BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) — A cache of 35 remarkably well-preserved wooden tools has been unearthed in southwest China, dating back around 300,000 years, offering new insights into early human technology in East Asia.
The discovery at the Gantangqing site in Yunnan Province, detailed in a study published Friday in the journal Science, marks the earliest known evidence of complex wooden tool technology in East Asia.
Alongside the wooden artifacts, a wealth of associated cultural relics, including stone implements, antler “soft hammers,” animal fossils and plant remains, was also found during the excavation.
According to an international research team, led by experts from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the wooden tools were mainly used for foraging plant roots and stems.
Although early humans have used wood for over a million years, wooden artifacts are quite rare in the archaeological record, particularly during the Early and Middle Pleistocene.
The research team determined that human activity at the site took place between 360,000 and 250,000 years ago, highlighting the diversity and complexity of early human production and survival strategies.
The wooden tools, mainly crafted from pine, bear cutting and scraping marks indicative of activities like branch pruning and shaping. Polished streaks and fractures at their tips further attest to their use.
Soil residues found on some tool tips contain plant starch grains, confirming that these wooden tools were primarily used for digging up underground plant foods.
The findings highlight the crucial role of bamboo and wooden tools in the lives of ancient humans in East and Southeast Asia, and reveal, for the first time, the nature of ancient human gathering economies, said Gao Xing from IVPP, the paper’s corresponding author.
Compared to wooden tool sites in Europe, which generally feature medium-sized hunting gear, Gantangqing stands out for its broader and more diverse array of small, hand-held tools.
The sophistication of these wooden tools underscores the importance of organic artifacts in interpreting early human behavior, particularly in regions where stone tools alone have painted a more “primitive” technological picture.
The site also yielded stone tools, predominantly small scrapers, which were mainly used for crafting wooden tools and butchering prey, according to the study.
The use of wooden tools likely reflects the inhabitants’ shift from stone to wooden implements due to limited stone resources.
Four deer antler fragments identified as “soft hammers” show clear usage marks, indicating that East Asian stone tool technology in the early and middle Paleolithic was more advanced than previously thought and challenging the notion that it lagged significantly behind Western technology, according to Gao. ■
Why is Mars barren and uninhabitable, while life has always thrived here on our relatively similar planet Earth?
A discovery made by a NASA rover has offered a clue for this mystery, new research said Wednesday, suggesting that while rivers once sporadically flowed on Mars, it was doomed to mostly be a desert planet.
Mars is thought to currently have all the necessary ingredients for life except for perhaps the most important one: liquid water.
However the red surface is carved out by ancient rivers and lakes, showing that water once flowed on our nearest neighbour.
There are currently several rovers searching Mars for signs of life that could have existed back in those more habitable times, millions of years ago.
Earlier this year, NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered a missing piece in this puzzle: rocks that are rich in carbonate minerals.
These “carbonates” — such as limestone on Earth — act as a sponge for carbon dioxide, pulling it in from the atmosphere and trapping it in rock.
A new study, published in the journal Nature, modelled exactly how the existence of these rocks could change our understanding of Mars’s past.
Brief ‘oases’
Lead study author Edwin Kite, a planetary scientist at the University of Chicago and a member of the Curiosity team, told AFP it appeared there were “blips of habitability in some times and places” on Mars.
But these “oases” were the exception rather than the rule.
On Earth, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warms the planet. Over long timescales, the carbon becomes trapped in rocks such as carbonates.
Then volcanic eruptions spew the gas back into the atmosphere, creating a well-balanced climate cycle supportive of consistently running water.
However Mars has a “feeble” rate of volcanic outgassing compared to Earth, Kite said. This throws off the balance, leaving Mars much colder and less hospitable.
According to the modelling research, the brief periods of liquid water on Mars were followed by 100 million years of barren desert — a long time for anything to survive.
It is still possible that there are pockets of liquid water deep underground on Mars we have not yet found, Kite said.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover, which landed on an ancient Martian delta in 2021, has also found signs of carbonates at the edge of dried-up lake, he added.
Next, the scientists hope to discover more evidence of carbonates.
Kite said the best proof would be returning rock samples from the Martian surface back to Earth — both the United States and China are racing to do this in the next decade.
Are we alone?
Ultimately, scientists are searching for an answer to one of the great questions: how common are planets like Earth that can harbour life?
Astronomers have discovered nearly 6,000 planets beyond our Solar System since the early 1990s.
But only for Mars and Earth can scientists study rocks which allow them to understand the planet’s past, Kite said.
If we do determine that Mars never hosted even tiny micro-organisms during its watery times, that would indicate it is difficult to kick-start life across the universe.
But if we discover proof of ancient life, that would “basically be telling us the origin of life is easy on a planetary scale,” Kite said.
Scientists have discovered that Earth is rotating slightly faster than usual, making our days shorter by a few milliseconds. While the change is minimal, it has significant implications for global timekeeping systems. Typically, leap seconds are added to atomic clocks to match Earth’s slower rotation. However, if this faster spin continues, experts predict that by 2029, we may need to subtract a leap second for the first time in history. This would mark a major milestone in how we align human-made timekeeping with natural planetary rhythms, highlighting how even time is influenced by Earth’s subtle yet dynamic changes.
How Earth’s day length has evolved over millions of years
The Earth takes approximately 86,400 seconds to complete one full rotation, which equals one day. However, this duration is not perfectly constant. Various natural phenomena from gravitational forces to internal geophysical changes cause slight variations in how fast Earth spins.Historically, Earth’s rotation has gradually slowed down. For example, during the era of the dinosaurs, days lasted only about 23 hours. By the Bronze Age, they had lengthened but were still about half a second shorter than today. In the long term, Earth may experience 25-hour days, but scientists estimate that will take another 200 million years.
Earth’s rotation is changing: What it means for the length of a day
Since 2020, Earth has been spinning slightly faster, a trend that has surprised scientists. According to the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), based in Washington, D.C., this acceleration has continued steadily.The result? Shorter days by just a few milliseconds. If this trend persists, experts say we might need to remove a leap second from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) by 2029. This would be the first time in history that a leap second is subtracted rather than added. A leap second is a one-second adjustment added periodically to atomic clocks to align them with Earth’s irregular rotation. Since Earth’s spin is not perfectly synchronized with atomic time, leap seconds help bridge that gap.So far, leap seconds have only been added to account for the Earth’s slowing rotation. However, if Earth continues to spin faster, we may have to remove a second from atomic time for the first time ever. This adjustment would ensure that clocks continue to match Earth’s actual rotation.
Shortest days of 2025 expected in July and August, say scientists
According to timeanddate.com, the trend of shorter days is expected to continue into 2025. Scientists have pinpointed three specific dates when Earth’s spin is expected to be fastest:
July 9, 2025
July 22, 2025
August 5, 2025
According to USA Today reports, on August 5, the length of a day could be 1.51 milliseconds shorter than the standard 24 hours—a noticeable deviation in scientific terms, even if humans won’t perceive it.
What’s causing Earth’s faster spin
The exact reason behind the recent acceleration remains unclear. Scientists are currently exploring several possibilities:
Seismic activity
Changes in Earth’s core dynamics
Glacial rebound (land rising after ice melt)
Shifts in ocean currents or atmospheric pressure
However, Leonid Zotov, a researcher at Moscow State University, told timeanddate.com, “Nobody expected this.” He co-authored a 2022 study on the topic, but he admitted that no current model fully explains the phenomenon. While changes in the oceans and atmosphere may contribute to fluctuations in Earth’s spin, they likely aren’t strong enough to account for this significant acceleration. Some researchers believe that movement within Earth’s molten outer core could be influencing rotational speed.
Scientists reassure: Leap second removal is routine and won’t impact daily life
Despite the unusual findings, scientists are not alarmed. While it is rare for Earth’s rotation to speed up, such fluctuations are not unprecedented. Over centuries, the planet still trends toward a gradual slowdown.The potential removal of a leap second in 2029 is simply a technical correction—one that helps keep atomic clocks in sync with Earth’s rotation. It will not affect daily life, devices, or global operations. However, it is a fascinating reminder that even something as reliable as time is influenced by complex natural forces beneath our feet.Also Read | Buck Moon 2025: When and where to watch July’s Full Moon of the summer with top viewing tips
A study in the journal Science presents compelling new evidence that neurons in the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus, continue to form well into late adulthood. The research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden provides answers to a fundamental and long-debated question about the human brain’s adaptability.
The hippocampus is a brain region that is essential for learning and memory and involved in emotion regulation. Back in 2013, Jonas Frisén’s research group at Karolinska Institutet showed in a high-profile study that new neurons can form in the hippocampus of adult humans. The researchers then measured carbon-14 levels in DNA from brain tissue, which made it possible to determine when the cells were formed.
Identifying cells of origin
However, the extent and significance of this formation of new neurons (neurogenesis) are still debated. There has been no clear evidence that the cells that precede new neurons, known as neural progenitor cells, actually exist and divide in adult humans.
“We have now been able to identify these cells of origin, which confirms that there is an ongoing formation of neurons in the hippocampus of the adult brain,” says Jonas Frisén, Professor of Stem Cell Research at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, who led the research.
From 0 to 78 years of age
In the new study, the researchers combined several advanced methods to examine brain tissue from people aged 0 to 78 years from several international biobanks. They used a method called single-nucleus RNA sequencing, which analyses gene activity in individual cell nuclei, and flow cytometry to study cell properties. By combining this with machine learning, they were able to identify different stages of neuronal development, from stem cells to immature neurons, many of which were in the division phase.
To localize these cells, the researchers used two techniques that show where in the tissue different genes are active: RNAscope and Xenium. These methods confirmed that the newly formed cells were located in a specific area of the hippocampus called the dentate gyrus. This area is important for memory formation, learning and cognitive flexibility.
Hope for new treatments
The results show that the progenitors of adult neurons are similar to those of mice, pigs and monkeys, but that there are some differences in which genes are active. There were also large variations between individuals – some adult humans had many neural progenitor cells, others hardly any at all.
This gives us an important piece of the puzzle in understanding how the human brain works and changes during life. Our research may also have implications for the development of regenerative treatments that stimulate neurogenesis in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.”
Jonas Frisén, Professor of Stem Cell Research, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet
The study was conducted in close collaboration with Ionut Dumitru, Marta Paterlini and other researchers at Karolinska Institutet, as well as researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.
The research was funded by the Swedish Research Council, the European Research Council (ERC), the Swedish Cancer Society, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, the StratRegen programme, the EMBO Long-Term Fellowship, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions and SciLifeLab. Jonas Frisén is a consultant for the company 10x Genomics.
Source:
Journal reference:
Dumitru, I., et al. (2025). Identification of proliferating neural progenitors in the adult human hippocampus. Science. doi.org/10.1126/science.adu9575.
A study led by University researchers published on June 16 analyzed the clay terrains of the neighboring red planet, Mars, finding a possible history of a habitable environment.
The study examined Mars’ surface through NASA images and data. It found that clay formed near bodies of water and could have helped the planet with an environment where life could arise. The study also analyzed what the planet’s environment potentially looked like in the past.
“The takeaway of this study is sort of a fundamental re-look at how we view Mars’s history,” study lead Rhianna Moore said. “When planetary scientists think of past Mars climate, it used to have water and then it dried up on a global scale. Thinking about the planet in its entirety, this study tries to piece that part a little bit more (to) understand variations across the surface.”
Moore said a lack of plate tectonics prevented Mars’ environment from being stable, helping the clay preserve some history of the planet.
“On Earth, we have this cycle driven by plate tectonics and our oceans, and that cycle sort of keeps the climate relatively stable,” Moore said. “When you have a stable climate and generally a relatively consistent amount of water throughout time, that will enable you to have a sustained habitable environment. (Mars) did not have large-scale tectonics like the Earth has … because of this lack of recycling of materials through tectonics, everything we are proposing gets trapped in these clays.”
Through this preserved clay, Moore said inferences about the planet’s environment could be made, such as areas having sustained rainfall for a long period of time and a potentially habitable environment.
Moore said one of the most surprising finds from the study was the presence of clay close to the Martian dichotomy, a region of the planet with sharp contrasts in altitudes.
“It has been proposed that there was an ancient ocean in the north,” Moore said. “The fact that these trend along that possible shoreline of an ocean was really interesting to find.”
An international team of researchers, led by scientists of GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt, Germany, has studied r-process nucleosynthesis in measurements conducted at the Canadian research center TRIUMF in Vancouver. At the center of this work are the first mass measurements of three extremely neutron-rich tin isotopes: tin-136, tin-137 and tin-138. The results are published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Dr. Ali Mollaebrahimi inspects the MR-TOF-MS setup at TRIUMF in Canada
The high-precision measurements, combined with nucleosynthesis network calculations, help to better understand how heavy elements are formed in the universe, especially through the rapid neutron capture process (the r-process) occurring in neutron star mergers. The data reveal the neutron separation energy, which defines the path of the r-process on the nuclear chart. The study found unexpected changes in the behavior of tin nuclei beyond the magic neutron number N=82, specifically, a reduction in the pairing effect of the last two neutrons.
“These changes could affect the r-process path on the nuclear chart at large and even alter where the limit of stability in this region of the chart of nuclides lies. Combining these mass measurements, with new isotope production capabilities and cutting-edge theoretical calculations, this work improves our understanding of nuclear forces far away from the valley of stability,” explains Dr. Ali Mollaebrahimi, first author of the publication and spokesperson of the experiment. He has recently been appointed as a FAIR Fellow in the GSI/FAIR department “FRS/Super-FRS Experiments” and works closely with the departments “Nuclear Structure and Astrophysics”, as well as the IONAS group at Justus Liebig University (JLU) Giessen.
A multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS)— developed by researchers from the IONAS group and GSI/FAIR and tailored to the specific opportunities of the TITAN facility at TRIUMF — plays a key role in the successful measurements, as well as the secondary beams that are available at TRIUMF, which provide the highest yields of exotic isotopes. A new type of reaction target was also employed.
“This achievement marks a significant milestone made possible through long-term collaboration among scientists from several research groups in Germany and Canada,” says Dr. Timo Dickel, head of the GSI/FAIR research group “Thermalized exotic nuclei” that also Mollaebrahimi belongs to. “The MR-TOF-MS was installed and commissioned in Canada for the first experiments in 2017. In this year alone, the successful collaboration resulted in two more high-level publications on element synthesis and nuclear structure. In the past, the mass spectrometer allowed for the discovery of the isotope ytterbium-150, marking the first isotope discovery with an MR-TOF-MS.”
The results reported in the publication mark an important contribution to the FAIR Phase 0 activities, where young researchers are trained with the future tools for experiments of the MATS and Super-FRS Experiment collaborations at the FAIR facility.
Original publication
A. Mollaebrahimi, C. Walls, T. Dickel, T. Miyagi, A. Sieverding, C. Andreoiu, J. Ash, B. Ashrafkhani, …; “Precision Mass Measurements Reveal Low Neutron Pairing in Tin beyond N=82 and Its Impact on Stellar Nucleosynthesis”; Physical Review Letters, Volume 134, 2025-6-10
All supernovae are massively energetic stellar explosions. The classic supernovae are massive stars that explode near the end of their lives, leaving behind either a neutron star or a black hole, and a remnant made of expanding gas and dust.
But supernovae are not all the same. Some occur in binary systems, and they’re called Type 1a supernovae. As it turns out, some of these Type 1a SNe can detonate twice.
Astronomers working with the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) have detected patterns showing that an ancient supernova exploded twice as a Type 1a. The supernova remnant is called SNR 0509-67.5 and it’s about 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).
The discovery is explained in new research in Nature Astronomy titled “Calcium in a supernova remnant as a fingerprint of a sub-Chandrasekhar-mass explosion.” The lead author is Priyam Das, a PhD student at the University of New South Wales Canberra, in Australia.
Related: Rare Star Doomed to Explode Finally Confirms Astronomical Prediction
One of the stars in a Type 1a supernova is always a white dwarf. White dwarfs are the evolutionary end-states of stars that aren’t massive enough to become a neutron star or a black hole. Our own Sun will end its life as a white dwarf after it has ceased fusion.
The white dwarf’s companion star can range from another white dwarf to a massive star. White dwarfs are extremely dense and their gravity draws gas from the companion onto the white dwarf’s surface. If enough mass accretes, the white dwarf crosses a threshold and can reignite and trigger a supernova explosion.
However, astronomers are uncertain about some of the details surrounding these supernovae. Type 1a SNe play an important role in the galaxy by creating iron, and astronomers want to know more about them.
“Type 1a supernovae play a fundamental role as cosmological probes of dark energy and produce more than half of the iron in our Galaxy,” the researchers write in their article.
“Despite their central importance, a comprehensive understanding of their progenitor systems and triggering mechanism is still a long-standing fundamental problem.”
“The explosions of white dwarfs play a crucial role in astronomy,” said lead author Das in a press release. “Yet, despite their importance, the long-standing puzzle of the exact mechanism triggering their explosion remains unsolved.”
Astrophysicists have struggled to explain how Type 1a white dwarfs work. One popular explanation is the Chandrasekhar-mass explosion model. The Chandrasekhar limit is a mass limit for white dwarfs of about 1.4 solar masses.
Below this limit, the white dwarfs electron degeneracy pressure supports the star against gravitational collapse. When the white dwarf breaches this mass limit by drawing matter from its companion, carbon fusion ignites across the star and it explodes as a Type 1a SN.
As researchers have observed more and more WDs, this model has been called into question. It can’t account for the number of Type 1a SNe, and many of them appear to be exploding below the Chandrasekhar mass limit. These are sub-Chandrasekhar mass Type 1a SNe.
A new model emerged to explain these sub-Chandrasekhar mass SNe called the double-detonation model. In this model, the WD accretes helium onto its surface until it explodes. The explosion sends shockwaves both inward and outward.
White dwarfs have carbon-oxygen cores, and the inward-travelling shock compress that core. If the shock is powerful enough, it triggers a second detonation in the core, hence the term “double detonation.”
Even though astrophysicists have predicted these double-detonation SNe, there was no clear visual evidence. As researchers worked on the problem, they predicted what chemical ‘fingerprint’ these SNe would leave behind. They found that two separate shells of calcium would be the result of double-detonation Type 1a SNe.
The research team used the VLT and its Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument to examine SNR 0509-67.5 and found two distinct calcium shells. “We uncover a double-shell morphology of highly ionized calcium [Ca XV] and a single shell of sulphur [S XII], observed in the reverse shocked ejecta,” the authors write.
Distribution of calcium in the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5. The overlaid curves outline two concentric shells of calcium that were ejected in two separate detonations when the star died several hundred years ago. (ESO/P. Das et al., Nature Astronomy, 2025)
The results show “a clear indication that white dwarfs can explode well before they reach the famous Chandrasekhar mass limit, and that the ‘double-detonation’ mechanism does indeed occur in nature,” according to research co-author Ivo Seitenzahl.
Seitenzahl led the observations and was at Germany’s Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies when the study was conducted.
These double-detonation Type 1a SNe explain some of the things astrophysicists have observed. They can explain the diverse brightness and spectral profiles of Type 1a SNe, and the helium burning can produce intermediate-mass elements seen in their spectral signatures. It can also explain the Type 1a SNe astronomers see with different WD masses and companion types.
The authors explain that a quadruple-detonation SN is also possible when a binary pair of white dwarfs merge.
“Recent multidimensional double-detonation simulations show that, in the WD merger scenario, in addition to the primary WD undergoing a double detonation, the companion WD can also undergo a double detonation (resulting in a ‘quadruple detonation’) upon being impacted by ejecta from the exploding primary WD,” they write in their conclusion.
“Such a double double detonation could possibly also lead to the observed double-shell structure of calcium.”
Type 1a SNe play important roles and a deeper understanding of these cosmic explosions will help scientists understand a couple things.
The SNe serve as standard candles in the cosmic distance ladder and understanding them will help cosmologists understand dark energy, the mysterious force that drives the expansion of the Universe.
They also produce a lot of the iron in the Universe. Earth’s mass is about 32% iron, and it’s unlikely that rocky planets can form without iron. Iron also transports oxygen in our blood, a critical part of our nature. Understanding where it comes from helps us understand Nature’s overall architecture.
They also produce a lot of the iron in the Universe. Earth’s mass is about 32% iron, and it’s unlikely that rocky planets can form without iron. Iron also transports oxygen in our blood, a critical part of our nature.
Understanding where it comes from helps us understand nature’s overall architecture.
This article was originally published by Universe Today. Read the original article.
Image: (Natural History Museum of Utah)/ Science Alert
Sometimes, groundbreaking scientific discoveries don’t come from deep digs in far-off deserts. Sometimes, they’re hiding in plain sight—in this case, in a tiny jar sitting in a dusty museum drawer in Utah. That’s where a new species of prehistoric armored lizard—yes, armored—was just identified, and it’s got a name straight out of Middle-earth.Meet Bolg amondol, a spiky, tank-like lizard that lived around 76 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. It was about three to four feet long, covered in body armor, and definitely not the kind of lizard you’d want to mess with. Think of it as a mini dinosaur-age monster, one that roamed ancient Utah alongside T. rex and other big-name dinos—and held its own.
From “lizard” drawer to lizard legend
The story of Bolg amondol started not in the field but at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where paleontologist Dr. Hank Woolley was going through drawers labeled with basic terms like “lizard.” Inside one drawer, he found a small jar filled with fossil fragments—skull pieces, limb bones, vertebrae, and those signature osteoderms (bony plates under the skin). The fossils had been sitting there for decades, unstudied and unlabeled beyond the generic tag.But once Woolley took a closer look, he realized he was holding something special. The bones were surprisingly well-preserved—enough to piece together a nearly complete picture of the animal. And it was unlike anything paleontologists had seen before.
What kind of creature was Bolg?
Bolg amondol wasn’t your average lizard. It belonged to a group called Monstersauria—the ancient ancestors of today’s Gila monsters and beaded lizards. These creatures weren’t massive like the dinosaurs they lived beside, but they were tough. Bolg had sharp, spiked teeth, armored skin, and a bony, ridged skull that looked like it was built for battle.Its name reflects its fierce look. “Bolg” is a nod to the goblin prince in The Hobbit, while “amondol” comes from Tolkien’s Elvish, meaning “mound head”—a reference to its thick, armored skull. Nerdy? Absolutely. Fitting? Even more so.Scientists believe Bolg was a bold little predator, probably snacking on insects, small vertebrates, and even dinosaur eggs when it could. Its armored body would have offered protection while it slinked around ancient floodplains on the hunt.
A peek into prehistoric ecosystems
What makes Bolg’s discovery even cooler is the context. It was found in southern Utah’s Kaiparowits Formation, a fossil hotspot that paints a detailed picture of life in Late Cretaceous North America. In the same region, scientists have uncovered several large lizards, suggesting a diverse and thriving community of mid-sized predators living alongside the giants.One of the most fascinating details? Bolg amondol has close relatives in Asia, suggesting these monstersaurs weren’t just local legends—they were international travelers. This supports the idea that, back in the day, animals could move freely between continents using land bridges that connected North America and Asia.And the fact that this amazing creature was sitting in a museum drawer for years, unnoticed? It’s a perfect reminder of just how much we still have to learn from fossils that have already been found but never fully studied.So next time you walk past a museum display or peek into an old collection, remember: the next great discovery might not require a shovel—just a closer look.
Unlocking power of brown fat: your body’s hidden weight loss engine
open the door to new ways of using brown fat to fight obesity and related diseases
(Web Desk) – Scientists have discovered a hidden switch in the body that helps special fat cells, known as brown fat, burn calories and produce heat, especially when it’s cold.
This fat acts like a natural furnace, keeping us warm and lean by using up stored energy. The researchers found that when temperatures drop, a protein that normally blocks this process fades away, letting the fat cells kick into high gear. While it’s early days, this discovery could someday lead to new ways to boost metabolism and fight weight gain.
Brown Fat: Nature’s Internal Heater
Your body contains a special type of fat called brown fat, and it does something remarkable—it burns energy to generate heat. This process not only helps keep you warm but may also protect against weight gain and metabolic issues like diabetes.
Now, an international team of researchers led by Professor Alexander Bartelt from the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK) has uncovered a key mechanism that boosts the activity of these fat-burning cells. Their exciting findings, published in The EMBO Journal, could open the door to new ways of using brown fat to fight obesity and related diseases.
Cold-Driven Calorie Burning
Brown fat becomes especially active in the cold. It pulls energy from stored fat to fuel thermogenesis, the body’s natural heat production system. According to Bartelt, people who regularly expose themselves to colder temperatures can “train” their brown fat to become more efficient. These individuals tend to be leaner and less likely to develop cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
What makes brown fat so powerful? It’s packed with mitochondria, tiny energy factories in our cells. These mitochondria help burn fuel, but scientists are still working to understand exactly how this process can be amplified for health benefits.
Protein Switch Unlocks Thermogenesis
One of brown fat’s secret weapons is a molecule called uncoupling protein-1. It helps mitochondria produce heat instead of storing energy as ATP, the body’s standard energy currency. “The high metabolic activity of brown fat cells must also influence the production of ATP,” says Bartelt, “and we hypothesized that this process would be regulated by cold.”
Together with Brazilian colleagues from São Paulo, the researchers identified “inhibitory factor 1,” which ensures that ATP production is maintained instead of thermogenesis. When temperature goes down, the levels of inhibitory factor-1 fall, and thermogenesis can take place. When artificially increased, inhibitory factor 1 disrupts the activation of brown fat in the cold.
Awakening Dormant Heat Cells
These findings were obtained in isolated mitochondria, cultivated cells, and an animal model. “While we have found an important piece of the puzzle for understanding thermogenesis, therapeutic applications are still a long way off,” explains Dr. Henver Brunetta, who conducted the study.
According to the authors, most people use their brown fat too little, and it becomes dormant. The new study results indicate that there are molecular switches that allow mitochondria of brown fat cells to work better.
Bartelt and his colleagues plan to build on this discovery. “Ideally, we’ll find new ways, based on our data, to also restore the fitness of mitochondria in white fat cells, as most people have plenty if not too many of them,” concludes Bartelt.
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