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Smart mouth guards not so smart?

In 2024, World Rugby made using instrumented mouth guards mandatory for elite-level competition. And for good reason.

A recent review of studies measuring concussion incidence between 2014 and 2025 in the Rugby Union concludes that 9.74 concussions occur per 1,000 player hours. And repetitive head injury has been shown to lead to eventual cognitive complications.

Basically, more serious bonks on the head means players are more likely to suffer later in life.

But do these mouth guards work?

They do, but a new study from University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka in New Zealand reveals they don’t work effectively for everyone.

“The problem is that almost every commercial system uses a one-size-fits-all approach, assuming every player has the same head as a 50th-percentile adult male, whether they’re a 10-year-old girl or a 130kg premier men’s player,” says Melanie Bussey of Otago’s School of Physical Education Sport and Exercise Sciences.

CAPTION: Rugby scrum IMAGE: Shutterstock

She calls for the sports-tech industry and researchers to account for people of different sex, age and size when designing and collating statistics on the impact of such preventative wearables.

When testing a more inclusive head model for females, the injury risk score changed by nearly 54 percent. Other testing models were adapted for weight and showed significant differences. These results also impact on the indicators of whether individuals were high-risk, which is a highly notable preventative measure.

Bussey, lead author on the paper, says this is a simple fix.

“If we want smart mouth guards to improve safety across the whole game, then the modeling behind them needs to be inclusive. Accurate monitoring is not just about better technology. It is about making sure that technology works for everyone.”

More like this: Putting the pressure on injury prevention

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Hotter nights, more danger

When we think of long summer heatwaves, we typically think about daytime highs. But new research from Khalifa University says the nighttime is equally to blame.

Research analyzing data from 491 weather stations from 2005 to 2025 concludes that the frequency of heatwaves is increasing and nights are remaining hotter for longer, particularly along the coasts of the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea.

CAPTION: Makkah, Saudi Arabia, 15 June 2024: Many Hajj pilgrims are walking on the Arafat field. Mount Arafat (Jabal Arafat, Mountain of Mercy’) is a forgiveness hill. IMAGE: Shutterstock

“Compound heatwaves,” in which both days and nights stay exceedingly hot for days in a row, are dangerous because the human body can’t cool and recover through the night.

The humidity of the coasts factor in largely because humid air traps heat close to the ground. This results in stifling, muggy nights with almost no relief.

The team’s paper, published in Atmospheric Research, was based on the June 2024 lethal heatwave that occurred during the Hajj pilgrimage that exceeded 50 degrees Celsius in certain areas. This resulted in thousands of heat-related illnesses and over 1,300 fatalities.

The four AI weather-forecasting systems tested were able to predict the heatwave but failed to recognize the temperature severity, especially at longer forecast ranges.

While the research concludes that AI forecasting is becoming a useful tool for heat warnings, gaps exist relating to nighttime heat and coastal humidity as Middle Eastern heatwaves increase in intensity.

More like this: The immensity of intensity

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KU researchers on the global stage

Two Khalifa University mathematics researchers who recently published a study on the reliability of models for financial markets have been tapped to contribute to two of the world’s leading statistical societies.

Emilio Porcu, a theoretical statistician and data scientist, and Marcos López de Prado, professor of practice and the global head of Quantitative Research and Development at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, recently contributed to a high-level panel discussion on “Regression for Compositional Data in the Era of Data Science” for the Royal Statistical Society in London.

The topic is timely, as compositional data are increasingly central in modern applications involving complex, constrained and high-dimensional datasets.

Porcu and López de Prado have also been invited to review “Random Patterns and Structures in Spatial Data” by Radu S. Stoica for the American Statistical Association. The review should be published by the end of July.

More like this: Is Wallstreet misusing its favorite risk metric?

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Mold matters

Plant-based diets and grocery products have taken the world by storm the past few years, but a recent study indicates that there’s more to your veggie burger than just plants.

The UK study published in Food Control concluded that of the 212 plant-based products tested, all of them contained at least one mycotoxin — a toxic compound naturally produced by molds. The tests included a wide range of products including dairy-free milks and alternative meats made with soy, oat and nuts.

Most of the toxin levels were within the UK limits, but many of the products tested contained more than one toxin, the highest levels found in plant-based meat substitutes. Oat-based drinks also contained higher levels of certain grain-related toxins.

The researchers say there’s no reason to panic as mycotoxins are found in many common food products like coffee and spices, but as the plant-based food industry grows, it does highlight the need for manufacturers and regulators to pay closer attention to testing and food safety.

More like this: Transparen sea

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Nature’s fix for a leaky gut

If you’ve ever tried to get backstage at a concert, you’ve encountered a gatekeeper.

What you might not know is that your gut lining is also a gatekeeper — it exists to let the things pass through that it should and block those that shouldn’t.

Your lower intestine is lined with over 4,000 square feet of surface area designed to allow nutrients into the bloodstream and keep partially digested food, toxins and bacteria out.

Sometimes, however, that lining develops weaknesses and escapees are given free rein on the body. This condition is known as leaky gut syndrome, and it can cause a lot of discomfort.

Though not widely studied yet, Harvard Health Publishing says some common conditions, like arthritis, allergies, asthma, obesity and mental illness, are thought to be associated with leaky gut.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, this condition can be caused as a result of diet, stress or medications, and it often coincides with others like celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

But fear not, there may be a way to heal your leaky gut.

IMAGE: Shutterstock

And, as in most cases, the mitigating healer is natural and something many of us consume daily.

“A naturally occurring compound (phytic acid or InsP6) found in beans, grains and legumes may help the gut maintain its protective barrier at the epigenetic level,” according to research published in Nature Communications.

The discovery of this plant molecule isn’t new, but its ability to potentially protect and maintain the gut lining is.

The gut-managing molecule HDAC3 determines which genes get switched on or off inside of the cell, especially those involved in gut stability. It fails to properly do its job when its helper enzyme, IPMK, is absent. When removed, HDAC3 reduced activity by 90 percent.

The culprits were a group of genes called MMPs that can chew through tissue when left unchecked, causing leaks in the gut.

“When this molecular pathway broke down, the gut barrier became significantly leakier,” the research says.

CAPTION: Healthy gut diet IMAGE: Shutterstock

The paper also says that when InsP6 is reintroduced into subject mice, HDAC3 bounced back and the gut barrier improved.

While the study was performed on mice and has yet to be tested on humans, it’s another reminder that the foods we eat are doing far more than simply providing calories: Diets rich in phytic acid or future therapies based on it could someday help support gut-barrier health.

More like this: Global gut woes