The red pigment prodigiosin could have cosmetic benefits, such as reducing dark spots and lightening a person’s complexion, Tatung University biological engineering professor Will Chen (陳志成) said this week.
About a decade ago, his research team added prodigiosin to fish feed to enhance the red coloring of a tropical species, Chen said.
About three months later, the doctoral candidates in charge of the fish reported that the experiment had failed, because the fish turned bone-white, he said.
Photo provided by Tatung University
The unexpected result triggered a series of new inquires, eventually leading to the discovery that prodogiosin could potentially counter the effect of melanin on skin tissue, which leads to dark spots and tanning, he said.
Prodigiosin is a naturally occurring carotenoid produced by several types of microbes — including the halophiles from which the team extracted the substance, he said, adding that prodigiosin is two to seven times more effective as an anti-oxidant than other carotenoids.
The Dead Sea is rich with salt-eating halophiles that produce prodigiosin, which could explain the reported cosmetic effects of the salt lake’s mud, he said.
Cell tissue research and early clinical trials at Tri-Service General Hospital found that using prodigosin might reverse melanin-induced pigmentation, he said, adding that the university team was working on applying the discovery to cosmetic medicine.
In other news, a new mosquito trap designed by the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) quickly identifies whether a mosquito could spread dengue fever and can determine high-risk locations.
Traditional traps are designed to kill mosquitoes, not to identify their species, but the newly developed “smart multimembrane mosquito trapping device” catches them alive and uses special technology to identify them, NHRI researcher Liao Lun-de (廖倫德) said yesterday.
As soon as a mosquito flies into the trap, the device takes 0.07 seconds to photographically determine with more than 90 percent accuracy whether it is the Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus species, which spread dengue fever and the Zika virus, Liao said.
The data can be transmitted to the NHRI and help in identifying neighborhoods at high risk for dengue fever, Liao added.
With enough data points, an early-warning system could be developed, allowing authorities to take preventive measures, Liao said.
Because the mosquitoes are captured alive, their blood can be tested to identify what they have bitten and whether they are carrying a virus, the researcher said.
It took the NHRI 18 months to design the trap, which combines photoelectric sensing and artificial intelligence technology, Liao said, adding that each device costs NT$2,000 to NT$4,000.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
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