Day-O

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today: Researchers announce huge breakthrough in pancreatic cancer research; Consumers are taking a closer look at protein; and how one late rock star is helping a good cause! 

But first our weekly poll!

New consumer data reveals protein content has become the number one factor people look for when doing their grocery shopping.

Two thirds are continuing to increase their protein intake, according to ingredients provider ADM, and as shoppers dive deeper, they’re also beginning to distinguish between protein types.

“We still see a lot of requests on our side in customer meetings about hitting a protein number and getting a certain amount,” said John Powers, marketing director at ADM. “Now they are looking at [amino acid content] more, but right now I would still say the main driver is the quantity.”

ADM says “flexitarians” are the fastest growing base of protein hunters, meaning they’ll eat various kinds, but they’re actively looking to eat more plant-based and less animal-based.

Soy protein reportedly has the highest protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) and is easier to use when flavouring a food or beverage. It’s also cheaper than dairy-based protein.

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic used AI to develop a model capable of detecting signs of pancreatic cancer years before clinical diagnosis, and early enough to potentially cure it.

The AI system called the Radiomics-based Early Detection Model (REDMOD) looked at 2,000 abdominal CT scans, and analyzed them similarly to how a clinician would. The dataset contained scans of people who would go on to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

REDMOD correctly identified 73% of those scans at a median range of 16 months prior to when the patients were diagnosed—almost twice as long before specialists in the field were able to when conducting the same analyses.

When analyzing scans that were taken two or more years before the patient was diagnosed, REDMOD detected signs of pancreatic cancer almost three times earlier than the specialists.

"The greatest barrier to saving lives from pancreatic cancer has been our inability to see the disease when it is still curable," says Ajit Goenka, M.D., the study's senior author, and a Mayo Clinic radiologist and nuclear medicine specialist.

"This AI can now identify the signature of cancer from a normal-appearing pancreas, and it can do so reliably over time and across diverse clinical settings." 

In 1837, Henry Beresford—the 3rd Marquess of Waterford—had supposedly spent the day at the track getting loaded up on whiskey with his aristocratic buddies.

Most males in their 20s tend to get up to no good when they’re drinking together in public, so why should Beresford and his lads have been any different?

They were different, though, in that they were supposedly the first group of idiots to—legend has it, literally—paint the town red, soaking the walls of buildings with gallons of red paint.

Like most legendary lore, this story is probably not true, but its acceptance is widespread enough that the origin story even has its own Wikipedia page.

Still, there’s little hard evidence to suggest the Marquess of Waterford was responsible for the phrase, particularly given it didn’t even appear in print until nearly 50 years later.

“They charge me with the slaughter of 200 young girls, but it should be known that monarchs in this country are never looked up to if they don’t occasionally paint the town red,” the Breckenridge Bulletin published on Nov. 24, 1881.

Though its other early uses used the phrase interchangeably with “getting really drunk,” these days it doesn’t necessarily have to involve alcohol.

One thing it does require, though, is that whoever uses it must be on the verge of having such a good time that it would surely fill the old Marquess with pride.

For over 30 years, Ozzy wore Czech & Speake No. 88, a cologne the brand describes as having "a fresh, woody top note of reviving bergamot, the richness and warmth of geranium, rose otto, cassie and exotic frangipani, combined with dry base notes of vetiver and sandalwood."

The company announced a limited release of the cologne the other day to help raise money for Cure Parkinson’s, with €50 of each €250 sale going to the charity.

Unsurprisingly the cologne sold out almost immediately, but there could be more opportunities down the line for those who wish to smell like the Prince of Darkness (not including the remains of a headless bat).

What likely won’t be offered again is the special message each limited release bottle came with during the Czech & Speake promotion, straight from the desk of Sharon Osbourne.

“I don't know exactly how long Ozzy wore No. 88 but I'm sure it was at least 30 years. I remember discovering it like it was yesterday...” her message read.

“I went into the shop at Jermyn Street because I was looking for bathroom accessories. I piled up some samples to take home to Ozzy and I'll never forget that as soon as he smelled it, he said to me, ‘I'd like to smell like this for the rest of my life!’

What’s it gonna be? 🤔

It’s Friday and you know what that means! Time for trivia à la carte. It’s a little of this, a little of that, and a whole lotta fun.