Author Archives: Wiley Life Sciences Blog

Scent of Romance: Is Consistency of Smell Important for Attracting a Mate?

Posted on by
Reply

Scent is thought to be an important biological cue which helps us find the ideal partner and that’s a belief upon which a billion dollar perfume industry is based. Research in Flavour and Fragrance Journal has tested the importance of consistency in the appeal of scent over time.

cialis for women cialis for women cheap levitra online vardenafil cheap levitra online vardenafil cialis prices cialis prices cialis cost cialis cost levitra levitra viagra viagra viagra viagra levitra online levitra online viagra online viagra online cialis cialis levitra online levitra online alternative to viagra alternative to viagra

Researchers recruited a testing group of sixty-three women from the University of Newcastle, aged between 18 and 32. Six men were enlisted to provide odor, obtained by collecting cotton T-shirts which were provided for sleeping in for two nights, repeatedly over three months. The women were asked to rate the scents on ‘desirability’ and were then asked to judge the attractiveness of the six male faces.

The results show that assessments of relative attractiveness are consistent over time and act as an important cue for interpreting judgments on facial attractiveness. The results are also significant for the perfume industry as they show that when consumers identify a smell they enjoy, they are likely to be loyal to it.

From: Flavour and Fragrance Journal

Access the Paper

Can Broccoli Strengthen Our Defense Against Smoking Damage?

Posted on by
Reply

Italian researchers have found that a diet of broccoli can boost the bodies’ defense against DNA damage caused by smoking. The research, published in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, found that broccoli can increase antioxidant levels which help to counteract the oxidative stress caused by smoking.

Besides causing cancer and other health issues, cigarette smoke contains a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other substances that may cause oxidative damage to DNA. Past studies have shown that broccoli and other brassica vegetables may reduce cancer risks and reduce levels of free radicals.

The team analyzed the intake of broccoli in ten healthy smokers. A single portion (250g) of broccoli was found to improve cell protection against oxidative DNA damage in smokers. Levels of vitamin C in blood plasma were found to increase by 35% while folate increased by 70%.

“These results document the importance of regular consumption of broccoli, and fruits and vegetables in general, to improve our defense system against oxidative stress,” said lead researcher Dr. Patrizia Riso.

From: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

Access the Paper

MicrobiologyOpen Publishes its 100th Article!

Posted on by
Reply

MicrobiologyOpen
MicrobiologyOpen has now published its 100th article! The journal published its first papers in January 2012 and since that time has accepted excellent papers across the broad scope of the journal, covering all aspects of Microbial Science. It was accepted for indexing in MEDLINE within its first year of publication.

The 100th article published in the journal is:

purple_lock_open TusA(YhhP) and IscS are required for molybdenum-cofactor-dependent base-analog detoxification

by Stanislav G. Kozmin, Elena I. Stepchenkova and Roel M. Schaaper

Summary: We show that Escherichia coli mutants deficient in the sulfurtransferase TusA or the cysteine desulfurase IscS are hypersensitive to the toxic effects of the adenine analog 6-N-hydroxylaminopurine (HAP). This sensitivity is similar to and epistatic with the HAP sensitivity of moa mutants, which defective in biosynthesis of the molybdenum cofactor (Moco). Our results suggest that TusA and IscS are critical for the insertion of the dithiolene sulfurs in Moco that coordinate the molybdenum atom.

Visit the journal homepage to see a new landing page celebrating the MicrobiologyOpen100! This highlights the top downloaded and top cited articles from within the first 100 papers, and also shows the geographical spread of the journal’s author base and the subject areas covered by the journal.

Sign up to email alerts to never miss a new article >

Submit your article to MicrobiologyOpen >