Many of us love starchy foods like bread and pasta. And there’s a reason for that: Our genes enable us to easily break down these delicious carbs. According to new research, we have possessed this ...

The prevalence of microplastics and nanoplastics in the human body is an increasing concern. Studies revealed that human brain tissues contain seven to 30 times more particles than other organs, such ...

Researchers uncover the surprisingly complex evolutionary history of the salivary protein amylase. Historically, the similarity between AMY1 copies has made this stretch of the genome difficult to map ...

Explains the process of digestion, detailing how food is transformed into simpler substances that can be absorbed into the blood. It begins in the mouth with mastication and saliva mixing, followed by ...

Cellulose is the primary component of the cell walls of plants, making it the most common polymer on Earth. It's responsible for the properties of materials like wood and cotton and is the primary ...

The region of the human genome that harbours genes encoding amylase enzymes, which are crucial for starch digestion, shows extensive structural diversity. Amylase genes have been duplicated and ...

Humans lack the digestive enzymes and specialized anatomy to break down cellulose, the main component of grass, unlike herbivores. Early human ancestors consumed plant material, but their digestive ...