DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 12, 2023--

Unborn babies are in a perpetual nutritional tug-of-war with their mothers due to a “greedy” gene inherited from their fathers, a new study suggests. Scientists from the University of Cambridge have found that foetuses use the gene to “remote-control” their mother into feeding them extra food and control her metabolism. While the mother’s body wants the baby to survive, it needs to keep enough glucose and fats circulating in her system for her own health in order to be able to deliver the child, breastfeed, and reproduce again. Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri, professor in Foetal and Placental Physiology, a Fellow of St John’s College and co-senior author of the paper, said: “It’s the first direct evidence that a gene inherited from the father is signalling to the mother to divert nutrients to the foetus.” Dr Miguel Constancia, MRC investigator based at the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science and co-senior author of the paper, said: “The baby’s remote control system is operated by genes that can be switched on or off depending on whether they are a ‘dad’s’ or ‘mum’s’ gene’, the so-called imprinted genes. “Genes controlled by the father are ‘greedy’ and ‘selfish’ and will tend to manipulate maternal resources for the benefit of the foetuses, so to grow them big and fittest. “Although pregnancy is largely cooperative, there is a big arena for potential conflict between the mother and the baby, with imprinted genes and the placenta thought to play key roles.” The new study looked at how the placenta communicates with the mother through the release of hormones so she can accommodate her baby’s growth. In pregnant mice, scientists selectively altered the signalling cells in the placenta that tell mothers to allocate nutrients to her developing foetuses. The baby’s genes controlled by the father tend to promote foetal growth and those controlled by the mother tend to limit foetal growth, experts say. Professor Sferruzzi-Perri explained: “Those genes from the mother that limit foetal growth are thought to be a mother’s way of ensuring her survival, so she doesn’t have a baby that takes all the nutrients and is too big and challenging to birth. “The mother also has a chance of having subsequent pregnancies potentially with different males in the future to pass on her genes more widely.” In the study researchers deleted the expression of an important gene called Igf2, which provides instructions for making a protein called “Insulin Like Growth Factor Two”. Similar to the hormone insulin, which is responsible for making glucose and controlling its levels in our circulation, the gene promotes foetal growth and plays a key part in the development of tissues including the placenta, liver, and brain. Dr Jorge Lopez-Tello, a lead author of the study based at Cambridge’s department of physiology, development and neuroscience, said: “If the function of Igf2 from the father is switched off in signalling cells, the mother doesn’t make enough amounts of glucose and lipids – fats – available in her circulation. “These nutrients, therefore, reach the foetus in insufficient amounts and the foetus doesn’t grow properly.” The scientists found that deleting the gene also affects production of other hormones that modulate the way the mother’s pancreas produces insulin, and how her liver and other metabolic organs respond. Babies with Igf2 gene defects can be overgrown or growth-stunted. And the researchers say that until now, it was not known that part of the gene’s role is to regulate signalling to the mother to allocate nutrients to the unborn child. The mice studied were smaller at birth and their offspring showed early signs of diabetes and obesity in later life. Professor Sferruzzi-Perri said: “Our research highlights how important the controlled allocation of nutrients to the foetus is for the lifelong health of the offspring, and the direct role the placenta plays. “The placenta is an amazing organ. At the end of pregnancy, the placenta is delivered by the mother, but the memories of how the placenta was functioning leaves a lasting legacy on the way those foetal organs have developed and then how they’re going to function through life.” The findings are published in the Cell Metabolism journal. Reporting by PA Read More It took until my thirties to realise I might not be white Carrie Johnson announces birth of third child with Boris Johnson: ‘Guess which name my husband chose’ How many children does Boris Johnson have? The meaning behind the name of Carrie and Boris Johnson’s third child Emilia Clarke’s brain haemorrhage ‘profoundly changed our lives’, says star’s mother How many children does Boris Johnson have?

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It appears that Travis Kelce is supporting Taylor Swift’s upcoming 1989 album re-release with a very fitting outfit. The Kansas City Chiefs star was seen leaving with the Grammy-winning musician on Sunday 24 September, after Swift was spotted cheering for Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Following the game, which saw the Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears 41-10, the rumoured couple were filmed leaving Arrowhead Stadium together by sports anchor Jarred Payton. In the clip, which has been viewed more than 12m times, Kelce is spotted wearing a blue and white splatter paint denim suit by the brand KidSuper Studios. However, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the name for the denim suit seemed to pay homage to Swift’s forthcoming album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which is due for re-release on 27 October. “Travis Kelce wore a ‘1989 Bedroom Painting’ matching set piece tonight leaving Arrowhead Stadium with Taylor Swift, very timely for #1989TaylorsVersion,” wrote one fan on X, formerly known as Twitter. The cream denim suit jacket, which retails for $295, and the matching denim pants, which cost $285, appeared to be labelled on the KidSuper website as “1989 Bedroom Painting Denim Jacket” and “1989 Bedroom Painting Denim Pants”. The Brooklyn-based menswear label seemed to have made the change from “Bedroom Painting” to “1989 Bedroom Painting” after the NFL star was spotted with the 1989 musician at Sunday’s game. On X, the brand wrote: “Look at the name change haha”. The rumoured couple were then seen leaving the stadium in Kelce’s convertible in photos and videos posted on social media. What’s more, fans couldn’t help but notice that Kelce, much like Swift, was also born in 1989. Throughout the game, the “Shake It Off” singer was often seen enthusiastically cheering on the tight end in the Arrowhead Stadium box seats. Swift sat next to Kelce’s mother, Donna, as she appeared to yell “let’s f***ing go” in response to Kelce’s third-quarter touchdown reception. Her appearance at the NFL game comes amidst much speculation that Swift and Kelce are dating. Romance rumours first circulated when the NFL star admitted that he tried to give the “Bad Blood” singer his number at a recent Eras Tour concert. Kelce’s brother, fellow football star Jason Kelce, later fueled speculation when he claimed that rumours the pair are dating are “100 per cent true”. While Kelce encouraged fans to stop asking his “brother about [his] dating life,” he did reveal that he reached out to Swift and asked if she’d want to attend one of his football games. “I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court,” Kelce said on the The Pat McAfee Show last week. “I told her, you know, I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead [Stadium], you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit. So, we’ll see what happens in the near future.” Most recently, Swift was linked to The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Prior to their short-lived romance, which came to an end in June, she and British actor Joe Alwyn called it quits after six years of dating. Meanwhile, Kelce was previously in an on-again, off-again relationship with ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole for five years. The former couple reportedly ended their long-term relationship in 2022. Read More Witness claims Taylor Swift paid for entire restaurant to eat and leave for her and Travis Kelce Taylor Swift fans giddy as pop star cheers on ‘new boyfriend’ Travis Kelce at Kansas City game Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce seen together for first time leaving NFL game Witness claims Taylor Swift bought out restaurant for her and Travis Kelce Taylor Swift spotted alongside Kansas City star’s mother amid dating rumours Taylor Swift fans giddy as pop star spotted enthusiastically cheering on Travis Kelce

A Texas judge issued an order late Friday temporarily barring the state from enforcing its ban on abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy in cases where a patient's life or health could be endangered by an "emergent medical condition."

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Software company Adobe unveiled a new futuristic “digital dress” that lets wearers change patterns on its surface on the fly with the click of a button. The dress, created under Adobe’s “Project Primrose”, is made of sequins which are “reflective light-diffuser modules” built using liquid crystals such as those in smart lighting. Researchers say the sequins are basically tiny screens built using smart materials. The dress was unveiled for the first time for the audience at Adobe’s MAX conference last week with the software company describing it as bringing “fabric to life”. Video from the conference showed Adobe researcher Christine Dierk wearing the strapless outfit, which appeared like an average cocktail dress on first impression, but the patterns on it begin to shift immediately with the touch of a remote button. “Unlike traditional clothing, which is static, Primrose allows me to refresh my look in a moment,” the Adobe scientist said while demonstrating that its colors can go from light to dark in a moment. The researcher-turned-model also showed that the dress not only had static changes, but also animated designs with patterns fading in and out. Ms Dierk, who not only designed the dress but also stitched it herself, demonstrated that the outfit will even respond to movement. Researchers say the dress is built using “reflective-backed polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)” a material commonly used in smart windows. “This low-power non-emissive material can be cut to any shape, and dynamically diffuses light,” scientists wrote in a study presented at a tech conference last year, but it remains unclear how heavy the dress can actually get. “Designers can layer this technology into clothing, furniture, and other surfaces to unlock infinite style possibilities – such as the ability to download and wear the latest design from a favorite designer,” Adobe noted. They said the high-tech sequins are also used for smaller products part of Project Primrose including a handbag and a canvas. “We hope this work inspires future designers of flexible displays,” scientists said. Read More Photo giant Getty took a leading AI image-maker to court. Now it's also embracing the technology John Warnock, who helped invent the PDF and co-founded Adobe Systems, dies at age 82 In closed forum, tech titans to give senators advice on artificial intelligence Tell us if you think price is the biggest problem with electric cars Sadiq Khan, Met Commissioner to ask phone companies to ‘design out’ theft TikTok details plans for Israel-Hamas war posts

Toto Wolff believes Mercedes’ car should perform better this weekend in Austria than two weeks ago in Canada. The Silver Arrows switched their car philosophy a month ago, bringing in a host of upgrades for the Monaco Grand Prix. The true impact of the revamped car has been seen in the last two races – in Barcelona and Montreal – with improved performance, recording back-to-back podiums including a double podium in Spain. Yet both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell remain short of pace to challenge Red Bull’s Max Verstappen out in front. The Dutchman has a 69-point lead to team-mate Sergio Perez in the Driver Standings, while Red Bull are 154 points clear of Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship. "There were plenty of positives to take from the last race in Canada," Mercedes boss Wolff said, ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. "Although we didn’t get both cars to the chequered flag, a podium was a solid result and we saw encouraging signs from our updated package. "It’s a short lap in Spielberg and looks straightforward on paper; several long straights broken up by a range of slow, medium-speed and fast corners. But it’s a challenging one to put together and get right. "We will aim to build on the momentum we have generated over the past two races and continue our positive trajectory with the car. "It’s a venue where the W14 should perform better than in Canada, but we won’t take anything for granted. As always, we will be working hard to maximise our performance and deliver strong results." This weekend’s action at the Red Bull Ring sees the second sprint race of the season, with qualifying for the grand prix taking place on Friday before ‘sprint day’ on Saturday. Read More F1 team bid confirmed for 2026 season after major investment

By Brendan Pierson A U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone,