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Unborn babies are in a perpetual nutritional tug-of-war with their mothers due to a “greedy” gene inherited from their fathers, a new study suggests. Scientists from the University of Cambridge have found that foetuses use the gene to “remote-control” their mother into feeding them extra food and control her metabolism. While the mother’s body wants the baby to survive, it needs to keep enough glucose and fats circulating in her system for her own health in order to be able to deliver the child, breastfeed, and reproduce again. Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri, professor in Foetal and Placental Physiology, a Fellow of St John’s College and co-senior author of the paper, said: “It’s the first direct evidence that a gene inherited from the father is signalling to the mother to divert nutrients to the foetus.” Dr Miguel Constancia, MRC investigator based at the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science and co-senior author of the paper, said: “The baby’s remote control system is operated by genes that can be switched on or off depending on whether they are a ‘dad’s’ or ‘mum’s’ gene’, the so-called imprinted genes. “Genes controlled by the father are ‘greedy’ and ‘selfish’ and will tend to manipulate maternal resources for the benefit of the foetuses, so to grow them big and fittest. “Although pregnancy is largely cooperative, there is a big arena for potential conflict between the mother and the baby, with imprinted genes and the placenta thought to play key roles.” The new study looked at how the placenta communicates with the mother through the release of hormones so she can accommodate her baby’s growth. In pregnant mice, scientists selectively altered the signalling cells in the placenta that tell mothers to allocate nutrients to her developing foetuses. The baby’s genes controlled by the father tend to promote foetal growth and those controlled by the mother tend to limit foetal growth, experts say. Professor Sferruzzi-Perri explained: “Those genes from the mother that limit foetal growth are thought to be a mother’s way of ensuring her survival, so she doesn’t have a baby that takes all the nutrients and is too big and challenging to birth. “The mother also has a chance of having subsequent pregnancies potentially with different males in the future to pass on her genes more widely.” In the study researchers deleted the expression of an important gene called Igf2, which provides instructions for making a protein called “Insulin Like Growth Factor Two”. Similar to the hormone insulin, which is responsible for making glucose and controlling its levels in our circulation, the gene promotes foetal growth and plays a key part in the development of tissues including the placenta, liver, and brain. Dr Jorge Lopez-Tello, a lead author of the study based at Cambridge’s department of physiology, development and neuroscience, said: “If the function of Igf2 from the father is switched off in signalling cells, the mother doesn’t make enough amounts of glucose and lipids – fats – available in her circulation. “These nutrients, therefore, reach the foetus in insufficient amounts and the foetus doesn’t grow properly.” The scientists found that deleting the gene also affects production of other hormones that modulate the way the mother’s pancreas produces insulin, and how her liver and other metabolic organs respond. Babies with Igf2 gene defects can be overgrown or growth-stunted. And the researchers say that until now, it was not known that part of the gene’s role is to regulate signalling to the mother to allocate nutrients to the unborn child. The mice studied were smaller at birth and their offspring showed early signs of diabetes and obesity in later life. Professor Sferruzzi-Perri said: “Our research highlights how important the controlled allocation of nutrients to the foetus is for the lifelong health of the offspring, and the direct role the placenta plays. “The placenta is an amazing organ. At the end of pregnancy, the placenta is delivered by the mother, but the memories of how the placenta was functioning leaves a lasting legacy on the way those foetal organs have developed and then how they’re going to function through life.” The findings are published in the Cell Metabolism journal. Reporting by PA Read More It took until my thirties to realise I might not be white Carrie Johnson announces birth of third child with Boris Johnson: ‘Guess which name my husband chose’ How many children does Boris Johnson have? The meaning behind the name of Carrie and Boris Johnson’s third child Emilia Clarke’s brain haemorrhage ‘profoundly changed our lives’, says star’s mother How many children does Boris Johnson have?

Trian Fund Management, the activist investment fund led by billionaire Nelson Peltz, is losing co-founder Ed Garden as

This cake was a standard on our Sunday coffee table and has a lot of nostalgia for me. It is quick to make, moist and flavourful, and the marble pattern was always fascinating to me as a child,” says former contestant on The Great British Bake Off, Jurgen Krauss. Marble cake Serves: 12-24, depending on tin size. The amounts given are for a loaf tin (950g) or a Bundt tin. For a bigger Bundt tin, double the amounts and bake for 15 minutes longer. Ingredients: For the batter: 125g unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs, separated 180g caster sugar 250g plain flour 8g baking powder 125ml whole milk For the chocolate batter: 10g cocoa powder 15g caster sugar 25ml double cream ¼ tsp ground cloves Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan/gas mark 5. 2. Put the butter in a bowl and, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the balloon whisk, beat the butter until it is light and pale. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks, alternating with the sugar bit by bit, and whisk for another 15 minutes until the butter and sugar mix is very frothy and white. 3. Sift the flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Alternate adding the flour and milk bit by bit to the batter while whisking on a low speed. 4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the butter and flour mixture. 5. For the chocolate batter, take one third of the plain batter and put it into a separate bowl. Fold in the ingredients for the chocolate batter. Put the two batters in a greased 950g Bundt tin or a loaf tin, starting with the vanilla batter, then add a layer of chocolate batter and finish with vanilla batter. Use a fork to create the marble effect by pulling it through the layers of batter with a swirling motion. Bake for about one hour; the cake should start separating from the tin and a skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean. Cover with foil if the top of the cake starts getting too dark. 6. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before attempting to take it out of the tin. 7. This cake keeps very well for up to a week in an airtight container and for the first three days its flavour actually improves. ‘German Baking: Cakes, Tarts, Traybakes And Breads From The Black Forest And Beyond’ by Jurgen Krauss (published by Kyle Books on 31 August, £26). Read More The dish that defines me: Evelin Eros’s rum cake ‘It started with a radish’: Chef Simon Rogan reflects on restaurant L’Enclume at 20 The true story – and murky history – of Portuguese piri piri oil ‘My depression stopped me doing what I loved most in life – cooking’ What Bake Off’s Jurgen Krauss really thinks of his shock elimination How to pull off a traditional German babka chocolate braid

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Camden has long been known as the spiritual home for misfits. Come, all ye oddballs, the streets of Camden scream. All are welcome! Although nowadays it’s a little less punk haven and a little more tourist trap (yes, I’m looking at you, pastas dunked into cheese wheels), there are still pockets of Camden that have retained its unconventional charm. It’s also where punky pair and Israeli chefs Shiri Kraus and Amir Batito have set up shop for both their restaurants, The Black Cow and the newer Epicurus, just minutes away from each other. Like The Black Cow, modeled after the classic American steakhouse but infused with Middle Eastern flavours, Epicurus takes its culinary cue from across the pond. This time, Kraus and Batito decided to focus on the all-American diner and put their Israeli twist on classics like pancakes, wings and ribs. When I ask if this is because American food is a bit of a blank slate, Kraus swiftly corrects me; to her, it’s all about the excitement of infusing the character of American cuisine with Israeli flavours and seeing what’s possible. It’s a pairing that I think is unusual, but to the chefs, makes perfect sense. It’s a warm, balmy day when I make my way to Epicurus to meet my friend, as well as Kraus and Batito. The outdoor space is placed tantalisingly in the late afternoon sun, so we bask in it as our tiny table fills up with more plates than is sensible. The quirky menu features punny dish names like “Chip Chip Hooray”, “Raspoutine”, “Top Dog” and “Sloppy Yossef”, which I find immediately endearing – my love for a good (or even bad) puns knows no bounds. We are instructed to eat as many things as possible with our hands, although Kraus concedes: “You could use a fork, I’ll only judge in silence.” We find delight in the “Oof Gozal” – chicken wings coated in a yellow Amba mango and Scotch bonnet sauce. Despite the use of the fearsome chilli, these wings are barely spicy, favouring the flavour of the Scotch bonnet over the heat. They are incredibly moreish and the fact that your fingers end up being absolutely covered in sauce is only an invitation to get licking. You should also definitely get the “Papi Chulo”, a mix of crunchy deep-fried okra and soft padron peppers covered in spices that come with a lemony-garlicky-chilli aioli for dipping. It’s brilliant for snacking on in the sun. Another honourable mention goes to the Epicurus single decker burger, which is also available as a double. It contains some of the richest, fattiest ingredients I’ve ever seen between buns, like bone marrow aioli and Baron cheese, and it does border on being a bit too unctuous. The Harissa bacon jam helps pull it back a little, but only just. Would I eat it again? Definitely. But I probably would get a salad instead of chips to make myself feel slightly better about ingesting all that fat. I am usually glad when menus don’t have calorie counts – even when they do, I avert my gaze determinedly – and boy, am I really glad there’s no calorie count on this menu. Not everything hits the spot, which I’m hoping Kraus and Batito will be able to tweak until they do. The “Dakdakim”, pancakes stuffed with pulled shawarma chicken, has the trappings of something great, but the addition of both bacon jam and spiced quince make the dish too sickly sweet. Meanwhile, the rack of babyback ribs covered in a deliciously tart-yet-sweet date honey and pomegranate molasses needs a bit more fat on the bones to make it truly delectable – otherwise the mouth-puckering quality of the sauce make the too-lean ribs a bit too dry to really enjoy. But these are small gripes, and ones that I’m happy to forgive if they are improved upon. Is it worth elbowing your way through the thronging crowds of Camden Lock Market to get to Epicurus? I think it will be. Never mind the cheap tat and endless boba tea shops (most of which are simply not very good, there are better places to visit boba tea that isn’t just a sugar bomb) – head to Epicurus for a tasty escape. Epicurus, Unit 90, Camden Stables Market, Greater, London NW1 8AH | www.epicuruscamden.co.uk | 07843 199560 Read More Dorshi, Dorset: Funky Malaysian dumplings are a hit on the south coast National Burger Day 2023: The best burgers in London and where to eat them The best outdoor restaurants, terraces and rooftop bars in London to book now

Prime Big Deal Days — the two-day shopping extravaganza a la Prime Day that features amazing Black Friday-level sales — has been announced for October. But even if you’re not the biggest Bezos fan, you can still shop all the early Prime-inspired deals right now. Companies creating sales to catch that Prime Day-esque momentum is nothing new, and they also have the advantage of not having to be limited to that 48-hour sales window. So if you try to avoid Amazon or are simply trying to cure the shopping frenzy hangover with the hair of the dog, you'll be able to scratch that deal itch across the internet with any one of the ongoing Amazon Prime Big Deal Days alternative sales we've lined up.

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