science study

Does cutting onions make you cry? Well I have good news for you! A team of agricultural scientists from Japan and New Zealand has created a tear-free onion. Through genetical engineering, not only did they turn off the gene that induces the tears in humans, but they created a more flavorful onion too.

Spearheading the study is Dr. Colin Eady, a professor at the University of Wisconsin. He states:

By shutting down the lachrymatory factor synthase gene, we have stopped valuable sulphur compounds being converted to the tearing agent, and instead made them available for redirection into compounds, some of which are known for their flavour and health properties.

The scientists are hoping the tear free onions will become a kitchen staple across the globe. Of course, this will take time; the onions aren't expected to hit the market for another ten years or so. Still it's something to look forward to! Are you excited about the development?

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When it comes to washing veggies, most of us rely on good ol' water. Others use vinegar or soap, but are these techniques more effective? The folks at Cook's Illustrated magazine wanted to know and decided to put it all to the test.

In their test, they washed fruit with one of the following solutions:

1. Antibacterial soap (not recommended as food safety experts think soap isn't something you should eat)
2. One part vinegar and three parts water
3. Scrubbing with a brush
4. Plain water

Once they had washed their fruit, they then took a sterile cotton swab and rubbed it on the outside of the fruit. The grime collected on the swabs was then placed into Petri dishes and sat at 80F for several days.

Want to know what their results were? Find out, just read more

If you know anyone who has a fear of new foods — food neophobia — it might not be their attitude, it might actually be their genes.

In a recent study at University College of London, scientists determined that almost 80 percent of children's tendency to dislike unfamiliar foods was inherited. Dr. Lucy J. Cooke stated:

"Parents can be reassured that their child's reluctance to try new foods is not simply the result of poor parental feeding practices, but it is partly in the genes."

The study used twins as subjects in order to separate the effects of genes and environments — identical twins share 100 percent of their genes, fraternal twins share about 50 percent, while both share the same environment.

Once the results were in, they discovered that the identical twins were more likely to share food neophobias than the fraternal twins. Simple translation: identical twins have the same phobias, while fraternal twins have different ones, proving that food neophobias are related to genes.

However, just because it is in someone's genes, doesn't mean they can't overcome it. Research has also shown that the more frequently children are offered a particular food, the more likely they are to enjoy it.

So start offering your little ones brussel sprouts everyday and who knows, they might start liking them eventually.

Source: CNN

I like to keep my kitchen sparkling and often reach for a sponge and some sort of surface cleaner. And although I don't get grossed out easily, the kitchen sponge is something that freaks me out if I think about it too long. All those gross germs hanging around, spreading themselves from surface to surface *shudder* I really can't handle it. However, I know that a sponge is a great kitchen tool - it's a reusable, quick way to wipe down dishes, clean countertops, etc. So what's a gal to do? Do I rinse it under warm soapy water or do I clean it with bleach? What's the best way to keep a sponge in rotation, while keeping the spread of bacteria to a minimum? Well, lucky for us, scientists at the Agricultural Research Service tested several methods for reducing risks in reused sponges. They did this by soaking sponges at room temperature for 48 hours in a ground beef/lab growth mixture, then they went about "cleaning" them. To learn what they discovered, read more