It is considered a culinary specialty: Foie Gras, or goose liver. Because of its distinctive taste and texture, it is served in many star kitchens around the world and has so far been difficult to imitate. However, the French specialty is repeatedly criticized from the point of view of animal welfare, and its production is now banned in many countries. Researchers led by Thomas Vilgis from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research have now examined real foie gras and developed an alternative that is very similar in taste and texture, but also takes animal welfare into account.

R75W mutation in the gap junction β2 (GJB2) gene causes severe fragmentation of gap junction plaques, connecting adjacent cells and leading to syndromic hearing loss. In a new experimental study, scientists from Juntendo University in collaboration with researchers from The University of Tokyo have developed an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated genome editing approach to repair the R75W mutation. Their findings could contribute to the development of innovative gene therapies to treat hereditary hearing loss.

Renting clothes can reduce the fashion industry's enormous environmental impact, but so far, the business models have not worked very well. The best chance of success is for a rental company to provide clothing within a niche market, such as specific sportswear, and to work closely with the suppliers and clothing manufacturers. This is shown by a study led by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, which highlights the measures that can make clothing rental a success.

Wearable mobile health technology could help people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) to stick to exercise regimes that help them to keep the condition under control, a new study reveals.

An international team publishing in the BMJ Open studied the behaviour of recently-diagnosed T2D patients in Canada and the UK as they followed a home-based physical activity programme, with some participants wearing a smartwatch paired with a health app on their smartphone.

The ‘Mobile Health Biometrics to Enhance Exercise and Physical Activity Adherence in Type 2 Diabetes (MOTIVATE-T2D) feasibility trial recruited participants aged 40-75 years, diagnosed with T2D within the previous 5-24 months and managing their condition through lifestyle modification alone or Metformin.

They discovered that MOTIVATE-T2D participants were more likely to start and maintain purposeful exercise at if they had the support of wearable technology. The study successfully recruited 125 participants with an 82% retention rate after 12 months.

UChicago researchers develop a new technology to create a spatial map of gene expression for an entire organism.

Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa (Wits University) in collaboration with Huzhou University in China have discovered a way to protect quantum information from environmental disruptions, offering hope for more reliable future technologies.