New Atlas

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Official definition of a kilogram set to change this week

Michael Irving November 13, 2018

The official definition of a kilogram may be redefined this week. After years of debate and discussion, scientists from around the world are meeting in Paris on Friday to vote on whether the kilogram, the mole, the ampere and the kelvin should be changed to more stable and reliable definitions.

The official definition of a kilogram – as well as a few other SI measurements – ...

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 ...

Health & Wellbeing

RFM better than BMI for measuring body fat

Darren Quick August 28, 2018

BMI is often criticized because it doesn't take into account gender differences and doesn't distinguish between bone mass, muscle mass and excess fat. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have now come up with a formula they claim paints a more accurate picture of one's body fat.

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have developed the relative fat mass index, or RFM, which they claim is ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

The molecular changes caused by sleep loss, and how that leads to weight gain

Rich Haridy August 23, 2018

A number of observational studies have suggested that sleep loss or disrupted circadian rhythms are associated with obesity, diabetes and other dysfunctional metabolic conditions. A study is now offering evidence that helps explain how tissue-level molecular changes are brought on by sleep loss.

A new study has for the first time has revealed tissue-specific changes that can occur in ...

Biology

Removing single gene from gut bacteria found to alter host's metabolism

Michael Irving July 18, 2018

To investigate how gut bacteria can affect overall health, researchers at Harvard Medical School have deleted a single gene from one gut bacteria species and found that it alters the metabolism of the host, reducing their weight gain.

Researchers have found that removing a single gene from a gut bacteria species can have dramatic ...

Medical

New research sheds light on weight gain, stress and our circadian rhythms

James Holloway April 5, 2018

A recent study sheds new light on why people gain weight from long-term stress and disruption to their circadian rhythms. It also helps to explain weight gain from the use of glucocorticoid drugs, which are often used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

New research helps to explain why long-term stress can be a cause of weight gain

Health & Wellbeing

How a few extra pounds can cause systemic changes in the human body

Rich Haridy January 17, 2018

Crunching massive amounts of data, involving billions of measurements, has offered up a detailed picture of the changes a human body undergoes during periods of weight gain, including affecting a person's microbiome and immune and cardiovascular systems.

A large systemic study examining participants in unprecedented detail is showing that modest weight gains can ...

Science

Large-scale study identifies 14 gene variants associated with obesity

Rich Haridy January 11, 2018

A new large-scale study combing through the genetic data of more than 700,000 individuals has identified 14 genetic variations associated with obesity and body mass index (BMI).

A massive study has identified 14 genetic variants associated with body weight

Science

Super-sensitive scale weighs individual cells

Ben Coxworth October 27, 2017

How much does one living cell weigh, and how does that weight vary in real time? A newly-developed scale will let you know. Developed by researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of Basel and University College London, it's reportedly the first-ever device to be capable of such measurements.

A human cell, ready to be weighed by the device

Science

Redefining the kilogram in terms of Planck’s constant

Michael Irving July 3, 2017

The definition of a kilogram hinges on the weight of a metal cylinder in a French vault, but plans are underway to redefine the kilogram in mathematical terms instead. To that end, a team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has submitted a precise new value of a key formula.

The official definition of a kilogram is currently determined as the mass of a metal cylinder ...