A handheld sensor and innovative technique developed by Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists could one day offer a noninvasive alternative to food diaries and blood tests when monitoring diet and health.

Using a light-based device, researchers demonstrated that diet, biological age, sex and select nutrient deficiencies could be detected through the skin of live animal models with up to 90% accuracy. The findings, published in Analytical Chemistry, signal a breakthrough in noninvasive health monitoring, including the potential for wearable sensors to provide real-time nutritional and metabolic information.

New Arizona State University research reveals the extent to which sewage pollution threatens the fragile coral reef ecosystems of West Hawaiʻi Island. The study identifies exactly where sewage-contaminated water is entering the ocean, further damaging coral reefs already impacted by climate change, and endangering human health. The research team used advanced airborne mapping techniques, along with comprehensive field sampling and sophisticated statistical models, to pinpoint locations where high levels of fecal bacteria associated with populated coastal areas are driving worsening contamination. The study provides the critical data needed by government officials and local communities to mitigate this threat and protect the health and biodiversity of coastal ecosystems.