Edible Microlasers Could Revolutionize Food Tracking and Safety
The technology, introduced earlier this month in the journal Advanced Optical Materials, exploits an interesting tendency for droplets of common cooking oils, which emit a photon of light when subjected to a certain amount of energy. Arrange multiple droplets in a room full of mirrors, and together they shine more brightly—like a concentrated beam of light.
The researchers tested more than a dozen different types of materials—sunflower oil, cooked butter, plain water, and more—to see which would generate the cleanest laser. And the winner was olive oil.
One prominent component of olive oil is chlorophyll, the molecule most commonly known to make plants green. In this case, the chlorophyll molecules, trapped in the sticky surface of olive oils, generated photons in a chain reaction of sorts, transforming the droplet of olive oil into a laser.
The brightness of the chlorophyll changes in accordance with the size and density of the oil droplets, making the laser highly sensitive to environmental conditions, according to the study. For example, adding it to different dishes of food and observing changes in the laser allowed the researchers to measure things such as sugar concentration or acidity
What's more, the researchers were able to encode data within the droplets akin to the lines of a barcode, into a peach compote. Surprisingly, the data—the specific date of April 26, 2017, which happens to be the first international Stop Food Waste Date—remained intact for over a year, demonstrating the microlaser's potential to safely carry information, such as the identity of a manufacturer or an expiration date.
'Since this is the first such study, there are many possibilities for developing various edible lasers and their applications, which could ultimately find their way to everyday use,' the study authors concluded.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
2 hours ago
- Fast Company
AI could be science's strongest ally
Across the U.S. and parts of Europe, science funding is in crisis. In the U.S., a planned $18 billion worth of cuts to federal research have already halted trials, triggered mass layoffs, and shut down entire programs. Europe isn't immune either, with Horizon, Europe's flagship funding program for research and innovation, also facing rollbacks. These cuts are stretching researchers thin and slowing down innovation when we need it most. Breakthroughs in cancer, rare diseases, and drug development require time, space, and the freedom to explore. Instead, scientists are burning out and many are even walking away, with a recent Nature survey showing that 75% of U.S.-based researchers are considering relocation. With China ramping up investment in AI, the U.S. and Europe risk falling behind just as science enters its most exciting era. Agentic AI could ease the burden Scientific research is slow and expensive, not because of a lack of ideas, but because the tools haven't kept up. Knowledge is buried in siloed papers, scattered datasets, and disconnected systems, and pulling it all together takes time, money, and a lot of manual effort, slowing down even the most promising discoveries. This is where AI comes in as a true lab partner. Unlike the AI systems most of us are familiar with, agentic AI can plan and carry out tasks, all from a single prompt. Scientists can access a suite of agents that will handle the repetitive work that eats up their time, like writing reports, reviewing literature, or designing and running early-stage experiments in the lab. Tech companies and academic researchers are already starting to develop agentic AI to help achieve this. Owkin's K Navigator, Google's AI co-scientist, and Stanford's Biomni reflect a growing shift towards the adoption of agentic co-pilots that let scientists engage with their data as naturally as they would with a colleague. K Navigator is already showing that it can boost productivity by up to 20 times, giving researchers the freedom to focus on making breakthroughs. K Navigator exclusively accesses and analyses spatial multiomic data from MOSAIC Window, a subset of the largest spatial omics dataset in oncology. This allows researchers to better understand how different cells work together in the tumor micro-environment and advance vital cancer research. Agentic AI can help researchers shape hypotheses, work with complex data, and uncover insights, without needing a data science team to guide every step. This kind of acceleration will not only help researchers meet deadlines, but also open up scientific questions that might otherwise go unexplored. We hear this need from researchers every day. Many feel compelled to maintain the same high standards and deliver more data, more trials, and more publications, with fewer resources. In cancer centers and university labs alike, time is the scarcest resource. Agentic AI, embedded into real workflows, can effectively remove some of the friction that slows science down. More time on what matters AI agents won't replace critical thinking or peer review. But with the right safeguards and design (e.g. accurate source referencing and intuitive data visualization), they can help scientists spend less time on admin and more time on what really matters to advance treatments and diagnostics for patients. Because if we can't increase budgets, we need to increase impact. That means giving scientists the tools to do more with less, without burning them out or holding them back. Now is the moment to get this right, otherwise, the cost of underfunding science won't just be slower progress. It'll be lost cures, missed breakthroughs, and a generation of researchers who walk away.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
This Viral, At-Home Fitness Test Claims to Predict Longevity—but There's a Catch
Dimensions/Getty Images New blood tests, scans, and fitness trackers that purport to predict longevity are rolling out all the time, but if you've scrolled TikTok recently, you might be surprised to see a much lower-tech way getting some buzz: how well you fare in simply trying to haul your butt off the floor. It's all based on the takeaway from a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology that's been making the rounds. In it, researchers had more than 4,000 people do something they dubbed the 'sitting-rising' test and then followed up with them for over a decade. They found a link between how easily people were able to get up off the floor and how long they lived. The task sounds simple, but, as I learned firsthand, it's really not. To get a perfect score on the test, you need to be able to get from a position on the floor—usually cross-legged—to standing without using a hand, elbow, or knee to help. As a former competitive athlete who can't say no to a challenge, I needed to try this (and gain a perfect score) once it came across my FYP. To my surprise, it was hard. While I was able to get it done, I had to give myself a mental pep talk before each attempt. Pulling this test off is trickier than it sounds—it requires a combination of strength, balance, and flexibility, and I struggle to even touch my toes. So that made me wonder: How legit is it, really, in predicting your, um, ultimate demise? Does bombing the test mean you're going to keel over any second? I checked in with longevity experts and fitness pros to find out. One of the benefits of the sitting-rising test is you can do it right at home: Sit on the floor with your legs crossed in front of you and then try to get back up unassisted. The goal is to do this with as little support as possible, test inventor and lead study author Claudio Gil S Araújo, MD, a sports and exercise physician from the Exercise Medicine Clinic Clinimex in Rio de Janeiro, tells SELF. (Check out this handy YouTube video Dr. Araújo and his fellow researchers created to break it down in more detail.) The test is scored from zero to 10, with points assigned for sitting and rising added together. You'll be docked a point for each knee, hand, or forearm you use during the test, along with half-points if you're unsteady (say, you stumble when you get up). 'If you're an eight, why did you lose a point? It may mean that you used one hand to sit and one hand to rise,' Dr. Araújo says. In the study, the researchers discovered a link between how well people scored on the test and their risk of dying during a follow-up of about 12 years. In all, about 16% of the participants died during that period—but only 4% of folks who aced the test with a perfect 10 did so. (On the other end of the spectrum, people who got a four or less had a death rate of 42% during that time.) Okay, but…why? The test measures a few different things that are linked to better health and longevity, study co-author Jonathan Myers, PhD, a clinical professor at Stanford University and a health research scientist at the Palo Alto VA Health Care System, tells SELF. 'When we think of 'fitness,' people usually think of 'aerobic' or cardiorespiratory fitness,' he says. 'Over the last three decades or so, cardiorespiratory fitness has become recognized as a powerful predictor of health outcomes—in many studies, it is even more powerful than the traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, or [high cholesterol].' Cardiorespiratory fitness is important, sure—it's considered a strong indicator of overall health, along with being linked to a lower risk of developing certain diseases. But fitness is more broad than that, and includes things like strength and balance, Dr. Myers says. Strength has been shown to help with daily living (think: being able to carry your own groceries), while balance helps to protect against falls, Dr. Araújo explains. These skills are important for longevity, and they're something that Hannah Koch, PT, DPT, physical therapist at Michigan State University Health Care, tells SELF she checks with older patients, along with their range of motion. The sitting-rising test looks at strength, power, and balance, all in one move. So basically, you're getting more bang for your buck, looking at all of these factors at once. Added bonus: It can also give some insight on your cardiovascular health, Jennifer Wong, MD, cardiologist and medical director of Non-Invasive Cardiology at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, tells SELF. 'One could not do this after certain types of strokes or if too weak from poor overall health,' she adds. While the test is predictive, it's by no means perfect: There are some flaws with it. 'The test does not identify the underlying cause of poor performance,' Anna A. Manns, PT, DPT, lead physical therapist at University Hospital in New Jersey, tells SELF. Meaning, it can't tell if you struggle with getting up due to joint pain, an injury, or the fact that you went hard at the gym yesterday—and those factors don't necessarily have an impact on your longevity. It's also possible to game the test, say, by 'compensating with upper-body movement or momentum by using arm swings or trunk movement to 'cheat' the test,' Dr. Mann says, which would 'mask true lower-limb weakness.' The test also only looks at lower-body function and core strength, so it doesn't gauge your overall fitness, upper-body strength or endurance, 'all of which are important for full functional capacity,' she adds. While the sitting-rising test has a link with longevity, there are plenty of others that healthcare providers use regularly. Simple hand-grip tests, which measure grip strength, are a 'powerful predictor of mortality,' Dr. Myers says. Case in point: A 2015 study published in The Lancet found that grip strength was better at predicting someone's odds of dying from heart disease or other causes during the follow-up than systolic blood pressure, which is usually used to gauge cardiovascular health. Balance tests, like the ability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds or longer, can also be helpful, Dr. Myers says. Koch also flags the Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test (5TSTS) as a useful way to check a person's lower-body strength and balance. It's similar to the sitting-rising test, but has people get up from a chair versus the floor five different times. The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, which has people get up from a chair, walk a short distance, turn around, walk back, and sit back down while being timed, is useful too, says Manns. 'Together, these tests provide a patient picture of overall physical function and longevity,' Manns says. That said, they're still only a part of the overall picture of your health. There's no reason to get down on yourself if you don't do well on the sitting-rising test—not getting a perfect 10 on the sitting-rising test certainly doesn't mean you're doomed. But it could clue you in on areas of fitness to work on, Dr. Araújo says. That may mean working on balance training, flexibility, or building power. 'This helps a lot to get people motivated,' Dr. Araújo says. Dr. Myers agrees that your mobility, strength, flexibility, and balance can usually be improved with practice and training. 'Individuals who don't perform well on these tests can improve their performance by strengthening lower body muscles, and specific exercises can be targeted to improve flexibility, balance, gait, and mobility,' he says. Albert Matheny, CSCS, cofounder of SoHo Strength Lab, suggests focusing on things like squats, single-leg exercises like lunges, and even balancing on one leg to hit these areas. It's also important to remember that these tests are only part of the puzzle: There are a bunch of health-promoting behaviors out there that have nothing to do with how well you can get up off the floor—or even how well you move in general. While physical activity is important, other things, like eating a high-quality diet, minimizing stress, getting plenty of sleep, and adopting other healthy lifestyle habits like avoiding smoking and minimizing alcohol, also come in handy. Together, these can help you be your healthiest self. 'The sitting-rising test is a good screening tool,' Dr. Araújo says. 'There's a lot we can do to move forward after that.' Related: 6 Daily Habits Doctors Say Will Help You Live Longer 5 Ways Strong Friendships Can Benefit Your Health as You Get Older Exactly How Your Skin Changes in Your 40s, 50s, and 60s Get more of SELF's great fitness coverage delivered right to your inbox—for free. Originally Appeared on Self
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Alder Hey hospital warning after measles spike
A Merseyside children's hospital has warned parents and carers about an increase in measles cases which has left several children "seriously unwell". Alder Hey Children's Hospital has reported the virus is on the rise in young people in the region and blamed the spike on a fall in uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Medical director Alfie Bass and chief nurse Nathan Askew said the symptoms can be severe and "are leading to increasing numbers of children being admitted to our hospital". They said in a letter posted on social media that the "vaccine has been available for many years and is proven to be safe" and urged parents to get their children vaccinated. Vaccine uptake in the UK has fallen over the last decade, leading to outbreaks of measles and whooping cough. A recent report found parent obstacles such as difficulty booking appointments and a lack of reminders on what jabs are needed and when had prevented some from vaccinating their children. The letter, which was co-signed by the public health directors of three Merseyside councils, said: "In rare cases, catching the disease can be fatal. "Measles is particularly dangerous for some of our most vulnerable children and young people, including those under one year of age and those already battling other serious illnesses like cancer." The letter urged parents and carers to get their children vaccinated, which is typically done when the child is aged 12 months, and then again at around three years and four months. The hospital said two doses of the MMR vaccine was enough for "lifelong protection against measles, mumps and rubella". Symptoms of measles usually start with a runny nose, sneezing, coughing and a high temperature, before the measles rash typically develops a few days later. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Measles holiday warning as cases rise in Europe Bristol sees a rise in measles cases Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
