Good Morning! 🌞 

Here’s a quick fact to start your day: If Earth were an apple, our atmosphere would be as thin as its skin! 🍎 

Innovation

3D Printed Food

Scientists at UWE Bristol have developed 3D-printed food specifically for individuals with swallowing difficulties. This extrusion-based printer produces meals that are easy to chew, swallow, and digest.

The meals, designed in collaboration with clinical nutritionists, are nutrient-rich and suitable for people with dysphagia. To combat the blandness of traditional pureed foods, the team used pureed garden peas, strained Greek yogurt, olive oil, mint powder, and vegetable stock. Researchers experimented with food-grade thickeners and gelling agents to achieve the right texture and viscosity. Dr. Alexandros Stratakos, an Associate Professor at UWE, noted that their 3D-printed food minimizes the risk of food particles getting stuck in the throat or esophagus. Unlike previous studies focusing on single-ingredient meals, this product combines multiple ingredients for better nutrition and taste. Dysphagia affects up to 16% of the UK population, especially older adults and those with conditions like stroke or dementia. To produce the food, ingredients are loaded into cartridges and extruded through nozzles, forming layered three-dimensional meals. A survey of dysphagia patients and caregivers showed strong support for these 3D-printed meals, with many expressing a willingness to purchase them if available commercially.

The team seeks funding for a clinical trial and envisions introducing 3D food printers in care homes and hospitals. Dr. Clare Jonas from the Stroke Association highlighted the importance of safe, palatable meals for stroke survivors, as swallowing difficulties can lead to choking and infections. This project involved collaboration among researchers from the UK, Greece, and Serbia, including the University of the Peloponnese and the University of Novi Sad.

Business

$4.99 Cheese Kit to Award-Winning Creamery

Matthew Lloyd, a father of five from Shropshire, England, turned a $4.99 cheese-making kit he received as a Christmas gift into an award-winning artisan creamery operating from his garage. His cheese-making journey began five Christmases ago when his sister-in-law gifted him a kit that included a cloth, thermometer, and rennet tablet for making a single batch of cheese.

Enjoying the process, Lloyd, a construction consultant, started experimenting with various types and flavors, ultimately establishing The Rennet Works. He entered the 2023 Cheese and Dairy Awards, winning accolades for Best Soft Cheese With Flavorings in Great Britain and the Best International Novice Award among 5,500 global entries. After seven months of converting his garage into a cheese factory with stainless steel workstations and a homemade cheese press, he began supplying a local deli and two high-end cheese shops with his handmade products.
His offerings include Hallouminati, a halloumi-style cheese made without machines, and Templar, a washed-curd alpine cheese featuring a Templar cross on the rind. Despite the challenges of running a young business, Lloyd is dedicated to meeting demand and enhancing his skills through a sustainability course.

Environment

Bulls Headed to the Highlands

A UK rewilding charity is set to reintroduce the first herd of tauros—a modern descendant of the extinct aurochs—to the British Isles, aiming to restore a key ecological role. The aurochs, the wild ancestor of all domestic cattle, once played a vital part in maintaining Eurasian ecosystems. Before being domesticated into various breeds, like the Hindu cow or Scotland’s Highland bull, these animals helped promote biodiversity. The Tauros Program, launched in 2008 in the Netherlands, selectively breeds cattle with the highest percentage of aurochs DNA, recreating an animal that closely resembles the original species. Unlike genetic modification projects such as reviving the woolly mammoth, this program focuses on traditional breeding techniques, using ancient cattle breeds to gradually reintroduce a species similar to the aurochs. The result is the tauros—an imposing animal standing six feet tall, with a black coat and 32-inch horns.

Soon, a tauros herd will be introduced to Dundreggan Estate in Scotland, the first wild bovines in the region since the 17th century. Their grazing is expected to enhance biodiversity, reshape landscapes, and boost ecotourism. Tauros contribute to ecosystem health by creating habitats for birds, improving soil quality with their dung, and fostering wildlife. Steve Micklewright, CEO of Trees for Life, the charity leading the project, emphasized that the initiative aims to restore landscapes that benefit both nature and people, while preparing for future environmental challenges. Although Scotland’s Highland bull wasn't used due to its low aurochs DNA, the Tauros Program continues in several European countries, with each using local breeds best suited to their environment. As 2027 nears, marking 400 years since wild bovines roamed Europe, the return of the tauros could make this the last anniversary of their absence.

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Mind Stretchers

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I row with four paddles but never leave home.

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers

All triangles “move” slightly counter-clockwise and outside. A good solving tip would be to try and disassemble the complete figure to its elements (triangles) and to focus each time on one of the elements.

The answer is the 5th pattern from the left! Gerry Moore got the correct answer first! 🌞 

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected] or reply to the email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.