New Atlas

Biology Audio available

Long-lost "tasty genes" could soon be spliced back into store-bought tomatoes

Michael Irving May 14, 2019

It’s no secret that tomatoes plucked from the supermarket aisles just aren’t that tasty. To find taste genes that could be spliced back into commercial crops, researchers have complied a pan-genome of all cultivated and related wild tomato species, uncovering almost 5,000 previously-unknown genes.

Researchers have completed a pan-genome of all cultivated tomato breeds, uncovering thousands of unknown genes that ...

Science Audio available

Raising orphan crops with CRISPR: Could groundcherries be the new strawberry?

Rich Haridy October 1, 2018

A team of researchers has been investigating ways to speed up our often long-winded crop domestication process using the latest CRISPR gene-editing technology. A study has outlined how a crop known as a groundcherry could be effectively modified to be better suited to large-scale farming.

Health & Wellbeing

Camu camu extract prevents obesity in mice fed high-fat diet

Darren Quick August 30, 2018

Found in the Amazon rainforest in Peru and Brazil, camu camu fruit has gained popularity around the world in recent years as the latest "superfood." Now a new study has found that an extract of camu camu can prevent mice fed a high-fat and high-sugar diet becoming obese.

Camu camu extract has been found to prevent obesity in mice fed a high-fat and high-sugar ...

Around The Home

Avazzy promises no-mess instant smoothies

Ben Coxworth July 30, 2018

In the time since Keurig came out with its unique coffee brewer, we've seen the "single-serving pod" concept applied to things like tortillas, cold drinks, wine, and even full meals. Now, a group of California-based entrepreneurs has developed a Keurig-inspired smoothie maker.

Good Thinking

Avocados with edible anti-spoilage coating hit US stores

Ben Coxworth June 22, 2018

We've already heard about experimental edible coatings made from silk, pectin and chitosan that increase the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables. Now, however, a coating made from waste plant material is being used on avocados sold in US supermarkets.

Apeel-coated avocados reportedly stay ripe (without spoiling) twice as long as their untreated counterparts

Health & Wellbeing

Ex-smokers should eat plenty of tomatoes

Ben Coxworth December 22, 2017

If you've recently stopped smoking, then you ought to start eating more tomatoes and other fruits. According to a new study from Johns Hopkins University, doing so could help slow the decline of your lung function, by reversing some of the damage caused by smoking.

Nutrients in tomatoes and other fresh fruits may help restore lung function

Science

Golden banana may save many lives

Ben Coxworth July 7, 2017

The East African Highland cooking banana is the major staple food in Uganda, but it has little in the way of micronutrients such as pro-vitamin A. Prof. James Dale decided to do something about it, and over the past decade has created a vitamin A-rich "golden banana."

One of the golden bananas (top), along with a regular Cavendish banana

Good Thinking

Fruit-mimicking sensors really get into their roles

Ben Coxworth March 22, 2017

When fruit is being transported from the field to the supermarket, it's vitally important that it remain refrigerated. With that in mind, scientists have developed temperature sensors that could ride along with fruit shipments, replicating the fruit's size, shape and structure.

One of the sensors, disguised as a Braeburn apple

Health & Wellbeing

Two cups of grapes a day may keep the Alzheimer's away

Ben Coxworth February 3, 2017

Chances are that you already like the taste of grapes. If you're looking for another reason to eat them, though, then how about this … a recent study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles indicates that consuming them helps protect against Alzheimer's disease.

The polyphenols found in grapes could be the key

Science

Heirloom genes key to making tomorrow's tomatoes tastier

Michael Irving January 26, 2017

Ever wonder why a tomato plucked from Grandma's garden tastes so much better than one foraged from a supermarket produce aisle? The natural flavor-giving chemicals have been bred out of most modern tomatoes, but scientists are working to restore them.

Researchers at the University of Florida are planning to take tomato genes that correspond to tastiness, ...