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Washington State University scientists have identified a way to interfere with a key viral protein, stopping viruses from entering cells where they can trigger disease. The finding points to a potential new direction for antiviral therapies in the future. The study, published in the journal Nanoscale, focused on uncovering and…
Previous studies have indicated that eating large amounts of ultra-processed foods[1] is linked with a higher likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases. Other research[2] has found that diets centered on plant-based foods can lower this risk when those foods offer balanced nutrition and are consumed in appropriate proportions. To explore how…
Your birth certificate may show 65, but your brain might be functioning as if it were ten years younger — or older — depending on the experiences and habits that shape your daily life. A team at the University of Florida reports that optimism, regular high-quality sleep, strong social ties…
Natural killer (NK) cells act as key defenders within the immune system. They help control infections by targeting invading microbes, foreign materials, and damaged or infected cells early on, which limits their ability to spread. NK cells travel through the bloodstream (circulatory) or remain in specific tissues and organs. When…
The first exoplanet ever confirmed in 1995 turned out to be what researchers now describe as a “hot Jupiter,” a giant world similar in mass to Jupiter but orbiting its star in only a few days. Scientists now think these planets originally formed far from their host stars, similar to…
Researchers at Linköping and Lund universities in Sweden have demonstrated that visible light can be used to form electrodes from conductive plastics without the need for dangerous chemicals. Their results show that these electrodes can be produced on a wide variety of surfaces, creating opportunities for new types of electronics…
In the future, medications derived from cannabis may play a role in treating ovarian cancer. A research team examining two natural compounds found in cannabis discovered that both produced notable anti-cancer activity when tested on ovarian cancer cells. Although significant work is still needed before any patient-ready drug can be…
Back pain affects many people, yet a surprising number of misunderstandings continue to circulate. Meghan Murphy, M.D., a neurosurgeon at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, reviews eight common beliefs and explains what research and clinical experience actually show. Myth: Lifting heavy objects is the main cause of back…
SereNeuro Therapeutics, a preclinical biotechnology company focused on non-opioid pain treatments, reported new findings on December 12 that describe a different way to manage chronic pain while helping protect joint tissue. The update centers on SN101, a first-in-class therapy created from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). SN101 is made from…
Indoor tanning drastically increases melanoma risk, and scientists have now mapped the sweeping DNA damage tanning beds inflict across nearly the entire skin surface — damage far beyond what sunlight causes. Researchers examined thousands of medical records to compare melanoma rates in people who used tanning beds and those who…
Some plants lack both green pigments and sexual reproduction, yet these unusual traits reveal important insights into what defines plant life. A new study involving Kobe University examined species in the genus Balanophora to understand how non-green, asexual plants develop and survive. “My long-standing aim is to rethink what it…
For many people living with long COVID, ongoing issues such as breathlessness, fatigue and brain fog remain difficult to explain. A team of prominent microbiologists now believes they may have uncovered an important clue. Their view is that, for some individuals, long COVID symptoms could stem from additional infections that…
A research project supported by FAPESP and carried out at Harvard University in the United States has identified a set of metabolites that move from the intestine to the liver and then on to the heart, which distributes them throughout the body. These circulating compounds appear to influence how metabolic…
A new study in Communications Earth & Environment reports that a series of major droughts, each extending beyond 85 years, likely played a central role in the eventual decline of the Indus Valley Civilization. This interpretation offers fresh insight into why this influential ancient society, a contemporary of ancient Egypt…
Male bonobos are able to interpret female fertility signals that do not reliably reflect ovulation. This ability lets them direct their mating attempts toward the moments when conception is most likely, according to research led by Heungjin Ryu at Kyoto University, Japan. The work was published December 9th in the…
One potential strategy for treating a wide range of illnesses involves targeting senescent cells. These cells — also known as “zombie cells” — stop multiplying but fail to clear themselves from the body as healthy cells normally do. They appear in many conditions, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and throughout the…
Forskolin, a plant-derived compound, may offer a meaningful improvement in therapies for a highly aggressive leukemia known as KMT2A-rearranged Acute Myeloid Leukemia (KMT2A-r AML). Researchers at the University of Surrey report that this natural molecule could play a valuable role in enhancing patient outcomes. According to findings published in the…
Researchers have used a deep learning artificial intelligence model to identify what they describe as the first biomarker of chronic stress that can be directly seen on standard medical images. The findings are being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Chronic…
When gas falls onto a compact object, such as a neutron star or black hole, due to its strong gravity (a process called accretion), it emits electromagnetic waves. High-sensitivity observations have discovered objects with extremely high X-ray luminosities. One possible explanation for the ultraluminosity is that an extraordinary amount of…
Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found the clearest sign so far that a rocky planet beyond our solar system is wrapped in an atmosphere. Their observations of the ultra-hot super-Earth TOI-561 b indicate that this exoplanet is likely enveloped in a thick layer of gases sitting above…
A research team from the Faculty of Physics and the Centre for Quantum Optical Technologies at the Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw has introduced a new way to measure hard-to-detect terahertz signals using a “quantum antenna.” In their work, the scientists applied an innovative radio wave detection setup…
Physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a new window insulation material that could significantly improve how buildings manage heat around the world. Their creation functions somewhat like a high-tech form of Bubble Wrap, but it is designed for energy performance rather than packaging. The material is called…
A recent investigation from Flinders University sheds new light on how two widely consumed drinks, coffee and tea, could play a role in bone health for women later in life. The study, published in the journal Nutrients, monitored nearly 10,000 women aged 65 and older for ten years to examine…
A previously unknown species of native bushland marsupial, closely related to the kangaroo, has been identified through new research. Scientists report that this animal was already likely extinct by the time its remains were studied. By analyzing fossils recovered from caves across the Nullarbor and southwest Australia, researchers from Curtin…
In a recent Genomic Press Interview published in Brain Medicine, Dr. Eric J. Nestler reflects on how an early fascination with brain chemistry helped shape a worldwide transformation in psychiatric research. As the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, he describes nearly…
GLP-1 medications, commonly used for type 2 diabetes, were linked to a possible reduction in epilepsy risk, offering an encouraging early signal for researchers. Participants who used GLP-1 drugs were 16 percent less likely to develop epilepsy compared with those who took DPP-4 inhibitors. Among the GLP-1 options studied, semaglutide…
Children who returned to in-person school during the COVID-19 pandemic were much less likely to receive mental health diagnoses than children whose schools stayed closed. Reductions were seen in anxiety, depression, and ADHD, and girls experienced the greatest improvements. Mental health care spending fell notably after schools reopened, reaching an…
Madagascar is widely recognized for its extraordinary variety of chameleons. More than 40% of all species known worldwide live on this island off the East African coast. Among them is the so called Pinocchio chameleon, a reptile described for nearly 150 years. This animal is part of the Calumma gallus…
With support from artificial intelligence, an international group of scientists has taken an important early step toward creating more effective defenses against the monkeypox virus (MPXV). This virus can cause intense pain and, in severe cases, death, with the greatest risk to children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune…
Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) is an uncommon but very serious inherited condition. Symptoms usually appear in childhood or early adolescence, often between ages 5 and 15, and many affected individuals live only into their 30s or 40s. There is currently no broadly approved therapy that slows or alters the disease itself,…
