Pouring oil on troubled waters.
Social media posts have sprouted controversy over seed oils (your canolas, sunflowers, and the like), claiming they are unhealthy and contribute to obesity. Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center who studies the effect of dietary changes on health, says most of these claims are misguided. Among the five things he thinks everyone should know about seed oils: They contain unsaturated fats (some nonseed alternatives, such as butter, lard, and beef tallow, are saturated). And opting for unsaturated fats has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, Gardner says, people who profess to feel better after quitting seed oils are likely noticing the effects of eating a less processed diet. “If you cut out seed oils by avoiding McDonald’s and cake and chips, you’re probably going to feel great,” he said. Placing seed oils at the top of your list of nutrition concerns, however, “is just nuts.”
H-2-Whoa.
There is a hypothesis that a lightning strike in the ocean resulted in some of the first organic molecules (aka life) on Earth. But critics have long argued that the vastness of the sea and infrequency of lightning make it unlikely. Now, a new study has ignited a more probable explanation: microlightning between water droplets. “We usually think of water as so benign, but when it’s divided in the form of little droplets, water is highly reactive,” said Richard Zare, a professor of chemistry and the senior author of the study. His team found that large water droplets often carry a positive charge, while small droplets are often negative. When the researchers sprayed room-temperature water into a mixture of nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia gases (believed to be present on early Earth), they were able to use high-speed cameras to see sparks jump between the oppositely charged droplets. This microlightning resulted in the formation of organic molecules with carbon-nitrogen bonds, which are essential for compounds that make up living things. Zare’s team believes that spray from crashing waves and plunging waterfalls could have had the same effect a few billion years ago, jump-starting life on Earth by catching the proverbial lightning in a bottle—or, rather, in a droplet.
AI in the sky.
Photo: Andrew Brodhead
Recently, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School students landed on the Farm for a course designed by the School of Engineering in partnership with the Department of the Air Force’s Stanford AI Studio. Over two weeks, the students programmed autonomous robots, visited local tech and aircraft companies, and otherwise built foundational skills needed to test and evaluate AI-guided aircraft and satellites.
The future of food.
Food research at Stanford dates back more than a century and crosses departments and disciplines. After all, a tasty snack is a result of everything from water and energy use to economic policy and international relations—and affects our health and communities. Dozens at Stanford are working to understand how each contribution—from the cellular activity involved in digestion to AI that could improve plant-based meat alternatives—fits into the big picture of global food security. According to the United Nations, 2.33 billion people around the world face moderate or severe food insecurity.
In her lab, associate professor of chemical engineering Elizabeth Sattely is working to help develop more resilient crops, but she’s quick to reach beyond her department for ideas. Sattely is leading the Food Futures initiative, which aims to unite cross-disciplinary researchers as they tackle some of the food system’s biggest challenges. “We need folks who think about all the different facets of food systems to come together to find high-impact solutions that are equitable and sustainable,” she told Stanford Report. Vayu Hill-Maini, an assistant professor of bioengineering and a former chef, adds that transforming our food systems isn’t just about sustainability. “It has to be tasty and connect to us as humans from a cultural, sensory, psychological perspective.” Hill-Maini is using fungi and fermentation to design new sustainable foods. “From my viewpoint, food research in academia has been a wasteland of innovation. Stanford, I think, can change that.”
Football coach removed.
Stanford head football coach Troy Taylor was dismissed today, according to a statement from Andrew Luck, ’12, MA ’23, general manager of the university’s football program. The move follows an ESPN report of 2023 and 2024 investigations into his behavior toward colleagues. As a result of the investigations, Taylor received coaching and committed to nurturing a respectful working environment. But after consideration, Luck said it was evident that the program needed a reset. “I no longer believe that Coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program,” he said. A search for a new head coach has begun, and an acting coach may be named for the 2025 season. “Our focus remains on supporting our student-athletes and ensuring they have the best possible experience on the field, in the classroom, and on campus with their peers,” Luck sai
But wait, there’s more.
An alternative to opioids may be on the horizon. By targeting the receptor that binds to THC molecules in cannabis, researchers have created a new compound that relieves multiple types of pain in mice without building tolerance or triggering psychoactive effects.
Liquid biopsies—testing blood or other bodily fluids for traces of cancer DNA, even in localized cancers—are emerging as an alternative to surgical biopsies.
Need a couple of home runs? Watch freshman Rintaro Sasaki connect with the ball and junior Jimmy Nati hit it out of the park during the Card’s recent sweep of the Blue Devils.
The Stanford Digital Education program offers hybrid Stanford courses to students at economically disadvantaged high schools. Since launching in 2021, it has enrolled some 2,400 students at more than 80 schools across the country, with plans to double its course offerings over the next three years.
A 73-year-old patient with prostate cancer who opted to receive two minimally invasive treatments involving ultrasound technology—the first patient at Stanford to undergo both procedures—is now cancer free.
Your spring break reading list is ready. Stanford magazine’s Book Nook includes new fiction by Amy Mason Doan, MA ’98, Tess Gerritsen, ’75, and Charmaine Wilkerson, MA ’83, and a tantalizing title on American power by Edward Fishman, MBA ’19.
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