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Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Does coffee have a secret ingredient to help control diabetes, here comes another spectacular photo from the James Webb telescope, and a majestic creature finds its way home 🦬

Let’s get into it!

Living with Type 2 diabetes is practically a full time job, and researchers are constantly looking for ways to ease that burden for those who have it. A study conducted by researchers at China’s Kunming Institute of Botany last year found there may be compounds in roasted coffee beans that can help.

Published in Beverage Plant Research, the study zeroed in on an enzyme called α-glucosidase, which is known to help break down carbohydrates in the body after eating. Some diabetes medications operate by slowing the work of α-glucosidase, which in turn slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream.

The researchers extracted an oil-like substance from moderately-roasted green Arabica beans and separated the extract into 19 parts to analyze the compounds it’s comprised of. While discovering several compounds previously unknown to exist in coffee, they also discovered three compounds that actively slow the process of α-glucosidase.

In their write-up, the researchers emphasized their findings should not be interpreted as a green light to use coffee as a diabetes treatment. However, they noted the presence of compounds that act so similarly to diabetes medication should drive further research into how coffee can be leveraged for the same purposes.

ChatGPT’s latest model, GPT-5.2, is now citing Elon Musk’s Grokipedia, according to an investigation conducted by The Guardian.

Grokipedia was launched in October to rival Wikipedia, but unlike Wikipedia its articles can’t be edited by volunteer humans. Rather, all of its articles are generated by AI, while allowing for human requests for edits,

The site has likely been the target of “LLM grooming”. That happens when bad actors load the internet with disinformation, seeding large language models. That disinformation is then regurgitated to users who think they’re consulting a trusted source—in this case, Grokipedia.

ChatGPT was found citing articles generated by Grokipedia that spin controversial takes on topics such as Holocaust denial, the Iranian government’s financial relationships, and the riot that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The investigation found ChatGPT doesn’t cite Grokipedia when prompted to directly express disinformation about controversial topics, but will do so more subtly in situations when the user might not be looking for it. That’s not to say either LLM is willfully aiming to be duplicitous, but it does suggest the LLM grooming efforts of bad actors are beginning to yield returns.

Previous images of the Helix Nebula haven’t been taken with telescopes as powerful as James Webb’s NIRcam instrument. While those images resembled the Eye of Sauron, the latest rendering reveals never-before-seen breathtaking details of the white dwarf’s last gasps.

Mr. Webb’s latest work—combined with images captured by the infrared VISTA telescope on Earth—shows the gas actually rising out of the the '“iris” and into the periphery to form molecules comprised of various incarnations of hydrogen.

Gas presents in different colors based on how hot it is, with the blue light making up the hottest gas and the red light making up the cooler gas.

What you’re seeing in the newest renderings of this majestic star death is gas slowly making its way from the remnants of a white dwarf 650 million miles from Earth, escaping into the surrounding area that will become a nursery for rebirth.

“Together,” NASA wrote in an article on the image, “the colors show the star’s final breath transforming into the raw ingredients for new worlds, adding to the wealth of knowledge gained from Webb about the origin of planets.”

Tribal leaders and members of the Santee Sioux cheered, sang, and played the drums in the surrounding area as the American Indian Center welcomed six American bison to the Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve 60 miles outside of Chicago over the weekend.

The three male and three female bison were brought in to grace the Illinois prairie with the species’ presence for the first time in 2 centuries.

“It’s different when you’re welcoming them back home. That’s their home, not mine,” tribal elder Robert Wapahi told CBS News Chicago.

The majestic creatures were first released into a smaller cattle enclosure to help them get used to what was once an area their kind called home. As the temperature rises and spring brings a thaw, the bison will be moved to a larger enclosed area before they’re fully acclimated.

“It’s really important and awesome to see another herd that is hitting the ground in a good way,” one man said at the event, according to CBS.

The Burlington six will eventually be released into the wild forest preserve, where they’re expected to help nurture the native grasslands. Their hooves, giant fur, and manure were all important for preventing singular species from colonizing, and for seeding and maintaining native prairie lands.

Once a species of 35 million, there are now just several thousand American bison left.

Lunar life

We’ve got another outta this world theme for today’s trivia. Buckle up as we take a trip to our nearest cosmic neighbour, with 10 assorted moon tunes!

Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified on Friday afternoon. Keep an eye on your inbox and don’t forget to check your spam folder!*