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  • NASA-Derived Textiles are Touring France by Bike

    NASA-Derived Textiles are Touring France by Bike

    During the Tour de France, athletes have to maintain a constant speed while bike riding for dozens of miles through cold rains and summer heat. These cyclists need gear that adapts to the different environments they encounter. One company is using a material with NASA origins to ensure these athletes stay comfortable while taking their grand tours.

    Phase-change materials use basic properties of matter to maintain a steady temperature. When a substance melts from a solid to a liquid, the material absorbs heat, and when it becomes solid again, it releases that heat. In the 1980s, Triangle Research Corporation received a NASA Small Business Innovation Research award to explore how phase-change materials could be incorporated into textiles to control temperatures in spacesuit gloves. By placing phase-change materials in small capsules woven throughout a textile, these temperature-regulating properties can be tuned to the comfort of the human body. While these textiles weren’t incorporated into any gloves flown on NASA missions, they formed the basis for a new product, sold under the name Outlast.

    Outlast has since become one of the most widely distributed temperature-regulating fabrics, found in products such as bedding, loungewear, and office chairs. It has seen especially extensive use in activewear, ranging from jogging clothes to professional sports gear. 

    Founded in 2001 and based in Fréjus, France, the company Ekoï makes clothing and accessories for cyclists, particularly those who bike competitively. The company first encountered Outlast at the Performance Days fabric trade fair in Munich, Germany, and was impressed with its capabilities as well as its NASA heritage.

    “When you say NASA, it’s always impressive.” said Celine Milan, director of textiles at Ekoï. “At the beginning we were even saying in here in our offices, ‘Wow, this technology was developed by NASA.’ It’s on another level.”

    Ekoi’s Outlast line officially launched in July 2022, during that year’s Tour de France. Over the course of that race, the company found it improved cyclists’ performance in the event’s mountain stages, where elevation changes mean wide swings in temperature. It also improved athletes’ aerodynamics, as their jerseys could stay closed in warmer environments, rather than opening them to let in wind.

    Today, Ekoï sells several products that incorporate Outlast materials, including jerseys, gloves, and socks. These products are internationally known for their NASA heritage. Whether engineering for astronaut’s comfort in space or competitive athletes, NASA aims for excellence. 

    Learn more about NASA’s Spinoff Technologies: https://spinoff.nasa.gov/

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  • Case report describes offseason plague case transmitted via cat

    Case report describes offseason plague case transmitted via cat

    An Oregon man contracted plague from his pet cat in January last year—by far the earliest case ever recorded in a calendar year in the state—possibly indicating a seasonal shift of the disease in people.

    The man’s case was detailed yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is most commonly confirmed in people in late spring or summer. It typically spreads through fleas from rodents.

    Oregon had not confirmed a human plague case since 2015, when it recorded two.

    Cat contact following knife injury

    The man’s saga began on January 19, 2024, when his 2-year-old cat began receiving veterinary care in central Oregon for a neck abscess and vomiting. The cat received oral antibiotics, and a veterinarian drained and excised the abscess on January 24.

    The next day, the 73-year-old man cut his right index finger with a kitchen knife and received treatment at an urgent care center. Healthcare practitioners sutured the wound and sent the man home.

    Later that day the man had contact with his cat, which was still receiving veterinary care. The next day, on January 26, the man noticed a new tender, raised ulcer on his right wrist. On January 30 he sought care at a local emergency department with symptoms that included skin infection (cellulitis) and swollen lymph nodes extending from the wound on his wrist up to his right armpit.

    He was admitted to the hospital and was initially treated with the intravenous (IV) antibiotics ceftriaxone and metronidazole. Hospital lab testing revealed Y pestis in the man’s blood, and plague was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bacteriophage-lysis testing at the Washington State Public Health Laboratory on February 6.

    Veterinarians and medical personnel should maintain a high index of suspicion for Y. pestis infection.

    The man’s antibiotic therapy was changed to IV gentamicin and levofloxacin, and his symptoms subsequently improved. He was discharged from the hospital on February 7 and prescribed a 9-day course of oral levofloxacin. “At his follow-up appointment on February 15, he appeared to have made a full recovery, with only mild residual fatigue,” wrote the study authors, who are from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Deschutes County Health Services.

    Unfortunately, the man was not able to give the cat its antibiotics after its surgery, and the cat died on January 31. Scientists with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later confirmed Y pestis in tissues from the cat via PCR and tissue culture.

    Staying vigilant, even in winter

    According to OHA data, previously the earliest case in a calendar year in Oregon occurred in May, way back in 1934. The other 18 cases were confirmed from June through November, in years ranging from 1970 through 2015. Two (10%) of 20 cases in Oregon have proven fatal, 1 of them involving a young child.

    The study authors write, “Temperate climates of California’s Central Valley and the Pacific Northwest can be conducive to flea emergence year-round, and various factors, such as unseasonal warm temperatures during the winter, can extend the flea life cycle and potentially promote enzootic [among-animal] transmission.” Fleas can hatch when the temperature is as low as 50°F (10°C), similar to temperatures in central Oregon at the time the cat fell ill. 

    “The effect of environmental factors, including climate, on plague transmission remains an area of active research,” the authors add.

    The effect of environmental factors, including climate, on plague transmission remains an area of active research.

    They conclude, “Regular treatment of pets and their surroundings for fleas might reduce the risk for infection with pathogens transmitted by fleas. Y. pestis infection was not considered during the cat’s veterinary screening. Had it been, the pet owner could have been counseled about the risks of animal-to-human plague transmission, potentially preventing zoonotic spread.

    “Veterinarians and medical personnel should maintain a high index of suspicion for Y. pestis infection.”

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  • Okutoyi inspires young Kenyans while aiming for FISU Games success

    Okutoyi inspires young Kenyans while aiming for FISU Games success

    From East Africa to Wimbledon to the USA to Rhine-Ruhr, Kenyan student-athlete Angella Okutoyi has achieved tennis success everywhere she’s been, and she’s just getting started.

    At the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, the 21-year-old business student is a top-ten seed and is in prime position to earn Kenya’s first medal – in any sport – at the biennial event since 2013 in Kazan, Russia.

    “I feel like it’s a big thing,” Okutoyi said about the FISU Games. “It feels great to represent my country and my continent as well. I feel like it’s a big honour to be here, and Germany is such a nice place.”

    “It was really tough at first”

    Okutoyi started playing tennis when she was four years old.

    “I didn’t really have much support when I was beginning my tennis journey,” she said.

    Growing up in Kenya, the Nairobi native faced major challenges early on. Her mother died during childbirth and she was raised by her grandmother.

    Kenya’s  Angella Okutoyi serves during the round of 64 of the women’s tennis tournament at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Games © Niklas Härtig / Rhine-Ruhr 2025

     In spite of all she went through, she soon started to achieve international success in her sport, winning her first International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament at age 14 at the Kigali Junior International Open.

    Okutoyi’s success carried her all the way to the 2022 Australian Open junior tournament, where she became the first Kenyan to make the third round at a Grand Slam. She then won the girls’ doubles title at Wimbledon later that year and, in 2023, she became the first Kenyan to win an ITF singles title at the senior level.

    While Okutoyi didn’t have a successful international tennis player from her home country to look to as an example, today in Kenya, girls picking up a racket for the first time don’t need to look far for a role model. 

    “Most people who are playing tennis (in Kenya), they don’t really come from a well up family, and I can see the grit and the fight that they really want to play tennis,” Okutoyi said. “You can just see they have the anger or hunger to want to play tennis, and it just motivates me to keep pushing and reach higher so that they can see that they can actually do what I’m doing, and even better.”

    Okutoyi’s success is fuelling a rising interest in the sport in her homeland.

    “I feel like I’ve inspired a lot of kids now and we are having so many tournaments back home,” she said. “People are willing to contribute and to sponsor some tournaments.”

    Off to the United States

    In 2023, Okutoyi took her talents to the USA, where she joined the Auburn University team. At Auburn, she’s not just focusing on tennis, but also on working towards a degree in business administration.

    “In college, only in the morning we have classes,” she said. “It could be just two hours a day for five days and then in the afternoon we have free day to go and practice, and maybe homework if you have. I feel like it’s very flexible and it’s not as stressful, just homework sometimes, or the exam, but it’s pretty good.”

    When visiting the school, Okutoyi was drawn to the tennis team’s competitive atmosphere and coaching philosophy.

    “They want to make the tennis players to turn pro and that’s what I want,” she said. “I want to become a professional tennis player, and just being around that atmosphere, I feel like we always push each other and that’s what I really need for my next step.”

    Adjusting to the USA from Kenya may seem like a daunting task, but for a world traveller like Okutoyi, it’s just another international adventure.

    “Before going to the university, I actually played the US Open,” she said. “It was kind of the same thing, and I’ve (already) been travelling around the world.”

    In the first round of the 2025 FISU Games at ETuF Essen, Okutoyi defeated Thailand’s Lidia Podgorichani 6-2, 6-2 to move on to the round of 32.

    “I want to come out with the gold,” Okutoyi said. “But I want to take it one at a time and play each point each match and just enjoy, because I feel like once I enjoy, I usually play good.”

    Singles medal matches at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 tennis tournament are set for Saturday, 26 July.

    The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 16-27 July. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule. 

    Written by Fisher Madsen, FISU Young Reporter, USA

    The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition. 

    We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.

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  • Dogs detect Parkinson’s by smell, years before symptoms start – NewsNation

    1. Dogs detect Parkinson’s by smell, years before symptoms start  NewsNation
    2. Bio Detection dogs successfully detect Parkinson’s disease by odour, study finds  University of Bristol
    3. Woman who smelled husband’s Parkinson’s, helps develop new test | Tap to know more | Inshorts  Inshorts
    4. Meet Joy Milne, A “Super Smeller” Who Sniffed Her Husband’s Parkinson’s a Decade Before It Was Diagnosed  Times Now
    5. Trained Dogs Detect Parkinson’s With 98% Accuracy  SciTechDaily

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  • Judy Loe obituary | Television

    Judy Loe obituary | Television

    The actor Judy Loe, who has died aged 78 after suffering from cancer, graduated from children’s television to popular dramas such as The Chief and Casualty – but she never escaped the tag of being the widow of Richard Beckinsale, the British comedy actor remembered for his roles in Rising Damp and Porridge. “I get annoyed at being continually presented as the brave little widow having a tough time,” she said in 1987, eight years after his death at 31 from a heart attack.

    Their daughter, Kate Beckinsale, went on to become a Hollywood star, while Loe enjoyed a satisfying career on British television. She was settling down to a new life with the director Roy Battersby and looking to the future when she landed one of her best roles, in the seven-part romantic drama Yesterday’s Dreams (1987). As a divorcee in a new relationship with a mechanic, she is still being wooed by her former husband, a high-powered business executive. Her character, Diane, eventually decides to leave the past behind.

    Loe was also firmly fixed on the future, although she did not forget happy times with Beckinsale and their daughter. “We have striven towards the right balance, a way of keeping Richard still in our hearts while carrying on with our lives,” she told the TV Times magazine.

    Just five years after Beckinsale’s death, memories were stirred when Loe starred in the writer Roger Marshall’s drama serial Missing from Home (1984) as a mother-of-two who has to cope after her husband suddenly disappears.

    Her television breakthrough had come in 1970 in ITV’s children’s fantasy drama Ace of Wands, starring Michael MacKenzie as Tarot, a magician who uses his supernatural powers to defeat evil-doers from art thieves to Nazis. She appeared in the first two series as his stage assistant, Lulli (Lillian) Palmer, a telepathic orphan who communicates with him over long distances. Trevor Preston, who later created Out and Fox – hard-hitting dramas featuring those on the wrong side of the law – devised Ace of Wands as a crime series for children, although Loe later said that she regarded her role as largely “decorative … always having to be rescued by the man”.

    In the sitcom Goodnight and God Bless (1983), she was Celia Kemp, the neglected wife who hates the TV game shows hosted by her husband, Ronnie (Donald Churchill), who is not so genial off screen. It ran for only one series.

    A more rewarding comedy role came in Singles (1988-91), in which she played the recently separated Pam, perennially chased by men. Eric Chappell and Jean Warr’s sitcom of intrigue, lies and deception also starred Roger Rees (later replaced by Simon Cadell), Susie Blake and Eamon Boland as the other singletons embarking on relationships.

    Loe with her daughter Kate at the Charlotte Street hotel, London, 2001. Photograph: Alan Davidson/Shutterstock

    For the first three series of the drama The Chief (1990-92), Loe played Elizabeth Stafford, the GP wife of the fictional Eastland force chief constable (Tim Pigott-Smith) battling the Home Office and local bureaucracy. As Commander Kathryn McTiernan, in charge of a multinational crew, she headed the cast in the Sky sci-fi series Space Island One (1998).

    Then, in 2001-02, she was a semi-regular in the long-running hospital drama Casualty. She played Jan Goddard, who falls for the nurse Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) – “a strong, intelligent woman” attracted to him “because of his sincerity and vulnerability”, she explained – then becomes his boss as chief executive officer of Holby city hospital. Loe took her character to the Casualty spin-off Holby City (2002-03), with the action focused on surgical wards rather than A&E.

    Born in Manchester, she was the daughter of Nancy (nee Jones), a department store assistant, and Norman Loe, a travelling sales rep, and attended Urmston grammar school. After gaining a degree in English and drama from Birmingham University, she acted in repertory theatre in Crewe (1968-69) – where she met Beckinsale – then Chester (1969).

    She made her West End debut with a nine-month run (1969-70) in the counterculture hippy musical Hair. It was able to open at the Shaftesbury theatre in 1968, with the cast completely nude in one scene, after the abolition of theatre censorship in Britain. Pointing out that the daring scene lasted only 10 seconds, Loe told the Liverpool Echo that the production was “neither titillating nor outrageous”, adding: “In the context of this show, it seems the natural thing to do.”

    From there, she made her television debut in Ace of Wands, and moved straight to peak-time drama with Man of Straw, starring Derek Jacobi in a 1972 adaptation of Heinrich Mann’s early 20th-century novel prophesying German military ambitions. Loe then played Alice Lee in the BBC’s 1973 Sunday teatime serialisation of the Walter Scott novel Woodstock, and Princess Mary of Teck (later George V’s queen consort) in ITV’s 1975 13-part period drama Edward the Seventh.

    As she became an established character actor, she switched effortlessly from comedy (Robin’s Nest, Ripping Yarns and The Upchat Line, all in 1977) to drama (When the Boat Comes In in 1981, The Gentle Touch from 1980 to 1981, and Boon in 1990). Her later television roles included Jessica Rattigan, the manipulative wife of the Anglican bishop in the late-night ITV soap Revelations (1994-95), co-created by Russell T Davies, and Adele Cecil, a singing teacher who comes closer than most women to sweeping John Thaw’s Oxford detective off his feet in Inspector Morse (1997-98). Loe’s last television appearance came in Fool Me Once (2024).

    She married Beckinsale in 1977, two years before his death. In 1997, she married Battersby after they had been together for 15 years; he died in 2024. She is survived by Kate and by six stepchildren: the actor Samantha Beckinsale from her first marriage, and Ben, Frank, Anna, Tom and Will with Battersby.

    Judy (Judith Margaret) Loe, actor, born 6 March 1947; died 15 July 2025

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  • Rolex Fastnet Race – Four Ultim flying rocketships to contest the Rolex Fastnet Race

    Rolex Fastnet Race – Four Ultim flying rocketships to contest the Rolex Fastnet Race

    While the 50ft flying catamarans competing at SailGP Portsmouth this weekend will be impressive, charging out of the opposite western end of the Solent from 1120 BST on Saturday 26 July will be four giant 32m long by 23m wide flying Ultim trimarans taking part in the 100th anniversary edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Rolex Fastnet Race. They too are capable of speeds approaching 50 knots but will average 35-40 for long periods. 

    SVR-Lazartigue returns as defending Rolex Fastnet Race champion and record holder © Guillaume Gatefait

    The Ultim’s 2023 winner and outright race record holder returns. Under François Gabart, Tom Laperche and their team, SVR-Lazartigue was first into Cherbourg two years ago setting a new record time of 1 day 8 hours 38 minutes 27 seconds, almost a day ahead of the first monohull. However their average speed of 21.3 knots was still less than the 21.7 knots that her rival Maxi Edmond de Rothschild managed into Plymouth in 2019, (a historic finish that saw Gabart’s MACIF pipped to the post by less than a minute) and substantially less than the 27.2 knots Gabart managed when he had set a non-stop singlehanded round the world record in 2017. 

    Tom Laperche in SVR-Lazartigue’s famous ‘Spitfire-style’ cockpit © Guillaume Gatefait

    Tom Laperche is now SVR-Lazartigue’s skipper. Gabart is not on board, but has an accomplished replacement in Franck Cammas, past winner of the Volvo Ocean Race and Route du Rhum as well as a Jules Verne Trophy record on his own maxi-trimaran, Groupama 3.

    Laperche says: “The Rolex Fastnet Race is an emblematic race in the international sailing world, although culturally more Anglo-Saxon than our classic offshore and singlehanded races. It has great diversity of very beautiful, mostly privately-owned boats. I took part for the first time two years ago on SVR-Lazartigue. The start was really impressive. It’s fairly restricted, especially for Ultims and especially in wind conditions like we had two years ago, but it was exciting and it went well: we were first out of the Solent, neck and neck with Banque Populaire. I really remember the return from the Fastnet Rock, flying almost all of the way back to Cherbourg. We started at daybreak at the Fastnet and at sunset we were already at the entrance to Cherbourg Harbour! We had a very good race…”

    For the Rolex Fastnet Race SVR-Lazartigue’s crew of six will also include three-time America’s Cup winning skipper and 49er gold medallist Peter Burling. This follows another of Burling’s Luna Rossa teammates, James Spithill, who raced on board in 2019. “I’ve always loved offshore racing — that’s what led me to The Ocean Race,” says Burling. “The Ultim class is the pinnacle of high-performance offshore sailing. These boats are incredibly innovative and versatile.”

    Actual Ultim 4 was unveiled in her new livery this week © ATM Communication

    The biggest news in the Ultim fleet, aside from the launch this coming autumn of the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild/Gitana 18 Ultim, is the rechristening of their old boat, now under new ownership and with new livery as Actual Ultim 4.  

    Impressively this is the fifth multihull and fourth giant trimaran to bear the name of the French employment agency, the previous Actual having been Gabart’s 2015 vintage MACIF, which the team acquired in 2021 for skipper Yves le Blevec (20 years after Actual first sponsored him in the Mini Transat). In 2023 le Blevec handed over Actual’s reins to current skipper Anthony Marchand. Originally launched in 2017, the Guillaume Verdier-designed Gitana 17’s successful career to date includes winning last year’s Arkea Ultim Challenge Brest race singlehanded non-stop around the world under skipper Charles Caudrelier.

    Over the winter the Actual team has been refitting its new steed which was formally relaunched this week with the Rolex Fastnet Race set to be her first outing. Marchand will be supported by a crew including co-skipper Julien Villion and British Figaro/Ocean Race sailor Alan Roberts. 

    Having twice finished second, could 2025 be Banque Populaire’s year for a Rolex Fastnet Race win? © Arnaud Pilpré

    Armel le Cleac’h and his team on Maxi Banque Populaire XI are coming in hot from winning two warm-up events with an eye to defending his title in this autumn’s doublehanded Transat Café-L’OR (ex Transat Jacques Vabre) once again with Seb Josse. 

    Thomas Coville’s Sodebo Ultim 3 shows off her foiling ability © Leonard Legrand – Team Sodebo

    While Banque Populaire has sponsored sailing since 1989, from the French Olympic team up to the IMOCA and Ultim, equally impressive is how Vendée-based pizza, pasta and sandwich maker Sodebo has backed one individual since 1999: Thomas Coville. Coville has also been racing maxi trimarans longer than anyone currently in the class, following his first experience setting a Jules Verne Trophy record in 1997 on board Olivier de Kersauson’s Sport-Élec. Coville campaigned an ORMA 60 in the early 2000s for Sodebo before moving into the first of three Ultim trimarans in 2007.  

    Aboard his latest, Sodebo Ultim 3, launched in 2019 © Vincent Curutchet – Team Sodebo

    Aboard his latest, launched in 2019 (recognisable by her cabin/bridge located forward of her mast), Coville finished second in an event almost designed for him, given his huge round the world experience– the Arkea Ultim Challenge Brest, a solo non-stop round the world race for the Ultims. His Rolex Fastnet Race record includes third places in both 2019 and 2021.

    Background

    While maxi trimarans have existed since the 1970s and 75 and 85 footers were established as ‘length-only limitation’ multihull classes in the 1980s, it was the pioneering multihulls undertaking the Jules Verne Trophy (non-stop round the world record), notably Bruno Peyron, first holder of the Jules Verne Trophy in 1993, aboard the 86ft catamaran Commodore Explorer that are direct predecessors of the present day Ultims. Peyron followed this up commissioning three 110ft catamarans to be built for his event The Race in 2000 and then his next Jules Verne Trophy record breaker the 120ft catamaran Orange II in 2004.

    But from the mid-2000s, trimarans have fully taken over. In 2006 Franck Cammas launched the 103ft Groupama 3, upon which the Ultim class would later be based. In 2010 the superhuman Cammas succeeded in setting a new fully crewed Jules Verne Trophy record and then later that same year, with Groupama 3 fitted with a cut-down rig, he won the Route du Rhum singlehanded across the Atlantic, proving that it is possible not just to sail but to race these triple-hulled giants singlehanded.

    2008 saw the launch of what to date is the world’s longest racing trimaran, Banque Populaire V. Under original skipper Pascal Bidegorry in 2009 she set a west to east transatlantic record of 3 days, 15 hours, 25 minutes and 48 seconds that stands to this day. In 2011 under new skipper Loick Peyron, she was the first giant multihull to make an impression on the Rolex Fastnet Race (although Tony Bullimore raced his 100ft catamaran Team Pimsic in 2003), setting a new race record of 1 day 8 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds. She went on to establish a new Jules Verne Trophy time the following year. She was subsequently first home in the next two editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race as Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard’s Spindrift 2.

    With more giant trimarans being built so the Ultim 32/23 class was formally established as ‘Collectif Ultim’ in January 2018 with Sodebo’s Patricia Brochard as President. Ultims are thus limited in LH to 32m and beam to 23m, air draft to 110% of the longest hull and freeboard to 1.7m. Around this time several teams started investigating the fitting of foils to provide vertical lift, dramatically improving their performance. The 2018 Route du Rhum saw the first generation of ‘flying’ Ultimes, a technology that has been evolving within the class ever since, with its present state of the art set to exit the Solent at pace in just over a week’s time. 

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  • Optimizing Polyphenol Analysis with Supercritical Fluid Chromatography

    Optimizing Polyphenol Analysis with Supercritical Fluid Chromatography

    Key Points

    • Polyphenols, which are plant secondary metabolites, are typically extracted using reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC), though poor retention and resolution are observed with this process.
    • Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has been proposed as an alternative approach, being capable of coupling with mass spectrometry (MS) and handling polar compunds.
    • SFC has potential to become a more commonly used technique due to how it differs from LC.

    Scientists from the Sapienza University of Rome (Rome, Italy) explored how supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) can be used to analyze polyphenols as an alternative to reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC). Their findings were published in the Journal of Chromatography A (1).

    Night view of the Basilica St Peter in Rome, Italy | Image Credit: © Mapics – stock.adobe.com

    The plant kingdom is said to produce between 100,000 to 1 million metabolites, with their main functions being to regulate growth and development, protect against biotic stresses (parasites, herbivores, and other living organisms), and improve tolerance to abiotic stresses (drought, frost). However, each plant species only synthesizes limited numbers of these metabolites, likely between 5000 and tens of thousands, with significant variations within a species. The ability to characterize natural compounds is an important tool for understanding plant adaptation mechanisms to their environment, which can also have implications in the quantitative and qualitative improvement of agricultural production. There is also significant research and commercial interest in natural compounds that exhibit bioactivity including therapeutic or anti-inflammatory properties, or organoleptic characteristics.

    Polyphenols are a type of plant secondary metabolite, typically synthesized through the phenylpropanoid pathway. This group is comprised of flavonoids, stilbenes, lignans, and simple phenolic acids. Characterizing these natural compounds can be challenging due to the complex nature of plant extracts, the variety of polyphenols formed in plant organs, and the limited availability of authentic standards. Polyphenol analysis is mostly achieved through reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC), though for polar polyphenols, poor retention and resolution are often observed.

    Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), which involves using a supercritical fluid as a mobile phase, is viewed as a versatile chromatographic technique and a greener alternative to traditional LC (2). Further, the technique has been deemed suitable for a heterogeneous class of compounds as polyphenols, where very polar or chiral compound separation is requested. Advancements in instrumental technology allowed coupling with mass spectrometry (MS) and the introduction of sub-2 µm stationary phases, allowing the technique to be used for the analysis of compounds.

    In this review, the scientists explored the latest supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) methods for characterizing polyphenols from 2019 to 2024. The authors discussed the coupling of MS and applications in plants, along with other selected applications in polyphenol characterization. According to the scientists, SFC is relatively underutilized in this field, especially in combination with MS. This largely stems from the need for extensive optimization of several critical parameters.

    Much previous research are quantitative targeted studies, with only select reports using metabolomics approaches for large-scale polyphenol analysis. SFC applications have been limited to a small range of polyphenols rather than complex mixtures, making the technique uncompetitive with standard LC.

    Regardless, SFC has potential for further development, especially in areas where LC falters. According to the researchers, LC typically poses challenges with retaining highly polar analytes and performing chiral separations, even with dedicated stationary phases. SFC has been effective for chiral separations, showing promise for highly polar compounds when proper co-solvents and additives are used. SFC–MS must be optimized for a given group of analytes. The interest in chiral separations achievable by SFC is more related to pharmacologically active molecules than polyphenols. Further, high-resolution MS (HRMS) detection in SFC is mostly limited to time-of-flight (TOF) instruments, rarely exploiting the full potential of metabolomics approaches for comprehensive characterization. With time, SFC–MS may continue to gain attention for bio-oil characterization, lipid profiling, and metabolomics.

    References

    (1) Taglioni, E.; Capriotti, A. L.; Cerrato, A.; et al. Recent Applications of Supercritical Fluid Chromatography in the Analysis of Polyphenols. J. Chromatogr. A 2025, 1758, 466198. DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2025.466198

    (2) Supercritical Fluid Chromatography. ScienceDirect 2000. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/supercritical-fluid-chromatography (accessed 2025-7-18)

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  • Poorna Jagannathan Cast In Lars Kepler Based Apple Series

    Poorna Jagannathan Cast In Lars Kepler Based Apple Series

    Poorna Jagannathan (Deli Boys, Lanterns) and Gary Carr (Genius: MLK/X, The Peripheral) are the latest stars cast in the Apple TV+ and A+E Studios as-yet-untitled series based on the bestselling crime novels by Lars Kepler. Filming begins this summer in Pittsburgh.  

    The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Stephen Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Beetz), up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go?

    Jagannathan and Carr, who will recur, join the previously announced series regulars: Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Rory Culkin, and Chrissy Metz.

    Jagannathan will play Quinn, an FBI agent from DC who leans on Jonah to navigate the close-knit small town as an outsider while dealing with her personal life struggles.

    Carr will play Nathan, a forensic investigator who is dedicated to Jonah but has reconciled with his feelings for Saga.

    Rowan Joffe and John Hlavin will co-showrun the project and executive produce alongside Tim Van Patten, who will direct the first two episodes. Filming is set to begin this summer in Pittsburgh.

    Lars Kepler is a pseudonym for writing partners Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril. Kepler is a bestselling thriller author with 10 published crime novels, which have sold 18 million copies globally.

    Produced for Apple TV+ by A+E Studios in association with Range Studios, the series is executive produced by showrunners Joffe and Hlavin. In addition to starring, Schreiber executive produces, as does Beetz via her Sleepy Poppy production company. Van Patten, Kepler (Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril), Oystein Karlsen, David Rysdahl, Dorothy Fortenberry, and Niclas Salomonsson also serve as executive producers, and Julie Herrin serves as co-executive producer.

    Jagannathan is repped by Gersh, Untitled and Hansen Jacobson Teller.
    Carr is represented by Anonymous Content, CAA and Markham, Froggatt & Irwin.

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  • Bitcoin Slips Below $118K, ETH, XRP Pare Big Gains, but Rally Remains on Firm Ground, Says Coinbase

    Bitcoin Slips Below $118K, ETH, XRP Pare Big Gains, but Rally Remains on Firm Ground, Says Coinbase

    The crypto rally cooled off on Friday as the “crypto week” optimism over Congress passing landmark crypto legislation and President Trump potentially opening up retirement accounts for digital asset investments turned into a profit-taking opportunity.

    Bitcoin (BTC) slipped to $117,500 during the U.S. session from trading above $120,000 earlier, down 0.6% over the past 24 hours. It’s also now just about flat week-over-week even after Monday’s rally to just below $124,000. Ether (ETH) earlier Friday surged to near its 2025 high around $3,700 before turning lower, changing hands around $3,550 recently, still up 4.5% over the last day and more than 20% over the past week.

    XRP broke above its 2018 record late Thursday and hit a fresh all-time high of $3.60 early Friday, then retraced below $3.4 retaining 4% daily gain and 35% weekly advance.

    The CoinDesk 20 Index, a broad-market benchmark tracking major cryptos, also hit a record high of 4,133 overnight before declining 3.7% from that peak.

    On the macro front, a July survey by the University of Michigan showed that consumer sentiment is still down 16% from December 2024 and below historical average despite the recent uptick. Inflation expectations still cooled but remained elevated: consumers expected 4.4% inflation for the year ahead, down from 5% last month, while long-run inflation expectation fell to 3.6% from 4%.

    Capping the crypto week, Trump is expected to sign the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act into law, marking this first major federal law designed to regulate the crypto industry.

    Read more: Trump to Sign the Historic GENIUS Act Into Law. What Does It Mean for Crypto?

    While bitcoin languished below record levels, rotation to other cryptocurrencies accelerated through the week. ETH and XRP advanced 20%-25% over the past, with other large-caps including dogecoin (DOGE), SUI (SUI), and natIve tokens of Cardano (ADA), Avalanche (AVAX), Uniswap (UNI) all booking double-digit gains versus flat BTC.

    Coinbase analysts, led by head of research David Duong, said in a Friday report that the current rally is “powered by structural strength and steady accumulation, not runaway speculation.”

    Derivatives markets are not showing excessive froth, global liquidity conditions are supporting risk assets and ETFs, treasury companies show continuous demand, they argued, forecasting that bitcoin has more room to run.

    Bitcoin 7-day perp funding rates (Coinbase Research)

    “Pullbacks may occur, but we think current on-chain and market signals argue that bitcoin’s advance stands on solid ground rather than late-cycle euphoria,” the authors said.

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  • Aoife Mannion joins Newcastle United Women

    Aoife Mannion joins Newcastle United Women

    The Republic of Ireland international spent four years with the Reds, making 55 appearances in all competitions, having joined them from local rivals Manchester City in 2021.

    During her time with Manchester United, Mannion won the first major trophy of her career coming on as a substitute in a 4-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2024 Women’s FA Cup final.

    In two years with Manchester City, the defender would make 11 appearances as injury disrupted her time there. She netted once for them in the UEFA Women’s Champions League against Swiss side Lugano.

    Born in Solihull, Aoife spent six years at Birmingham City prior to her north-west switch, appearing 94 times for the Blues as they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2014, finished runners-up in the Women’s League Cup in 2016, and in the FA Cup in 2017. Her career started across the city with Aston Villa.

    Mannion has 16 Republic of Ireland caps to her name after making her debut in 2023 against China.

    On joining the Magpies, Mannion said: “It feels so good to be part of the club. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in and trying to hit the ground running.

    “It is clear to everybody the direction this club is going in, it’s really exciting to be a part of.”

    Newcastle United Women Manager, Becky Langley said: “Aoife is another player who brings a wealth of WSL experience with her, and we are really pleased that she has joined Newcastle United.

    “She is a defender who loves to be on the ball and will be a leader in the backline. She also has exceptional ability defending in one-v-one situations.

    “Her ambitions match perfectly with ours and we are excited to work with her.”

    This signing is subject to FA approval.

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