The Know Daily - Monday 27 November 2023

_{Read in 5m 14s ∙ Listening to The Boomtown Rats}

Brazil could reach “historically low levels of deforestation” within the next one to two years, according to the country’s environmental protection agency. Deforestation has fallen since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva became president on 1 January this year - with recordings this summer showing that destruction in the Brazilian Amazon had fallen to its lowest level since 2018.

🧬 Gene discovery 

A gene variant thought to exist in 4% of people could “aid in tackling obesity”, scientists have said. 

Tell me more.
The ZFHX3 gene mutation can affect a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus, which controls “appetite, food intake, hunger and thirst”, said Sky News.

Scientists from Nottingham Trent University and MRC Harwell monitored the food intake of mice with the mutated ZFHX3 gene alongside those who did not. They found that mice with the mutation ate about 12% less and also had lower levels of insulin and leptin, a hormone which helps regulate body weight. 

Why does this matter?
According to the research, reported in the journal FASEB, understanding this mechanism in humans could pave the way for new targeted weight loss therapies.

One of the scientists involved in the study said that the ZFHX3 mutation may help explain why “some people have a smaller appetite”. It is likely one of many different mutations that make people different in their natural ability to stick to a diet in the first place,” said Dr Rebecca Dumbell.

What next?
Researchers have received £100,000 funding from the Academy of Medical Sciences to further explore the role of the gene, reported The Independent. Dr Dumbell said this future work would “narrow down” exactly how the ZFHX3 gene works to change how much the mice eat or how fast their metabolism is.