food deprivation (Post) was performed 6 h after the start of the Pre phase, unless stated otherwise.C57BL/6J…
Fly stocks and husbandryw1118 (BDSC, 5905; the control strain), Akh-Gal4 (BDSC, 25684), btl-Gal4 (BDSC, 78328), c57-Gal4 (BDSC, 32556), c179-Gal4 (BDSC, 6450), CaLexA (BDSC, 66542), Capa-2A-Gal4 (BDSC, 84597), Capa-2A-LexA (BDSC, 84358), Cg-Gal4 (BDSC, 7011), Debcl-Gal4 (BDSC, 81163), Eip71CD-Gal4 (BDSC, 6871), LexAop-FLP (BDSC, 55819), LexAop-Gal80 (BDSC, 32214), LexAop-myr::GFP (BDSC, 32209), Mef2-Gal4 (BDSC, 27390), Mhc-GFP (BDSC, 38462), nSyb(R57C10)-Gal4 (BDSC, 90854), OK6-Gal4 (BDSC, 64199), R9F03-Gal4 (BDSC, 40734), R16E04-Gal4 (BDSC, 47326), R18D09-Gal4 (BDSC, 48814), R18D09-LexA (BDSC, 54752), R20C04-Gal4 (BDSC, 48882), R22H11-Gal4 (BDSC, 48043), R53E05-Gal4 (BDSC, 48196), R54A09-Gal4 (BDSC, 50460), R82E06-Gal4 (BDSC, 40149), αTub84B-FRT.Gal80.FRT (BDSC, 38879), TubP-Gal4 (BDSC, 5138), TubP-Gal80TS (on the third chromosome) (BDSC, 7017),…
A new scientific paper details how pairing probiotics with prebiotic fiber and vitamins is more effective than supplementing with single prebiotics or vitamins alone for immune and metabolic health. In their study, University of Nottingham, UK, researchers demonstrate how a synbiotic — a blend of naturally fermented kefir and a diverse prebiotic fiber mix — offers potent anti-inflammatory effects compared to other common dietary supplements.The kefir and prebiotic mix was supplied by Chuckling Goat and contains a combination of naturally occurring probiotic bacteria and yeasts, produced by fermenting goat’s milk with live kefir grains.These grains are living cultures that house…