Shoppers choose healthier groceries when supermarket layout promotes fruit and vegetables over candy

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

Removing confectionery and other unhealthy products from checkouts and the end of nearby aisles and placing fruit and vegetables near store entrances prompts customers to make healthier food purchases, suggests a new study led by Christina Vogel and Janis Baird from the University of Southampton publishing September 7 in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.

Conducted in partnership with the national supermarket chain Iceland Foods Ltd, the study took place in a selection of Iceland stores in England and monitored store sales as well as the purchasing and dietary patterns of a sample of regular customers.

The authors found store-wide confectionery sales decreased and fruit and vegetable sales increased when non-food items and water were placed at checkouts and at the end of the opposite aisles, and an expanded fruit and vegetable section was repositioned near the store entrance. Beneficial effects were also observed for household fruit and vegetable purchasing and individual dietary quality.

This research is more comprehensive than previous studies testing whether placement strategies can promote healthier food purchasing which have been limited in scope (e.g., assessing only a single location (i.e., checkouts) or placing healthy and unhealthy products together). This study was able to measure effects of storewide layout shifts aiming to reduce shopper exposure to low-nutrition food on store sales, customer loyalty card purchasing patterns and the diets of more than one household member.

Dr Vogel concludes: “Altering the layouts of supermarkets could help people make healthier food choices and shift population diet towards the government’s dietary recommendations. The findings of our study suggest that a healthier store layout could lead to nearly 10,000 extra portions of fruit and vegetables and approximately 1,500 fewer portions of confectionery being sold on a weekly basis in each store.”  

Prof Baird added: “These results provide novel evidence to suggest that the intended UK government ban on prominent placement of unhealthy foods across retail outlets could be beneficial for population diet, and that effects may be further enhanced if requirements for a produce section near supermarket entrances were incorporated into the regulation.”

 

#####

 

Research Article

Citation: Vogel C, Crozier S, Penn-Newman D, Ball K, Moon G, Lord J, et al. (2021) Altering product placement to create a healthier layout in supermarkets: Outcomes on store sales, customer purchasing, and diet in a prospective matched controlled cluster study. PLoS Med 18(9): e1003729. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003729

Funding: This research and the authors of this paper are supported by the following funding sources: The Academy of Medical Sciences and Wellcome Trust (grant to CV: HOP001\1067, acmedsci.ac.uk); Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton (fellowship to CV: PCTA36/2015, grant to CV, JB: RMC1516-12, www.southampton.ac.uk/about/departments/faculties/medicine.page); National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton (grant to CV, JB: NBRC RS4h, www.uhs.nhs.uk/ClinicalResearchinSouthampton/Home.aspx); Medical Research Council (quinquennial grant to CC, JB, mrc.ukri.org); National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (fellowship to KB, www.nihr.ac.uk). The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the research funders. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests:No funding was received from the supermarket involved in this study and all analyses were conducted independently, without involvement of supermarket staff. CV, SC, DPN, KB, GM and JL have no conflicts of interest to declare. JB has received grant research support from Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition. CC has has received consultancy, lecture fees and honoraria from AMGEN, GKS, Alliance for Better Bone Health, MSD, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, Servier, Medtronic and Roche. The study described in this manuscript is not related to these conflicted relationships.

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003729

 

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JOURNAL

PLoS Medicine

DOI

10.1371/journal.pmed.1003729 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Altering product placement to create a healthier layout in supermarkets: Outcomes on store sales, customer purchasing, and diet in a prospective matched controlled cluster study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Sep-2021

COI STATEMENT

I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests:No funding was received from the supermarket involved in this study and all analyses were conducted independently, without involvement of supermarket staff. CV, SC, DPN, KB, GM and JL have no conflicts of interest to declare. JB has received grant research support from Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition. CC has has received consultancy, lecture fees and honoraria from AMGEN, GKS, Alliance for Better Bone Health, MSD, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, Servier, Medtronic and Roche. The study described in this manuscript is not related to these conflicted relationships.

Healthier supermarket layout improves customers’ food choices, study shows

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON

New research from the University of Southampton shows that removing confectionery and other unhealthy products from checkouts and the end of nearby aisles and placing fruit and vegetables near store entrances prompts customers to make healthier food purchases.

The study, led by Dr Christina Vogel, Principal Research Fellow in Public Health Nutrition and Janis Baird, Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology at the University’s MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, was conducted in partnership with the national supermarket chain Iceland Foods Ltd. The trial took place in a selection of Iceland stores in England and monitored store sales as well as the purchasing and dietary patterns of a sample of regular customers.

The results showed store-wide confectionery sales decreased and fruit and vegetable sales increased when non-food items and water were placed at checkouts and at the end of the opposite aisles, and an expanded fruit and vegetable section was repositioned near the store entrance. Beneficial effects were also observed for household fruit and vegetable purchasing and individual dietary quality. Full details are presented in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine from 24th August 2021. 

When talking about the results of the study Dr Vogel said “Altering the layouts of supermarkets could help people make healthier food choices and shift population diet towards the government’s dietary recommendations. The findings of our study suggest that a healthier store layout could lead to nearly 10,000 extra portions of fruit and vegetables and approximately 1,500 fewer portions of confectionery being sold on a weekly basis in each store.”  

This research is more comprehensive than previous studies testing whether placement strategies can promote healthier food purchasing which have been limited in scope, for example including only a single location (i.e. checkouts) or placing healthy and unhealthy products together. This study went further, aiming to reduce customers exposure to calorie opportunities by placing non-food items at checkout and aisle-ends opposite and measuring effects on store sales, customer loyalty card purchasing patterns and the diets of more than one household member. 

Matt Downes, Head of Format Development at Iceland said “We have been pleased to support this long-term study and the evaluation of how product placement in supermarkets can affect the diets of our customers. We know that childhood obesity is a growing issue and the retail industry has its part to play in tackling this. We hope that the outcomes of the study provide insights for the wider retail industry and policy makers about the impact of store merchandising on purchasing decisions.”

Prof Baird added “These results provide novel evidence to suggest that the intended UK government ban on prominent placement of unhealthy foods across retail outlets could be beneficial for population diet, and that effects may be further enhanced if requirements for a produce section near supermarket entrances were incorporated into the regulation.”

###

---

JOURNAL

PLoS Medicine

DOI

10.1371/journal.pmed.1003729 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Altering product placement to create a healthier layout in supermarkets: outcomes on store sales, customer purchasing and diet in a prospective matched-controlled cluster study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

23-Aug-2021

Disclaimer: AAAS an

 

Boom in social stress may contribute to population decline

UMass Amherst scientist has new hypothesis for changes in reproductive behavior and physiology

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST

 

IMAGE: ALEXANDER SUVOROV IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN THE UMASS AMHERST SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SCIENCES. view more 

CREDIT: UMASS AMHERST

A University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental health scientist has developed an “overlooked hypothesis” to help explain the projected global population decline beginning in 2064: social stress.

Stress from social media and other largely empty or overwhelming social interactions may be leading or contributing to changes in reproductive behavior and reproductive physiology, suggests Alexander Suvorov, associate professor in the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences. 

In a review article, published in the journal Endocrinology, he examines various theories surrounding previous human population decline as models predict a “remarkable” decrease from 9.7 billion people in 2064 to 8.8 billion by 2100. Some countries’ populations already have peaked and are projected to decline by 50% by the end of the century.

“A unique feature of the upcoming population drop is that it is almost exclusively caused by decreased reproduction, rather than factors that increase rates of mortality (wars, epidemics, starvation, severe weather conditions, predators, and catastrophic events),” he writes.

Suvorov outlines a hypothesis that connects reproductive trends with population densities, proposing that density reflects the quality and frequency of social interactions. 

“Rising population numbers contribute to less meaningful social interactions, social withdrawal and chronic stress, which subsequently suppresses reproduction,” the manuscript states.

Over the past 50 years, a 50% decrease in sperm counts has occurred. Stress is known to suppress sperm count, ovulation and sexual activity, Suvorov notes. While changes in reproductive physiology are usually attributed to the effects of endocrine-disrupting pollutants, Suvorov believes it is not the only factor.

“Numerous wildlife and laboratory studies demonstrated that population peaks are always followed by increased stress and suppressed reproduction,” Suvorov says. “When a high population density is reached, something is happening in the neuroendocrine system that is suppressing reproduction. The same mechanisms happening in wildlife species may be at work in humans as well.”

Suvorov points to several changes in reproductive behavior that contribute to the population drop, including people having fewer children and waiting longer to start families or choosing to be child-free. But he says biological changes are likely happening as well. More research is needed, he says, such as studies to determine cortisol levels in human blood, an important measure of stress. 

“A better understanding of the causal chain involved in reproduction suppression by population density-related factors may help develop interventions to treat infertility and other reproductive conditions,” Suvorov writes. 

He hopes his hypothesis offers up an enticing area of research that scientists from different fields will be interested in exploring.

“The goal of this paper is to attract attention to a completely overlooked hypothesis – and this hypothesis is raising more questions than it is giving answers,” Suvorov says. “I hope it will trigger interest of people from very different domains and that after additional studies we will have a much better picture of to what extent population density is connected with social stress and how social stress is connected to reproduction, and what we can do about it.”

A common-sense place to start, he suggests: “Back off social media.”

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JOURNAL

Endocrinology

DOI

10.1210/endocr/bqab154 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Population Numbers and Reproductive Health

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Nov-2021

COI STATEMENT

No conflic

 

Think climate change is bad for corn? Add weeds to the equation

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

URBANA, Ill. – By the end of the century, scientists expect climate change to reduce corn yield significantly, with some estimating losses up to 28%. But those calculations are missing a key factor that could drag corn yields down even further: weeds.

Wetter springs and hotter, drier summers, already becoming the norm in the Corn Belt, put stress on corn during key reproductive stages, including silking and grain fill. But those same weather conditions can benefit the scrappy weeds that thrive in tough environments.

“Adverse weather and weeds are two stressors to crop production, but there's been very little research into how the combination of those two factors influence crop yield. Computer models projecting corn yields into the future are assuming weed-free conditions,” says Marty Williams, USDA-Agricultural Research Service ecologist, affiliate professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at Illinois, and co-author on a new study in Global Change Biology. “That's unlikely to be the case without a major transformation in the way we manage weeds.”

Complete weed control is rarely achieved in practice, especially considering herbicides – the single most common tool used to destroy weeds – are losing ground to resistant weeds. Several important weed species, including waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, can shrug off multiple herbicide modes of action. And with no new classes of herbicides nearing commercialization in corn, the prospects for chemical control continue to dim for resistant weeds.

Yet, late-season control of weeds such as waterhemp was the most important factor impacting corn yield; bigger than any management practice or weather-related factor.

To arrive at that conclusion, the research team, which includes U of I crop scientists Christopher Landau and Aaron Hager, analyzed 27 years of herbicide evaluation trials representing more than 200 unique weather environments throughout Illinois.

“When ag researchers want to look at weather variation and crop yield in a controlled manner, generally that’s one experiment in two or three environments. If it's a big study, that might amount to six or eight environments,” Williams says. “Our analysis enabled us to look at a historic data set where there were hundreds of environments. That's the real beauty of it.”

Machine-learning algorithms helped the researchers make sense of the large, complex dataset. They looked at crop management considerations, including planting date, hybrid choice, and planting density; percent weed control for multiple weed species; weather data at key growth stages throughout the corn life cycle; and yield.

The analysis showed an average of 50% loss when late-season weeds were minimally controlled. Even with relatively robust late-season weed control (up to 93%), weeds exacerbated crop losses in hot or dry conditions.

“The combination of less-than-complete weed control and these weather events is where we see crop losses much larger than from poor weather alone. Achieving 94% weed control late into the season is a high bar. I'd be surprised if many fields hit that mark for weed control on a regular basis,” Williams says.

The researchers know excessive mid-summer heat and/or drought puts stress on corn and makes it less competitive against weeds. But that’s not the only way climate change interacts with weeds to impact corn yield. Adverse weather impacts field working conditions and herbicide efficacy. For example, if a period of drought sets in just after pre-emergence herbicides are applied, the chemical won’t work as well and emerging corn could be engulfed by early weeds.

Farmers forced to plant later due to wet conditions in the spring could be in luck, however. The analysis showed 18% less yield loss when corn was planted after April 29.

“The advantage of later planting was related to improved weed control, with early weeds having time to emerge and be killed prior to planting,” Landau says. “But that doesn't necessarily mean it's best for the crop. The later corn is planted, the more likely you're going to catch a window of time when it's excessively hot or dry during flowering. Late-planting may benefit weed management, but it may expose the crop to greater risk of heat or drought stress during reproduction.”

The analysis highlights the need to move away from reliance on simplistic weed control systems under climate change. Williams says weeds are adapting to existing herbicides, and a new product won’t be a silver bullet. Nor would any other single tool, regardless of how novel the technology is.

“History has shown us that it won't do any good to innovate some brand new tool if we rely too heavily on it. We do need new tools. Whether that's harvest weed seed control, genetic engineering approaches, robotic weeders, or another advancement. There's progress being made in many areas, but as new tools become available, we need to diversify how weeds are managed. Not just with registered herbicides, but all available tactics,” Williams says.

The article, “Diminishing weed control exacerbates maize yield loss to adverse weather,” is published in Global Change Biology [DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15857].

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JOURNAL

Global Change Biology

DOI

10.1111/gcb.15857 

ARTICLE TITLE

Diminishing weed control exacerbates maize yield loss to adverse weather

 

How do pathogens evolve novel virulence activities and why does it matter?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

 

IMAGE: NOVEL VIRULENCE ACTIVITIES CAN INCLUDE ADAPTATIONS THAT ALTER HOW PATHOGENS INTERACT WITH THE HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM (DARK PURPLE) OR WITH HOST PHYSIOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (ORANGE), THE ABILITY TO MULTIPLY AND SPREAD WITHIN THE HOST (LIGHT PURPLE), HOW THEY DISPERSE AND ARE TRANSMITTED TO OTHER HOSTS (TURQUOISE), THEIR HOST RANGE (INCLUDING HOST EXPANSIONS AND HOST JUMPS, GREEN), HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THE ENVIRONMENT (BLUE), AND HOW THEY INTERACT WITH OTHER PATHOGENIC AND NONPATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS (RED). view more 

CREDIT: SOLEDAD SACRISTÁN, ERICA M. GOSS, AND SEBASTIAN EVES-VAN DEN AKKER

Understanding how pathogens evolve is a fundamental component of learning how to protect ourselves and our world from pests and diseases. Yet we are constantly underestimating pathogen evolution such as in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, which some believed had been conquered until the arrival of the Delta variant. Similarly, we are often a step or two behind plant pathogens, which is why the question “How do pathogens evolve novel virulence activities?” was voted by scientists in the molecular plant-microbe interactions field as one of their Top 10 Unanswered Questions and explored in a review article recently published in the MPMI journal.

“Some people think that this is an old question and that we already have the answers,” said Soledad Sacristán, one of the authors of review article. “However, the more we know, the more we see how many different paths or strategies that pathogens use overcome our efforts to control them. In our combat against pathogens, we are still far from winning.”

A major consideration in considering pathogenic evolution is the larger world: climate change and global trade result in dramatic alterations in the geographic distribution and spread of pathogens. These global changes can favor the emergence and reemergence of diseases and lead to the spread of aggressive epidemics. These changes make it even more important for scientists to understand how pathogens adapt to changing conditions.

“We know a fair amount about the mechanisms of pathogen adaptation to particular host immune responses, such as pathogens overcoming plant resistance that relies on a single gene,” said Erica Goss, another author. “However, other aspects of pathogen adaptation with more complex genetics are less studied.”

For example, we still don’t fully understand the genetic changes required for a pathogen to switch from one host to another, in a move scientists call “a host jump” nor do we understand how, once a pathogen overcomes the first defenses of a plant, it becomes more or less deadly to the plant and more or less able to spread from one plant to another.

The good news is scientists have better tools than ever, thanks to the development of “big data” technologies and computer programs that can handle and process such data. These tools allowed scientists to discover that dramatic events such as hybridization between pathogen species can result in genome rearrangements that lead to rapid evolution of virulence on new host plants. Genome sequencing has also made it possible for scientists to discover that gene content in bacterial pathogen chromosomes is highly dynamic and likely responsible for host range.

“How do pathogens evolve novel virulence activities” is a large question comprised of many smaller questions—and the answers discovered often bring even more questions. However, scientists continue their quest to find the answers as they can help in the design of more efficient strategies to control plant diseases.

“Combining sources of resistance that require very different mechanisms of evolution to overcome or that cause a loss of the efficiency of other functions are likely to be more robust in the field. As we learn more about how pathogens evolve virulence, we can better understand which pathogens are greater risks for overcoming host resistance,” explained Sebastian Eves-van den Akker, the third author involved in this review.

“How Do Pathogens Evolve Novel Virulence Activities?” is part of the Top 10 Unanswered Questions in MPMI invited review series, which explores the big, unanswered questions in the field today.

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JOURNAL

Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions

DOI

10.1094/MPMI-09-20-0258-IA 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

How Do Pathogens Evolve Novel Virulence Activities?

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

23-Jul-2021

 

Bird malaria spreading via global ‘hotspots’

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

 

IMAGE: ONE OF THE WILD BIRD VECTORS ANALYSED FOR THIS STUDY, THE LEWIN'S HONEYEATER. view more 

CREDIT: NICHOLAS CLARK

Bird species across the globe are suffering and dying from a type of malaria and, while these strains are not infectious to humans, they’re spreading quickly through global transmission hotspots.

An international team, including The University of Queensland’s Dr Nicholas Clark, has been conducting research to understand where and why the disease has been spreading so rapidly.

“Avian malaria now affects somewhere between 13 and 14 per cent – on average – of all wild birds worldwide,” Dr Clark said.

“It’s caused by a group of blood parasites – known as haemosporidian parasites – and, much like human malaria, is transmitted via blood-feeding insects like mosquitos.

“It can’t harm humans but is known to have significant impacts on bird populations.

“For example, when avian malaria was introduced into Hawaii in the late 1800s to early 1900s, it was one of the major causes of extinction of about one-third of the 55 known species of Hawaiian honeycreepers.

“We’ve found that there are hotspots transmitting these parasites across the world.

“The most significant hotspot was in the Sahara-Arabian region, with local hotspots in North America, Europe and Australia, depending on different parasite variants.

“In fact, here in Australia, some of these blood parasites are causing high infection rates in our songbirds, including silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) and many species of honeyeaters (the Meliphagidae family).”

The research team compiled and analysed what is likely the largest data set of wild bird infections with avian malaria parasites to date, with more than 53,000 wild birds examined.

They combined infection data with remotely sensed environmental data, such as climate or forest conditions, and bird life history information, such as body size and migration patterns, into computer models to identify which factors best described the infection risk with avian malaria parasites.

Dr Konstans Wells, who leads the Biodiversity and Health Ecology research group at Swansea University, said predicting which conditions facilitate the infection of wild birds with avian malaria is crucial for understanding infectious disease hazards.

“Since each bird species is unique in its ecological niche and is differently exposed to disease-transmitting insects during breeding and migration, infection risks are not the same for different bird species,” he said.

“Conditions that enable infection in different areas across the world are completely context-dependent.

“For example, long distance migrating birds were more likely to be infected in some continents but less likely in others.

“There’s no easy answer with so many factors at play, but we’re going to continue to research to find out how to best protect the world’s bird species from this deadly disease.”

Satin bowerbird (IMAGE)

UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

CAPTION

One of the wild bird vectors analysed for this study, the satin bowerbird.

CREDIT

Nicholas Clark

CAPTION

One of the wild bird vectors analysed for this study, the pied butcherbird.

CREDIT

Nicholas Clark

The research has been published in Global Ecology and Biogeography (DOI: 0.1111/GEB.13390).

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JOURNAL

Global Ecology and Biogeography

DOI

0.1111/GEB.13390 

 

Scientists discover chemical signals in starfish that stop them eating

Peer-Reviewed Publication

QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Like humans, starfish produce chemicals that tell them they’re full and to stop eating, according to a new study published today in the journal eLife.

Starfish feed in a bizarre way - turning their stomachs out of their mouth when they come across a tasty meal like a mussel or oyster - and then digesting their chosen prey outside of their body.

Previous studies have shown that molecules similar to the human ‘love hormone’ oxytocin cause starfish to extend their stomach out of their mouths and initiate feeding. However, it was not known which chemicals have the power to do the opposite and terminate feeding behaviour in these animals.

Using the common starfish Asterias rubens for experiments, the research team investigated the effects of SK/CCK-type neuropeptides - a type of hormone known to inhibit feeding in humans and insects. They found that when they injected the hormones into the starfish, the animals retracted their stomachs. Even when the scientists presented the starfish with their favourite meal, a mussel, they found that the starfish were less inclined to feed after being injected with the SK/CCK-type neuropeptides.   

Starfish belong to a group of animals known as echinoderms. Echinoderms occupy a unique evolutionary position, acting as a ‘missing link’ between well-studied vertebrates and insects such as the fruit fly, Drosophila. This feature makes starfish and other echinoderms like sea urchins, useful animal models to help fill in gaps in our understanding of how different proteins evolved.

Dr Ana Tinoco, Postdoctoral Research Assistant at Queen Mary and one of the lead authors of the study, said: “The unusual way that starfish feed where they evert their stomachs out of their mouths, makes them a good model to study chemicals that regulate feeding processes. Whilst we already knew that this type of hormone was important for feeding, what’s fascinating is that the important role of these chemicals in feeding in other animals has been preserved in starfish despite their dramatically different feeding behaviour, lack of a brain and unique body plan.”

Professor Maurice Elphick, Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience at Queen Mary, said: “Our findings provide new evidence that SK/CCK-type neuropeptides have an evolutionarily conserved role as inhibitory regulators of feeding. The discovery of SK/CCK-type neuropeptides in starfish could also be useful for development of novel drugs to treat eating disorders. To accomplish this, more research needs to be done to determine the 3D structure of the receptor proteins that mediate effects of SK/CCK-type neuropeptides in humans and other animals.

“With recent breakthroughs in the use of AI to determine protein structures the potential of using basic science research like this to develop new treatment options becomes much more achievable.”

ENDS

Notes to editor

• Research paper: ‘Ancient role of sulfakinin/cholecystokinin-type signalling in inhibitory regulation of feeding processes revealed in an echinoderm’ Ana B Tinoco et al. eLife 2021.
• Supporting images and videos are available here.
• For more information or a copy of the paper please contact:

Sophie McLachlan

Faculty Communications Manager 

Queen Mary University of London

sophie.mclachlan@qmul.ac.uk

Tel: 020 7882 3787

About Queen Mary

Queen Mary University of London is a research-intensive university that connects minds worldwide. A member of the prestigious Russell Group, we work across the humanities and social sciences, medicine and dentistry, and science and engineering, with inspirational teaching directly informed by our world-leading research. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework we were ranked 5th in the country for the proportion of research outputs that were world-leading or internationally excellent. We have over 25,000 students and offer more than 240 degree programmes. Our reputation for excellent teaching was rewarded with silver in the most recent Teaching Excellence Framework. Queen Mary has a proud and distinctive history built on four historic institutions stretching back to 1785 and beyond. Common to each of these institutions – the London Hospital Medical College, St Bartholomew’s Medical College, Westfield College and Queen Mary College – was the vision to provide hope and opportunity for the less privileged or otherwise under-represented. Today, Queen Mary University of London remains true to that belief in opening the doors of opportunity for anyone with the potential to succeed and helping to build a future we can all be proud of.

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JOURNAL

eLife

DOI

10.7554/eLife.65667 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Ancient role of sulfakinin/cholecystokinin-type signalling in inhibitory regulation of feeding processes revealed in an echinoderm

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Sep-2021

Scientists discover two new species and new genus of freshwater mussels in Borneo

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

Research led by the University of Nottingham has discovered two new species and a new genus of freshwater mussel in Borneo for the first time in almost 100 years.

Dr Alexandra Zieritz, in the university’s School of Geography, with collaborators from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, USA and Portugal, made the discoveries in small streams in the Gomantong Forest Reserve, Sabah, and near the village of Kuala Mendalam, Sarawak, respectively.

The scientists found that both species are unique to Borneo and are described by the researchers as “quite different from anything we have known to date”, therefore representing a new freshwater mussel group, or genus. The team named the species Khairuloconcha sahanae, in honour of the late Dr Sahana Harun, and Khairuloconcha lunbawangorum, after the indigenous Lun Bawang tribe of Borneo.         

Their discovery comes 94 years after the last freshwater mussel from Borneo was described (Ctenodesma scheibeneri in 1927) — the other 17 species known from that island were described much earlier (between 1840 and 1903). Borneo has an exceptionally high number of endemic freshwater mussels, with 15 of the 20 currently recognised native species being restricted to this island.

The findings of the team’s four-year study are published in the journal Aquatic Conservation: A new genus and two new, rare freshwater mussel (Bivalvia: Unionidae) species endemic to Borneo are threatened by ongoing habitat destruction.

The team are also responsible for the first ever DNA sequence data of Bornean freshwater mussels, generated in 2016.

Dr Alexandra Zieritz, Anne McLaren Fellow at the University of Nottingham and lead author of the study, said: “The new species of freshwater mussels we have discovered are very rare, known only from a single site each (one in Sarawak, one in Sabah), and highly threatened by ongoing habitat destruction.

“One of these species is at especially high risk of extinction, as the only site it's known from has already been dedicated for an industrial oil palm plantation. We are in the process of preparing the paperwork with the Universiti of Malaysia Sarawak to get this area protected. This would not only help the unique biodiversity in this area but also the indigenous Lun Bawang tribe after which we named that species, ‘Khairuloconcha lunbawangorum’.”

The authors note that the declines of existing populations of freshwater mussels on Borneo have likely been caused by industrial-scale deforestation and land-use change from primary rainforest to agricultural monocultures (predominantly oil palm plantations).

The experts say these practises result in high levels of soil erosion, strongly increasing sediment yield (amount of sediment run-off), and organic and inorganic pollution (via agricultural run-off) of rivers, all of which negatively affects freshwater mussels directly, by degrading habitat quality, or indirectly by reducing host fish populations that they require to complete their life cycles. Other potential drivers of declines in Borneo’s freshwater mussel populations include pollution from domestic and industrial sewage, hydrological alterations, mining, climate change and invasive species.

Why are freshwater mussels important?

Freshwater mussels are a crucial part of many freshwater habitats globally. They live on the bottom of all kinds of freshwater habitats, including rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, where they filter algae, bacteria and other organisms from the water, thereby acting as biological filters and playing a major role in nutrient cycling. They can remove algae, bacteria and other material at a rate of about 1 litre of water per hour per mussel. Much of this material is subsequently transported to the benthos (organisms living on the bottom of the habitat), providing food for insects and other invertebrates, which thrive in mussel beds in terms of both abundance and diversity.

They have also been shown to enhance biodiversity of insect larvae and other small organisms by providing a three-dimensional habitat. Especially in Asia, people use them directly as a food source and their pearls and shells for ornamental purposes. Other ecosystem services that they provide worldwide include their use in biomonitoring (i.e. monitoring of water quality) and bioremediation (e.g. wastewater treatment).

Dr Zieritz said: “The discovery means that there is a lot that we do not yet know about Borneo’s freshwater mussel diversity. Despite our efforts over these past few years, we have so far only surveyed a small proportion of the island, restricted to Malaysian Borneo and Brunei. Hardly any recent data on freshwater mussels are available for Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, which makes up 73 per cent of the island.

“Despite these constraints, we already found two new species, suggesting that there may be more species waiting to be discovered and which likely require protection. However, considering the rapid rate of habitat destruction, we need to act fast in locating the remaining populations of native and endemic Bornean mussels, so that they can receive the necessary protection. It may also be worth noting that the situation is most likely similar for other obscure freshwater organisms, such as beetles, snails or mayflies, for which we have even less data at the moment.”

The collaborators on the study were: Leonardo Jainih of Universiti Malaysia Sabah; John Pfeiffer of National Museum of Natural History; Khairul Adha A. Rahim of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak; Hari Prayogo of Tanjungpura University; Muhammad Sofwan Anwari of Tanjungpura University; Arman Hadi Fikri of Universiti Malaysia Sabah; Farah Diba of Tanjungpura University; Hussein Taha of Universiti Brunei Darussalam; Zohrah Sulaiman of Universiti Teknologi Brunei; Elsa Froufe of CIMAR/CIIMAR-UP Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, AEE; Manuel Lopes-Lima of CIBIO/InBIO – Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto.

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DOI

DOI 10.1002/aqc.3695 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

A new genus and two new, rare freshwater mussel (Bivalvia: Unionidae) species endemic to Borneo are threatened by ongoing habitat destruction

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Sep-2021

 

Physicists point out window of opportunity for manned Mars mission

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SKOLKOVO INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (SKOLTECH)

 

IMAGE: EFFECT OF HARMFUL RADIATION ON AN ASTRONAUT PROTECTED BY 10 GRAM PER SQUARE CENTIMETER ALUMINUM SHIELDING. THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT ILLUSTRATES 100 PROTONS HITTING THE SPACECRAFT WITH ENERGIES OF 100 MEGAELECTRONVOLTS. ON THE RIGHT, THERE ARE ONLY 10 PROTONS COMING IN, BUT WITH 10 TIMES MORE ENERGY. THE BLUE LINES INDICATE PRIMARY PROTONS, WITH THE RESULTING SECONDARY PARTICLES SHOWN IN RED (NEUTRONS), YELLOW (GAMMA RAYS), AND CYAN (ELECTRONS). THE GREEN DOTS INDICATE PARTICLE-MATTER INTERACTIONS. view more 

CREDIT: CREDIT: DR. MIKHAIL DOBYNDE/SKOLTECH

Skoltech alumnus Dr. Mikhail Dobynde and his colleagues from the U.S. and Germany have identified a window of opportunity for a manned spaceflight to Mars and back in the mid-2030s. According to simulations run by the team, that period will be favorable in terms of the relative positions of the planets and solar activity, with the radiation emitted by the sun offsetting the more dangerous cosmic rays from the interstellar space. The findings are reported in Space Weather.

With a renewed interest in manned spaceflight, national space agencies and private corporations are eyeing the moon and Mars as the most enticing destinations for the coming decades. But while the news about the space race between Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX might make it look like earlier launch dates are always better launch dates, space weather actually has a major say in when a certain mission is possible or feasible.

The radiation hazard in space is a major concern in any long-term mission. It is more than unhealthy for the astronauts, and there is a limit to how much shielding a spaceship can be fitted with before it gets too heavy and expensive to launch. This is why Skoltech researcher Dr. Mikhail Dobynde and his co-authors suggest adapting to space weather as opposed to going against it.

A spacecraft on a course from the Earth to Mars and back is exposed to cosmic rays coming from interstellar space and to energetic particles emitted by our own sun, which operates under the so-called 11-year cycle: Every 11 years, the sun exhibits a maximum in its activity, emitting the most radiation.

While this might appear counterintuitive, flying a spacecraft to Mars during the solar maximum is actually not a bad idea at all. The reason is that solar energetic particles are easy enough to shield from, and putting up with their outbursts provides an unexpected benefit: The flux of radiation from the sun actually wards off the more harmful galactic cosmic rays.

The researchers ran a simulation predicting radiation levels inside a spacecraft. The study accounts for 28 kinds of hazardous particles of interstellar origin and 10 emitted by the sun during solar flares. These are all ions — positively charged atomic nuclei with ripped off electrons — with the difference that potentially heavier and more dangerous species can come in from outside the solar system. To give you an idea of how nasty these galactic rays can be, they can actually bump into the atoms making up the spacecraft hard enough to cause a nuclear reaction and make the ship itself radioactive! In that sense, solar radiation is the astronaut’s best friend.

“We have identified the optimal combination of spacecraft shielding and the launch date which enables the longest flight duration. Our calculations show that the best time to start a manned flight to Mars and back is during the decaying phase of solar activity. If the average shielding is 10 cm of aluminum, the mission could last up to four years without exceeding the allowed radiation risk limit. Since the next solar max is coming up fairly soon — somewhere around the year 2025 — Mars might just have to wait until the mid-2030s,” commented the study’s first author, Dr. Mikhail Dobynde of Skoltech. The study also featured researchers from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, the University of Potsdam, the University of California at Los Angeles, and MIT.

The authors continue their studies on the efficiency of different shielding materials and the radiation environments on the surface of Mars and the moon.

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Skoltech is a private international university located in Russia. Established in 2011 in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Skoltech is cultivating a new generation of leaders in the fields of science, technology, and business, conducting research in breakthrough fields, and promoting technological innovation with the goal of solving critical problems that face Russia and the world. Skoltech is focusing on six priority areas: data science and artificial intelligence, life sciences, advanced materials and modern design methods, energy efficiency, photonics and quantum technologies, and advanced research. Website: https://www.skoltech.ru/.

Nikolay Posunko,

Copywriter

N.Posunko@skoltech.ru

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JOURNAL

Space Weather

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1029/2021SW002749 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

ARTICLE TITLE

Beating 1 Sievert: Optimal Radiation Shielding of Astronauts on a Mission to Mars

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Aug-2021

Disclaimer: AAAS and E