Category: Research Discoveries

Researchers were inspired by an existing process before coming up with an ingenious new method

A GROUNDBREAKING cure for baldness has been revealed by boffins – who claim it takes less than three weeks to take effect.

Researchers have created a cutting-edge serum that restores hair growth on mice in just 20 days – and it could soon be available for humans.

In breakthrough experiments, the potion stimulated fat cells in the mice’s skin that regenerated hair follicles.

Experts at National Taiwan University said their unique serum contains naturally derived fatty acids which do not cause skin irritation.

They claimed it may be available in the form of a skincare product for people to buy over the counter in the near future.

Professor Sung–Jan Lin said he used an early version of the one-of-a-kind product on his legs – and claimed his product worked wonders.

The boffin told New Scientist: “I personally applied these fatty acids, dissolved in alcohol, on my thighs for three weeks and I found it promoted hair regrowth.”

Lin’s research team were inspired by a process called hypertrichosis – when excessive hair growth is sparked by irritation or injury to skin surfaces.

Humans have lost dense hair coverage on their bodies, but evidence suggests we have kept this “important regenerative capacity”.

Bearing in mind this fact, scientists from the team induced eczema on shaved mice by applying an irritant called dodecyl sulfate to their backs.

Just 10 to 11 days later, areas of the skin which had serum added to them started to sprout new hair from follicles.

These holes are just a fraction of a millimetre wide.

In contrast, hair did not grow on the areas without the eczema induction.

And control mice which weren’t treated with the solution did not grow hair within the same period.

Researchers say this method works because the irritant causes immune cells to move into the layer of fat beneath a mouse’s skin.

This signals fat cells to release fatty acids that are absorbed by follicle stem cells – triggering hair growth.

The researchers said: “These results demonstrate that skin injury not only induces tissue inflammation but also stimulates hair regeneration.”

Taking this into account, the experts then tried to see what the effect of fatty acids would be without the use of any chemical irritant.

So they created a number of serums made from different fatty acids dissolved in alcohol, such as oleic and palmitoleic acids.

They then discovered that these potions were effective in promoting hair growth.

And crucially – they did not need to use any irritants.

They have patented their groundbreaking solution, and now plan to test its effectiveness on people’s scalps.

“Oleic acids and palmitoleic acids are naturally derived fatty acids,” Lin said.

“They are not only rich in our adipose tissues, but also in many plant oils, so they can be safely used.”

Researchers have already seen promising results when applying the serum to human hair follicles in the lab as well as Lin’s thighs.

They also claim they don’t expect it to have any severe side effects.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tech/15398698/baldness-cure-scientists-grow-hair-on-mice/

Most dog owners don’t think twice about the carbohydrates in their pet’s food. But a study from Finland found that dogs eating high-carb kibble showed markedly different blood chemistry than those eating a carbohydrate-free raw diet after about five months. The differences appeared in markers linked to blood sugar control, cholesterol, and how dogs burn energy.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki tracked 46 Staffordshire Bull Terriers, dividing them between a high-carbohydrate kibble diet and a low-carbohydrate raw meat-based diet. Blood tests revealed distinct metabolic differences between the two groups that raise questions about how modern dog foods align with what dogs evolved to eat.

Dogs on the kibble diet, which contained 48.4% carbohydrates from rice and maize, experienced increases in long-term blood sugar markers, total cholesterol, and body weight. Dogs eating raw meat-based diets with essentially zero carbohydrates showed decreases in blood sugar, cholesterol, and markers linked to insulin sensitivity over the course of the study.

“Considering that dogs originate from carnivorous wolves and do not have a requirement for carbohydrates, it may be questioned whether high-carbohydrate diets are beneficial to their health,” the researchers wrote in their paper, published in The Veterinary Journal.

Dogs Evolved to Eat Meat, Not Grains

Domestication gave dogs extra copies of a gene called AMY2B, which produces an enzyme that helps digest starch. The number of these gene copies varies widely among breeds, similar to variations seen in human populations.

Studies also show dogs naturally prefer fat and protein over carbohydrates when given a choice. Yet the most common commercial dog foods contain significant amounts of starches from grains and potatoes, in part because starch is needed to form kibble during manufacturing and grains tend to cost less than animal proteins.

At the study’s conclusion, kibble-fed dogs had significantly higher levels of blood fats and cholesterol compared to those eating raw meat. In one kibble-fed dog, a particular cholesterol measurement could not be calculated because the dog’s blood fat levels were too high for the standard formula. This happened despite the raw diet containing much more saturated animal fat.

When glucose is abundant, dogs’ bodies can convert that excess sugar into fats and cholesterol. That may help explain why the higher-carb diet led to these shifts. Similar patterns occur in humans who consume high amounts of refined carbohydrates.

Blood Sugar Changes Over Time

One particularly notable finding involved a marker called HbA1c, which acts like a snapshot of average blood sugar levels over the preceding 2-3 months. This marker increased in kibble-fed dogs but remained stable in those eating raw meat.

Actual blood sugar levels dropped in the raw-fed group during the trial while staying unchanged in kibble eaters. Glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar when levels drop too low, decreased significantly in raw-fed dogs but remained stable in the kibble group.

Another marker combining blood sugar and blood fats decreased significantly in raw-fed dogs, suggesting improved insulin function. The authors note this marker has been used in human research but is new to canine studies, so they interpret the finding cautiously.

Blood fats called triglycerides trended lower in raw-fed dogs and were significantly higher in kibble-fed dogs at the study’s conclusion. Elevated triglycerides in dogs have been linked to insulin resistance, inflammation, obesity, diabetes, pancreatitis, and liver disease.

A Different Fuel Source

Dogs eating raw meat showed significantly elevated levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate, a ketone body that serves as an alternative fuel source when carbohydrates are scarce. Both diet groups saw increases in this marker, but raw-fed dogs had much higher levels by the study’s end, suggesting their bodies had shifted to burning fat for energy instead of sugar.

This metabolic state, called nutritional ketosis, takes longer to achieve in dogs than in humans. In human studies, ketogenic diets have been shown to reduce inflammation, improve cell energy production, and help manage insulin resistance, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes. Whether dogs experience similar benefits remains an open question.

Kibble-fed dogs gained an average of 0.53 kg during the trial, while raw-fed dogs maintained stable weights, though the difference between groups was not statistically significant at the study’s end.

What This Means for Dog Owners

The kibble used was Hill’s Science Plan Canine Adult Sensitive Skin with Chicken, a mainstream commercial diet. Raw diets consisted of commercial MUSH Vaisto formulas containing meat, offal, bones, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and various supplements formulated to meet complete nutritional requirements.

Previous research has reported that dogs eating raw meat-based diets have better dental, ear, and skin health compared to kibble-fed dogs. They also show lower levels of an enzyme that can indicate liver stress and higher markers suggesting improved gut health and immune function.

Raw feeding has gained popularity among dog owners but remains controversial in veterinary medicine due to potential risks from bacterial contamination and nutritional imbalances in improperly formulated homemade diets. The raw diets in this study were commercial products designed to be nutritionally complete.

This study did not evaluate cardiovascular outcomes or long-term health effects, so the clinical meaning of the cholesterol changes in dogs remains unknown.

The study also focused exclusively on Staffordshire Bull Terriers, a heavily muscled breed. Since muscle tissue plays a major role in how the body processes sugar and energy, findings may not apply equally to all breeds. Dogs ranged in age from 1 to 13 years, and all had eaten different diets before the trial began, which could have influenced results.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/low-carb-diet-dogs-health/

Study confirms long-held beliefs about one of the most common and devastating symptoms of schizophrenia.

Ever notice how certain songs from your teenage years or beyond tend to hit you harder emotionally than others? Turns out your gender plays a role in why. Scientists in Finland have discovered something fascinating about the way we form musical memories: men typically connect most deeply with songs around age 16, while women peak around 19.

This three-year gap reveals how gender shapes the very foundation of our musical identity. The study tracking nearly 2,000 people across 84 countries found that the songs that define us don’t arrive on the same timeline for everyone.

The findings add a new twist to what researchers call the “reminiscence bump,” which is that special period when certain experiences become permanently etched in our memory. It seems that the soundtrack of our lives follows different schedules for men and women.

Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä asked participants a simple question: What’s one piece of music that’s personally important or meaningful to you? Participants nominated one personally meaningful piece of music and the team derived Age at Release (the listener’s age when the song originally came out, which can be negative for pre-birth releases) using Spotify metadata. The study used advanced statistical methods and included people ranging from teenagers to those in their mid-60s, speaking 11 languages.

The findings held up across multiple analytical approaches. Even after researchers accounted for potential biases and used 10,000-iteration bootstrap and 10,000-label permutation tests, the pattern remained consistent: women form their deepest musical connections later than men. In 10,000 label shuffles, none matched the observed women–men difference.

Why Musical Memories Form Earlier in Men Than Women
So what drives this difference? The answer likely lies in how men and women use music during the process of becoming adults.

Prior work suggests men often use intense music during mid-teens for independence and peer identity, while many women report broader uses like emotion regulation and social connection. During mid-adolescence (roughly ages 14 to 17), many young men gravitate toward intense, rebellious genres like rock and metal. These musical choices serve a specific purpose: establishing independence, aligning with peer groups, and signaling autonomy from parents.

For many men, these songs become permanently embedded in their sense of self.

Women tend to engage with music in more varied and emotionally layered ways during adolescence. Rather than using music primarily for rebellion or peer alignment, young women often turn to songs for emotional expression, processing romantic relationships, exploring values, and maintaining social connections. These processes may take longer to crystallize, potentially explaining why the peak arrives around age 19 instead of 16.

How Your Brain Changes the Way You Remember Songs Over Time
The differences between men and women don’t stay constant throughout life. As people age, the patterns change dramatically.

Men show remarkably stable musical memories across their lifespan. Even men in their 60s maintain a strong emotional connection to music from their teenage years. The adolescent peak often persists. It sits alongside newer musical memories like a permanent landmark. Older men show what researchers call a “dual-peak pattern,” where music from around age 16 remains just as emotionally important as songs from more recent years.

Women follow a different path. While younger women show the expected peak around age 19, this pattern shifts as they age. By their 60s, women’s most meaningful music clusters much more tightly around recent years. The adolescent peak doesn’t vanish entirely, but it becomes far less dominant. For older women, the music that matters most often comes from later life stages rather than the teenage years.

The gender difference becomes more visible in older cohorts in the paper’s sliding-window and mixture-model views. Statistical analyses confirmed that the gender difference grows more pronounced with each passing decade. Bimodal distributions in older participants typically combine a persistent adolescent peak with a recent-life peak.

Why would this happen? One possibility is that men and women maintain different relationships with music throughout life. For men, music from adolescence may become a kind of emotional time capsule, forever associated with the intensity of becoming independent. Those early musical connections might serve as an anchor point that men return to again and again.

Women appear to use music more actively across their lifespan. Rather than treating adolescent music as a fixed reference point, women continue engaging with new songs as tools for emotional expression, social connection, and processing life experiences well into later adulthood. The music that feels most meaningful keeps evolving because the functions it serves keep evolving.

The Science Behind Gender Differences in Music and Memory
The research team identified three distinct patterns that shape which songs feel most meaningful. The “reminiscence bump” centered on adolescence and early adulthood appeared consistently across all participants, though its timing and prominence varied by gender. This is the classic peak that memory researchers have documented for decades.

The “cascading bump” showed up among younger participants, particularly those under 30. These individuals reported meaningful connections to music released roughly 25 years before they were born (essentially, their parents’ music). This cross-generational transmission was more pronounced and consistent in women than men, suggesting that young women might be more receptive to musical influences from previous generations.

The “recency bump” emerged most strongly in older adults, who showed emotional connections to music from the past 10 to 15 years. People don’t stop forming deep bonds with new music as they age, but how prominent this recent effect becomes depends heavily on gender.

Part of what makes music such a powerful memory cue is how it engages the brain. Scientific research shows that music activates regions involved in both emotion and memory, including the hippocampus, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex. These areas work together to encode experiences with high emotional intensity, creating memories that can last a lifetime.

During adolescence, these brain systems are particularly sensitive. The teenage brain is still developing, with heightened neuroplasticity and increased reward sensitivity. At the same time, cognitive control systems that would normally filter emotional responses are still maturing. This combination creates conditions for encoding intense musical memories, especially during the period when identity formation is at its peak.

The gender differences in timing might reflect different developmental schedules for boys and girls, or they might stem from how social and cultural factors interact with these neurobiological processes. Boys and girls experience puberty on slightly different timelines, face different social pressures, and often navigate different emotional landscapes during adolescence.

What This Means for Music Therapy and Personal Playlists
The gender differences documented in this study have practical applications. Music therapists working with aging populations might want to consider gender when designing playlists. These are population-level patterns; individual playlists should be personalized. For older men, emphasizing music from the mid-teenage years could trigger powerful autobiographical memories and emotional responses. For older women, a broader mix spanning more recent years might be more effective.

The research also sheds light on why men and women sometimes have such different conversations about music. When a man in his 50s insists that music from his high school years was objectively better, he’s not just being nostalgic. His brain genuinely encoded those songs with exceptional emotional intensity during a narrow developmental window, and that intensity has often persisted. When a woman the same age is more enthusiastic about a recent album, she’s not being flighty or less attached to her past. She’s continuing a lifelong pattern of forming new musical connections.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/gender-shapes-when-music-hardest/

When it comes to describing what an antioxidant is, it’s all in the name: Antioxidants counter oxidants. And that’s a good thing.

Oxidants can damage the structure and function of the chemicals in your body critical to life – like the proteins and lipids within your cells, and your DNA, which stores genetic information. A special class of oxidants, free radicals, are even more reactive and dangerous.

As an assistant professor of nutrition, I’ve studied the long-standing research showing how the imbalances in antioxidants and oxidants lead to oxidative stress, which is linked to cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, a primary cause of aging is the damage accumulated across of a lifetime of oxidative stress.

Simply put: To help prevent oxidative stress, people need to eat foods with antioxidants and limit their exposure to oxidants, particularly free radicals.

The Research: Food, Not Supplements
There’s no way for any of us to avoid some oxidative stress. Just metabolism – the processes in your body that keep you alive, such as breathing, digestion and maintaining body temperature – are a source of oxidants and free radicals. Inflammation, pollution and radiation are other sources.

As a result, everyone needs antioxidants. There are many different types: enzymes, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals.

Two types of phytochemicals deserve special mention: carotenoids and flavonoids. Carotenoids are pigments, with the colors yellow, orange and red; they contain the antioxidants beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein. Some flavonoids, called anthocyanins, are pigments that give foods a blue, red or purple color.

Although your body produces some of these antioxidants, you can get them from the foods you eat, and they’re better for you than supplements.

In fact, researchers found that antioxidant supplements did not reduce deaths, and some supplements in excessive amounts contribute to oxidative stress, and may even increase the risk of dying.

It should be pointed out that in most of these studies, only one or two antioxidants were given, and often in amounts far greater than the recommended daily value. One study, for example, gave participants only vitamin A, and at an amount more than 60 times an adult’s recommended intake.

Foods Rich In Antioxidants
In contrast, increased antioxidant intake from whole foods is related to decreased risk of death. And although antioxidant supplementation didn’t reduce cancer rates in smokers, the antioxidants in whole foods did.

But measuring antioxidants in foods is complicated. Extensive laboratory testing is required, and too many foods exist to test them all anyway. Even individual food items that are the same exact variety of food – such as two Gala apples – can have different amounts of antioxidants. Where the food was grown and harvested, how it was processed and how it was stored during transportation and while in the supermarket are factors. The variety of the food also matters – the many different types of apples, for instance, can have different amounts of antioxidants.

Nonetheless, in 2018, researchers quantified the antioxidant content of more than 3,100 foods – the first antioxidant database. Each food’s antioxidant capacity was determined by the amount of oxidants neutralized by a given amount of food. The researchers measured this capacity in millimoles per 100 grams, or about 4 ounces.

For fruits easily found in the grocery store, the database shows blueberries have the most antioxidants – just over 9 millimoles per 4 ounces. The same serving of pomegranates and blackberries each have about 6.5 millimoles.

For common vegetables, cooked artichoke has 4.54 millimoles per 4 ounces; red kale, 4.09 millimoles; cooked red cabbage, 2.15; and orange bell pepper, 1.94.

Coffee has 2.5 millimoles per 4 ounces; green tea has 1.5; whole walnuts, just over 13; whole pecans, about 9.7; and sunflower seeds, just over 5. Herbs and spices have a lot: clove has 465 millimoles per 4 ounces; rosemary has 67; and thyme, about 64. But keep in mind that those enormous numbers are based on a quarter-pound. Still, just a normal sprinkle packs a powerful nutritional punch.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/getting-antioxidants-from-real-food-beats-supplements/

Nearly half of nursing home residents with dementia receive benzodiazepines during hospice care, and a new national study reveals these commonly prescribed sedatives are associated with a 41% increased risk of death within six months. Antipsychotics, given to about one in eight patients, showed a 16% increase in mortality risk.

The findings challenge current end-of-life prescribing practices for the 25% of hospice patients who have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Unlike cancer patients, who typically have more predictable disease trajectories, people with dementia often live for months or even years after enrolling in hospice. One in five will outlive the six-month prognosis required for hospice eligibility.

“While these medications may provide symptom relief in appropriate clinical scenarios, their use is associated with substantial risks,” the researchers wrote in JAMA Network Open. The study examined 139,103 Medicare beneficiaries with dementia who enrolled in hospice between 2014 and 2018. Researchers then created carefully matched comparison groups totaling 53,859 participants to isolate the effects of these medications. The authors note the study was not designed to estimate national prevalence.

The Link Between Hospice Sedatives and Risk Of Death

Hospice providers routinely prescribe benzodiazepines like lorazepam and antipsychotics such as haloperidol to manage agitation, anxiety, and terminal delirium. For dementia patients, these behaviors often distress not just the patient but also family members and nursing staff.

Both medication classes carry documented risks in older adults. Antipsychotics have an FDA boxed warning specifically for increased mortality in dementia patients. Benzodiazepines are linked to respiratory suppression, sedation, falls, and aspiration.

The research team, led by Dr. Lauren Gerlach, a geriatric psychiatrist from the University of Michigan Medical School, used Medicare claims data to track patients who started these medications after hospice enrollment. They compared outcomes to similar patients who didn’t receive the drugs. Most patients began taking benzodiazepines or antipsychotics within three days of entering hospice.

Among those who started benzodiazepines, 73.6% had died by 180 days. Only 58.3% of matched patients who didn’t receive the drugs died in the same timeframe. For antipsychotics, 70.7% of users died compared to 63.3% of nonusers.

The study controlled for age, cognitive function, overall health, functional status, disruptive behaviors, and baseline use of other medications affecting the central nervous system. The link between medication initiation and increased mortality held across multiple statistical approaches.

Prescribing Rates Vary Wildly Between Hospice Facilities

The lack of consistency in prescribing is striking. Previous research has shown benzodiazepine prescribing rates in hospice range from 12% to 80% across different agencies. Antipsychotic rates vary from 6% to 62%. Whether a dementia patient receives these medications appears to depend more on which hospice agency they use than on their actual symptoms or clinical needs.

Hospice clinicians themselves disagree about these medications. In one national survey, 40% of hospice physicians believed benzodiazepines were overused in their facilities. Only 8% of hospice nurses shared that view.

Gerlach and her colleagues argue for national guidelines for hospice prescribing in dementia. Standardized protocols could reduce unwarranted variation and promote safer practices.

Why Dementia Patients Face Unique Challenges in Hospice

Hospice was originally designed around a cancer care model. Cancer patients typically have weeks or a few months to live. Dementia follows a fundamentally different path. The condition involves gradual functional and cognitive decline over an extended, unpredictable timeline. Doctors struggle to determine when someone is truly at the end of life.

People with dementia have the longest hospice stays of all diagnosis groups. In this study, average hospice length of stay exceeded 130 days. For patients who aren’t actively dying, families may prioritize preserving alertness and communication during remaining months. Sedating medications could work against these priorities.

The researchers noted that patients earlier in the hospice trajectory, who may have months to live, face particular risks. Sedating effects may compromise quality of life, impair communication, and interfere with functional independence.

The study found that more frequent prescriptions compounded the mortality risk. The analysis of medication patterns during the first 30 days of hospice showed that each additional benzodiazepine prescription was associated with a 15% higher risk of death by 180 days. Each additional antipsychotic prescription was associated with a 6% higher risk. Patients typically received their last prescription about two weeks before death for benzodiazepines and three weeks before death for antipsychotics.

Medicare No Longer Tracks Hospice Medications

From 2014 to 2018, Medicare briefly required hospice agencies to report medications billed to the hospice benefit. That program has expired. Hospice medication use now goes entirely unmonitored.

The researchers called this a blind spot in oversight of end-of-life care. They urged renewed efforts to track and evaluate medication use in hospice to guide evidence-based practice and protect patient safety.

The study focused on nursing home residents with Medicare fee-for-service coverage. Findings may not apply to all hospice patients. The researchers couldn’t measure actual medication consumption, only prescriptions filled. They also lacked information about symptom severity that might have prompted prescribing decisions.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/hospice-sedatives-higher-death-risk-dementia-patients/

They were the colossal animals that roamed the Earth 166 million years ago. Now a window into their prehistoric past is being revealed in an Oxfordshire quarry.

Hidden under tonnes of rock, a dinosaur superhighway is emerging – where palaeontologists are walking in the footsteps of these giant beasts.

This summer’s excavation at this extraordinary site has uncovered one of the longest trackways found anywhere in the world.

Scientists from across the UK descended on Dewars Farm Quarry and the BBC captured them working to unearth the footprints, amongst the trucks, diggers, and tippers.

“These footprints are insanely big,” explains Emma Nicholls from Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History.

“They’re the massive footprints of a sauropod dinosaur; probably Cetiosaurus, which is a dinosaur that we know was found in this area.”

These were four-legged, long-necked, plant-eating beasts that could reach about 18m in length.

Dewars Farm Quarry has long been linked with dinosaurs. Some trackways were discovered here in the 1990s, and last year researchers found 200 huge footprints criss-crossing the quarry floor.

However this year, the team unearthed even more tracks in a different part of the quarry.

Reaching from one end of the quarry to the other, the trail extends 220m, making it one of the longest continuous trackways ever found.

“We’re uncovering something that people have never seen before,” says University of Birmingham palaeontologist Kirsty Edgar. “It’s so rare to find something this big.”

Not every dinosaur dig starts with a trowel and a brush – discoveries as enormous as this one begin with a big bang.

A controlled explosion in the quarry removes millions of years of limestone rock, allowing the palaeontologists the more delicate task of excavating each sunken footprint.

Several trackways emerge – but one, the dinosaur superhighway, just goes on and on.

A bump at the front of each print marks where the dinosaur squelched the mud forwards – this tells us which direction it was heading in.

Smaller prints have also been found at the site, made by a two-legged carnivorous dinosaur called Megalosaurus.

These creatures, which measured up to 9m-long, left a distinctive three-toed mark as they prowled across the Jurassic terrain.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-5f8c77b0-92bc-40f2-bf21-6793abbe5ffe

Researchers have achieved the first demonstration in mice of using gene therapy to reverse hallmark symptoms of SYNGAP1-related disorder, a devastating condition affecting an estimated 1 million people worldwide. The treatment reduced abnormal brain electrical activity and corrected the brain wave patterns that are linked to many of the disorder’s problems, suggesting potential for a single intervention to reduce reliance on the multiple medications patients currently need.

The study, published in Molecular Therapy, demonstrates that delivering a functional copy of the SYNGAP1 gene via a modified virus can restore key measures of brain function in mice, even when administered during stages equivalent to early childhood in humans. Unlike conventional treatments that merely manage symptoms, this approach targets the genetic root cause of the disorder.

“This is the first successful demonstration of SYNGAP1 gene supplementation for SYNGAP1-related disorders with a multifaceted rescue of both epileptiform and behavioral phenotypes,” the research team from the Allen Institute for Brain Science and BioMarin Pharmaceutical reported.

Children with SYNGAP1-related disorders face intellectual disability, severe epilepsy, motor impairments, and behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and impulsivity. The SYNGAP1 gene provides instructions for making a protein critical for proper brain synapse function (the connection points where neurons communicate). When one copy of the gene is missing or impaired, the brain develops abnormally. Current treatment involves multiple medications to control seizures and manage behaviors, but these therapies don’t fix the underlying problem and often come with substantial side effects.

Breaking Through Technical Barriers
The researchers, led by Boaz Levi, faced a significant hurdle: the SYNGAP1 gene is too large to fit inside the standard delivery vehicle used for gene therapy. Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) typically can’t package genetic material larger than 4.7 kilobases, but the full SYNGAP1 gene measures about 5.1 kilobases.

Despite exceeding size limits, the scientists successfully engineered a viral vector that could deliver the complete, functional gene to neurons throughout the brain. Analysis showed that about three-quarters of packaged genomes were full-length. The team chose to deliver the SYNGAP1-Aα1 isoform, one of several versions of the protein that plays a particularly important role in behavioral and brain activity.

Brain Waves Return to Normal Patterns In SYNGAP-1 Mice
When the researchers tested their gene therapy in mice modeling SYNGAP1-related disorder, they observed substantial improvements across multiple measures of brain function. Perhaps most striking were changes in brain wave patterns, which are profoundly disrupted in both mouse models and human patients with the condition.

The brain produces electrical oscillations at different frequencies, each associated with specific cognitive functions. Slow delta waves dominate during deep sleep, theta waves appear during memory formation, alpha waves emerge during wakeful rest, beta waves accompany active thinking, and gamma waves facilitate information processing across brain regions.

In untreated mice with SYNGAP1 deficiency, the researchers observed elevated slow-wave and theta activity along with reduced alpha, beta, and gamma oscillations. These disrupted patterns have been linked to problems with learning, memory, attention, and sensory processing (the same cognitive struggles seen in patients).

After gene therapy treatment, particularly at mid- and high doses, brain wave patterns normalized across all frequency bands. The treatment reduced excessive slow-wave and theta activity while restoring alpha, beta, and gamma oscillations to healthy levels. These changes indicate restoration of more typical brain activity patterns across brain regions.

The gene therapy also reversed behavioral abnormalities characteristic of the disorder. Untreated mice showed hyperactivity, traveling nearly twice the distance of healthy mice in open field tests. They also displayed reduced fear of heights and increased risk-taking behavior, repeatedly poking their noses over the edge of elevated platforms (behaviors that parallel the impulsivity and fearlessness seen in human patients).

Treatment administered at postnatal day 21, roughly equivalent to early childhood in humans, reduced hyperactivity in a dose-dependent manner. At the highest doses, treated mice traveled distances comparable to healthy animals. The therapy also normalized risk-taking behaviors, with mice showing more typical caution on elevated platforms. These behavioral improvements emerged even when treatment was delayed until after the early postnatal period, challenging the notion that intervention must occur extremely early to be effective.

Reducing Abnormal Brain Electrical Activity
One of the most dangerous aspects of SYNGAP1-related disorders is abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The mice experienced frequent interictal spikes (abnormal electrical discharges between seizures), averaging 112 spikes per hour in the parietal region. After gene therapy, this number dropped to just 8 spikes per hour at effective doses, representing about a 93 percent reduction.

These interictal spikes are known to disrupt normal brain activity and have been linked to cognitive impairment in epilepsy patients, making their reduction particularly meaningful. However, the treatment did not completely prevent spontaneous generalized tonic-clonic seizures in all animals. Some mice in each treatment group still experienced seizures, though the study had too few animals to determine whether treatment changed seizure frequency.

The research team tested two different administration approaches: delivery to newborn mice at postnatal day 2 and to juvenile mice at day 21. Neonatal treatment showed only partial effectiveness, increasing SynGAP protein levels from 0.55 to 0.69 (normalized to healthy mice at 1.0) but failing to significantly improve behavioral symptoms.

Juvenile treatment proved more successful, particularly at higher doses that fully restored SynGAP protein levels to wild-type. This timing corresponds to the typical age of diagnosis in human patients, approximately 1 to 3 years old, making the findings especially relevant for clinical translation. The improved outcomes with juvenile treatment likely stem from brain-wide distribution of the therapeutic gene achieved through intravenous delivery and protein levels reaching normal amounts.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/single-gene-therapy-treatment-reverses-syngap-1-symptoms-brain-disorder/

Exercise is good for the body and the mind. A good workout can leave you feeling energized, recharged and ready to take on the rest of the day.

But for some, the aftereffects of a good workout can be slightly more bizarre. From bloody noses to “coregasms,” here are some of the strangest things that can happen to your body as a result of exercise:

1. Metallic Taste

Some people find that when exercising, they get a metallic taste in their mouth.

This is caused by the increases in heart rate and blood pressure that occur when we exercise. Over prolonged periods, this increased pressure can cause the small, delicate blood vessels in our nose to rupture.

This can either result in a nosebleed, or it can run backwards into your throat, where you’ll taste the blood. The iron in blood is what causes the metallic taste.

Some evidence suggests that this metallic taste can also result from small blood vessels in the lungs rupturing. This phenomenon is most commonly seen in elite cyclists and ultra-marathon runners, likely due to lengthy strain their lungs are placed under.

2. Bleeding From The Anus And Nipples

Exercise can also cause bleeding from other unexpected places.

For instance, long-distance running can induce bleeding from the anus. This is caused by changes to how blood flow is distributed in the body during exercise.

At rest, the gastrointestinal tract receives about 25% of blood from the heart. But during exercise this drops by about 80% as more blood is delivered to the muscles, heart and lungs. This causes a short-term lack of oxygen to the gastrointestinal tissues.

But when blood flow returns to normal after a run, the increased flow can damage the gastrointestinal tract’s tiny blood vessels. This causes bleeding from the anus – which, in some cases, it can be life-threatening.

Nipples are another sore spot that can bleed after a run due to chafing from clothes. The more you run per week, the more likely you are to experience this. Almost 40% of people who run more than 65km a week report having had “jogger’s nipple.”

Cold weather will make this worse as the nipples become erect, causing greater irritation and a focused point of contact. Sweat can worsen it, too, as it reduces the protective barrier on the skin’s surface.

Luckily, this can easily be prevented. A bit of petroleum jelly, for instance, can help you avoid irritation on your runs.

3. Rashes

When we exercise, we sweat. This is our body’s natural way of cooling off.

But dead skin cells, dirt and microbes can all cause this sweat to become trapped in the pores beneath the skin’s surface. This can lead to heat rash – an itchy, prickly or stinging sensation in the skin.

This rash typically disappears on its own. It can be prevented by wearing looser clothing during workouts, exercising in a cooler environment or applying cool compresses to the skin after a workout.

Urticaria is another rash that may appear – also triggered by heat or exercise. Urticaria is typically more painful and itchy than a heat rash and often requires antihistamines to reduce the symptoms. It’s caused by the release of histamine (an immune chemical) when the body is exposed to the trigger.

4. Blackened Toenails

Although this condition is commonly called “runner’s toenail,” it isn’t exclusive to these athletes. Any sport – including tennis and dancing – where there’s repetitive impact and pressure on the toes can cause toenails to blacken and even fall off.

Wearing proper fitting footwear that prevents the toes from rubbing and being squished in the shoe will reduce risk of this.

5. Runny Nose

The rapid breathing we do during a workout can increase the number of irritants, debris and microbes that enter the body through the nose.

In response, the body begins producing more nasal fluids to wash them out – and prevent drying out. This results in a runny nose – a sign the body’s protective mechanisms are on the offensive.

Exercise-induced rhinitis is extremely common in swimmers and those who exercise in cold air – such as cross-country skiers. This is because these environments are very punishing on the mucous membranes.

6. Red Eyes

Heavy lifting or straining during a workout can potentially cause structural damage to the eyes.

When we strain, it spikes our blood pressure – and this pressure can cause the small vessels in the white of the eyes to rupture. This is called a subconjunctival hemorrhage,

The result is a small spot of blood on the white of the eye. Thankfully, the condition is not painful and typically does not affect vision. It usually heals in a couple of weeks.

7. Coregasms

For some people, exercise can induce sexual pleasure – an exercise-induced orgasm or “coregasm.” While abdominal and core muscle exercises are common triggers, they aren’t the only exercises that can induce one. Some people have reported experiencing them while cycling, weight lifting, running, doing yoga or even walking.

Women tend to experience them more than men, but it isn’t known how much more common it is as studies are limited.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/7-weird-ailments-that-exercise-can-trigger/

 

Athletes have long obsessed over what to eat, but emerging science points to a different question: when should they eat? A systematic review of 18 studies examining time-restricted eating (TRE) in athletic and active populations reveals early promise that limiting daily food intake to specific windows may trigger beneficial metabolic changes. However, the team of Spanish researchers emphasizes that the evidence remains scarce and that more studies are needed.

Time-restricted eating, also well-known as intermittent fasting, involves condensing all daily meals into a defined period, typically between four and 12 hours, with the remaining hours spent fasting. The review, published in Revista Española de Nutrición Comunitaria, found the most commonly studied approach was the 16:8 protocol, where eating occurs within an eight-hour window and fasting extends for 16 hours. While most TRE research has focused on weight loss, some studies suggest that there may be deeper cellular effects.

One small study of 11 non-athletes following early TRE (eat early, finish by mid-afternoon) for just four to five days found increased expression of molecular markers involved in cellular maintenance and aging regulation. Researchers observed elevated levels of SIRT1, a gene involved in regulating aging processes, and LC3A, a protein that helps form autophagosomes. These microscopic structures capture and remove aged or damaged cellular components in a process called autophagy, the body’s internal recycling system.

The same short-term study found increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor during the night, a molecule that promotes neuronal growth and survival. These signals are consistent with autophagy pathways but are not direct measures of biological age or lifespan, and were observed after just 4–5 days in non-athletes. Whether similar effects occur in athletes during longer-term eating patterns remains unknown.

Among elite cyclists in a four-week randomized controlled trial, time-restricted eating showed short-term benefits. Athletes lost approximately 2% of body weight and showed an 11% decrease in resting energy expenditure, alongside a roughly 4% improvement in maximum power output relative to body mass. Fat mass dropped while lean muscle remained stable, with a notable reduction in inflammatory markers. During winter preseason training, when intense exercise typically suppresses immune function and leaves athletes vulnerable to illness, this protective effect becomes particularly valuable. Both TRE and normal eating groups showed equal preservation of fat-free mass and athletic performance.

Athletic Performance Stays Intact

Athletes and coaches might reasonably worry that restricting eating times would hamper training or competition results. Across multiple studies lasting three to 98 days and spanning 11 to 271 participants, TRE either maintained or improved athletic performance measures, though most evidence comes from recreational athletes rather than elite competitors.

Research on physically active women combining high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with TRE showed a 1% reduction in body fat alongside improvements in jump performance. Another study of 12 physically active individuals found that after four weeks, participants increased their total work output and fat-free mass while reducing waist circumference. The researchers noted this improvement represented roughly a one-second difference that could influence competitive outcomes.

A study examining eating within just two hours daily in 11 individuals over a short crossover period found no decline in strength, maximum power output, or aerobic capacity. When combined with simultaneous strength and endurance training in people with overweight or obesity, the 16:8 protocol reduced body mass and decreased fat mass by 9% while increasing lean muscle and muscular strength in knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion.

Metabolic Benefits Beyond the Scale

Beyond performance metrics, intermittent fasting appears to shift metabolic patterns and daily glucose control in ways that could protect long-term health, though most of this evidence comes from non-athletic populations. Studies in people with overweight, obesity, or Type 2 diabetes consistently showed improved glucose control throughout 24-hour periods, with reduced nighttime glucose levels and decreased post-meal blood sugar and insulin spikes.

One experiment in non-athletes compared eating dinner at 6 p.m. versus 9 p.m. Earlier dinner timing reduced blood sugar response following the evening meal and lowered glucose levels from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning. Benefits extended into the following day, with increased fat burning after breakfast when dinner had been consumed earlier.

In individuals with Type 2 diabetes, three weeks of eating within a 10-hour window improved glucose balance without changing insulin sensitivity. While 24-hour energy expenditure remained stable, the shift in fuel use was notable: carbohydrate burning decreased while fat burning increased. Participants spent more time in normal glucose ranges and less time with elevated blood sugar, without significant increases in low blood sugar episodes.

Studies in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease also documented favorable changes in blood lipids. A 5:2 intermittent fasting protocol, where participants severely restricted calories two non-consecutive days per week, led to reductions in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, with particularly pronounced decreases compared to continuous calorie restriction. In one trial, HDL cholesterol decreased only in women. Some time-restricted eating studies showed increases in both LDL and HDL cholesterol in morning measurements, though without corresponding rises in triglycerides or free fatty acids.

Fat Loss in Athletes and Non-Athletes

Weight loss wasn’t universal across studies, but fat mass reduction was a consistent theme. Six studies documented significant decreases in fat mass among both athletes and non-athletes following various time-restricted eating protocols. Lean muscle mass either remained stable or increased in most cases.

Research comparing 16:8 time-restricted eating to continuous calorie restriction in 65 individuals with metabolic syndrome found greater fat mass loss in the time-restricted group without negative impacts on nutritional adequacy or dietary balance. Both groups improved body fat percentage, lean mass, BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio.

Time-restricted eating by itself reduced energy intake by 10-20% in physically active women without explicit calorie counting. This spontaneous reduction in consumption may partially explain the body composition changes, though metabolic shifts in fat burning likely play a role as well.

Hormonal Changes and Hunger Patterns

Time-restricted eating appears to recalibrate hormonal signaling related to hunger and fullness, based largely on research in non-athletic populations. Following Ramadan fasting (approximately 14 hours daily for 30 days), men with obesity showed increased leptin levels, the hormone signaling fullness, with no significant change in ghrelin, the hunger hormone. However, levels of certain gut hormones decreased after the fasting period, including glucagon-like peptide-1, peptide YY, and cholecystokinin.

In elite cyclists, TRE increased adiponectin levels, a hormone that facilitates fat loss and improves insulin sensitivity. The protocol also reduced anabolic hormones without affecting fat-free mass or endurance performance.

Cortisol patterns shifted with eating time restrictions as well. One study in people with overweight showed increased morning cortisol and reduced evening cortisol with time-restricted eating, though meal timing itself didn’t affect melatonin levels or overall circadian phase.

Across studies, participants reported lower hunger ratings, reduced food consumption from lunchtime onward, and decreased nighttime snacking. Participants described better feelings of well-being and positive attitudes toward time-restricted eating approaches.

Real-World Feasibility

Dietary interventions like intermittent fasting only work if people can stick with them. Time-restricted eating showed variable adherence rates across studies. While one 12-week study in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease reported 97.5% adherence, another 14-week trial in physically active individuals found adherence rates below 70%. Among the high-adherence group, 90% of participants felt the intervention was worthwhile and 95% would recommend it to others, with only 15% reporting barriers to implementation.

While some studies reported minor undesirable side effects, these were generally infrequent. Most participants tolerated the eating patterns well, though the wide range in adherence rates suggests individual responses vary considerably.

What the Evidence Can and Cannot Tell Us

The review encompassed studies with 11 to 271 participants and intervention periods ranging from just three days to 98 days. Only four of the 18 studies examined athletic populations specifically, with the remainder involving healthy individuals or those with overweight, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, metabolic syndrome, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The heterogeneity in study populations, exercise protocols, and fasting approaches makes definitive conclusions challenging. Short follow-up periods mean long-term effects remain unknown. Small sample sizes in many trials limit statistical power.

Only one study directly measured markers of autophagy and aging processes, and that study lasted just four to five days in non-athletes. The authors conclude that evidence for anti-aging effects remains scarce and requires substantially more research. Most metabolic and hormonal data comes from non-athletic populations, raising questions about whether the same benefits extend to highly trained individuals with different metabolic baselines.

Despite these limitations, the pattern emerging across diverse study designs points to time-restricted eating as a feasible approach for improving health markers and body composition without compromising physical performance. For strength and power athletes, who research shows may face increased risk of obesity and diabetes in post-competitive life compared to endurance athletes, time-restricted eating might offer preventive value worth exploring.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/can-intermittent-fasting-help-athletes-age-better/

It’s a quiet autumn evening. You’re enjoying some TV, when an unscripted movement catches your eye. A large house spider (Tegenaria domestica) is striding across the rug towards you. You make a sudden movement. The spider freezes. You reach for a paper to shoo it away, look back and it’s gone. What did the spider see? Was it afraid of you?

To a house spider we appear as a potential predator. Yet, despite having more eyes than us, most spiders don’t actually see much detail. Their world is sensed mainly by vibration, air currents, touch and taste.

Spiders usually have four pairs of eyes and there are two types: principal and secondary. Principal or direct eyes help the spider see detail; the photo receptor cells of their retinas are at the front. As in other animals they detect light and turn it into signals for the brain. In secondary or indirect eyes the photo receptor cells are inverted. These eyes are sensitive to movement, rather than detail and can give spiders an early warning of potential prey or predators.

About half of Britain’s 37 spider families spin webs to catch prey. Their eyes are usually arranged in two rows and of roughly similar size. They have poor eyesight and use vibration to sense where their food is.

However, in some spider families, vision is important. These are the spiders which hunt or ambush prey and they have much better vision than their web spinning cousins. In the UK, this includes crab spiders (with about 30 species), wolf spiders and jumping spiders (both have about 40 UK species). Wolf and jumping spiders have one pair of eyes much larger than the others. These principal eyes focus on prey and the smaller secondary ones detect movement. Many jumping spiders can wavelengths of light we can’t, such as ultraviolet. They use it to locate prey and in mating displays.

Crab spiders (Thomisidae), named for their flattened bodies and tendency to move sideways, live in meadows and gardens. They can detect movement with their principal eyes from a distance of up to 20 cm. They are ambush predators that use camouflage to blend into flower heads and catch unwary insects with their long front legs. Misumena vatia, another crab spider, takes this strategy further. Its base color is white, but it can gradually change to yellow. This broadens the number of flower species it can use to trap prey, and hides it from predators.

Net-casting spiders (Deinopidae) are called “ogre-faced” spiders because of their enormous eyes and angry looking appearance. They live in dark tropical habitats. Deinopis species have huge principal eyes whose lenses have a wide field of view. They can concentrate light more efficiently than a cat or an owl. Each night a light sensitive membrane is produced inside the eyes but destroyed at dawn as it is too sensitive to use in daylight.

Deinopus spinosa catches prey by making an expandable silken net. It deposits white faecal droppings onto a leaf as aiming points then waits above the net, head down. When an insect walks across the target area the spider opens the net and thrusts it down to enclose its prey.

Wolf spiders (Lycosidae) are ambush predators, also with enlarged principal eyes. Pardosa amentata scans its surroundings for movement with its secondary eyes, though it can only focus on prey up to a few centimeters away. As its target moves closer, a row of secondary eyes, which detect movement, is used to gauge distance. Wolf spiders also use vision for courtship. On encountering a female, a male stands on its back legs, waves its palps, and vibrates its front legs in time with them. A spider’s palps are appendages in front of its mouth. They can sense touch and taste and are also used in mating. Pardosa dances differ from species to species, enabling females to recognize males they can mate with.

Wolf spiders often hunt at night and their posterior median eyes shine in torchlight because they have a reflective membrane. This membrane acts as a mirror, so light passes their photo receptors twice which enhances low light vision. This structure is an example of parallel evolution as it is seen in nocturnal animals as diverse as cats and crocodiles.

Jumping spiders (Salticidae) are among the few invertebrates with large camera-like eyes like those seen in most vertebrates (including us). Their eyesight is sharper than any other spider and is comparable to that of pigeons or cats. Portia africanus can image up to about 75 cm, relying on shape and color to identify prey. Jumping spiders detect movement with their secondary eyes, which give a blurry image. The spider then turns and focuses its primary eyes onto the object. These give a sharp image. The spider then uses its lateral eyes to judge distance, and when close enough (2-3 cm) it jumps.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/how-does-the-world-look-through-spiders-eyes/

The price of lobster rolls and whole Maine lobsters could climb even higher as warming oceans create an unexpected problem for America’s most valuable fishery. New research reveals that rising temperatures produce smaller baby lobsters, threatening the sustainability of an industry that generated over $2 billion in 2021.

Scientists from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and University of New Hampshire discovered this troubling trend after exposing pregnant lobsters to ocean conditions expected by century’s end. While the industry has weathered challenges before, this biological change strikes at the heart of lobster reproduction, potentially affecting how many juveniles survive to reach dinner plates.

Fast Growth Comes at a Price
Lead researcher Brittany Jellison and her team spent five months monitoring how lobster embryos developed under different climate scenarios. Eggs exposed to temperatures 4°C warmer than current averages produced larvae measuring 0.1 millimeters smaller at hatching. That might sound insignificant, but in the lobster world, size determines survival from day one.

Larger larvae have better survival odds, a serious concern for an industry already grappling with geographic shifts and declining catches in southern New England. The Gulf of Maine lobster fishery has thrived in recent years thanks to warming temperatures, but this latest finding suggests those benefits may be short-lived.

Temperature drove every major change researchers observed. Warmer conditions sped up embryo development, increased heart rates by 17%, and ramped up metabolic activity by 38%. Eggs developed faster but hatched smaller, a well-known biological trend where animals grow more quickly but reach smaller sizes in warmer conditions.

Acidification Proves Less Concerning
One bright spot emerged from the research: American lobster embryos showed remarkable tolerance to ocean acidification. Even at pH levels 0.4 units lower than today, roughly what oceans may experience by 2100, developing eggs maintained normal growth and metabolism.

This resilience likely stems from their natural environment. Pregnant lobsters migrate through diverse habitats during the nine- to 12-month egg development period, encountering everything from acidic estuarine waters to deeper ocean zones. Some females in New Hampshire’s Great Bay Estuary regularly experience pH levels as low as 7.7.

Embryos also pack tightly under their mother’s tail, where oxygen levels drop and carbon dioxide builds up between grooming sessions. This exposure to naturally variable conditions may have equipped them to handle acidification better than scientists initially expected.

Jellison noted that enzyme activity and oxygen consumption tracked seasonal temperature patterns throughout the experiment, reinforcing temperature’s dominant role. The physiology of American lobster embryos appears robust to ocean acidification but sensitive to warming, particularly for metabolic traits.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/maines-warming-waters-shrinking-baby-lobsters-prices-could-soar/

A new study suggests a habitable past and signs of ancient microbial processes on Mars — and Imperial scientists provided crucial context.

Led by NASA and featuring key analysis from Imperial College London, the work has uncovered a range of minerals and organic matter in Martian rocks that point to an ancient history of habitable conditions and potential biological processes on the Red Planet.

An international team, including researchers from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE) at Imperial, propose that these geological features within the so-called Bright Angel formation in Mars’s Jezero Crater are closely connected to organic carbon, and could be a compelling potential biosignature of past life.

Professor Sanjeev Gupta, Professor of Earth Science in ESE, and Academic Co-director of Imperial Global India, said: “This is a very exciting discovery of a potential biosignature, but it does not mean we have discovered life on Mars. We now need to analyse this rock sample on Earth to truly confirm if biological processes were involved or not.”

A core component of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, the Perseverance Rover has been exploring the 45-kilometre-wide Jezero Crater since 2021, a site chosen because it once held a huge lake and a river delta – environments that are considered prime targets in the search for signs of past life.

Its key goal is to collect and store the first set of selected rock and soil samples that will be brought back to Earth for detailed analysis.

The new study, published in Nature, focuses on a distinctly light-toned outcrop in the crater, dubbed ‘Bright Angel’, located within an ancient river valley which provided water to the Jezero lake.

While driving through the valley, called Neretva Vallis, Perseverance came across a thick succession of fine-grained mudstones and muddy conglomerates.

Here, it conducted a detailed analysis of these rocks, using instruments such as the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) and Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC).

By mapping the types and distributions of different sedimentary rocks at Bright Angel, ESE researchers (including Professor Gupta and Dr Robert Barnes, a Research Associate in ESE, who were both funded by the UK Space Agency), were able to reconstruct the environment in which these mudstones were deposited.

Their analysis revealed a range of sedimentary structures and textures indicative of lake margin and lake bed environments, including a composition rich in minerals like silica and clays – the opposite to a river scenario, where fast-moving water would carry these tiny particles away.

Source : https://www.awazthevoice.in/gadgets-news/scientists-just-found-strongest-signs-of-life-on-mars-yet-42222.html

Hot yoga may not live up to its hype for heart health after all. A new systematic review comparing yoga and conventional exercise found that structured exercise programs consistently improved blood vessel function, while yoga showed mixed and inconsistent results.

Researchers at the University of Sharjah in the UAE and Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India analyzed 10 studies examining the impact of various physical activities on vascular health in inactive adults. Conventional exercise interventions, including Tai Chi, Pilates, and high-intensity interval training, reliably enhanced measures like endothelial function and arterial stiffness. Yoga programs yielded variable outcomes, with some studies demonstrating modest improvements in specific populations, while others found no significant changes.

The review, published in Advances in Integrative Medicine, challenges popular assumptions about yoga as a cardiovascular intervention, particularly heated varieties like Bikram yoga. While some middle-aged practitioners experienced improved blood vessel dilation after 12 weeks of heated yoga, the practice showed no improvements in arterial stiffness. Moreover, practicing in a 105-degree room provided no additional cardiovascular benefit compared to room temperature.

Exercise Produces More Reliable Results

Among the exercise interventions examined, Tai Chi demonstrated significant improvements in endothelial function, the inner lining of blood vessels that regulates blood flow, in postmenopausal women after 24 weeks of practice. Reformer Pilates produced measurable improvements in flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how well arteries expand in response to increased blood flow, even after a single 60-minute session in older adults aged 60 to 69.

High-intensity interval training showed particularly strong effects. One study tested four four-minute running intervals with four-minute rests, repeated twice daily for a week in sedentary young women. This routine reduced arterial stiffness by 11 percent, though researchers noted the training occurred in a cold environment (14 degrees Celsius), which may have enhanced the vascular response. The finding comes from a small, specific population and may not apply broadly.

Activity micro-breaks during prolonged sitting, a popular workplace wellness strategy, produced minimal vascular benefits. Having sedentary workers take three-minute walking breaks or climb stairs every hour for four hours didn’t significantly improve carotid or femoral artery function. Brief, gentle movement interruptions appear insufficient to compensate for prolonged inactivity.

Yoga’s Age-Dependent Effects

The review identified one population where yoga showed some promise: middle-aged and older adults. Practitioners over 40 experienced modest improvements in endothelial function after eight weeks of Bikram yoga, though younger adults in the same study saw no changes. The evidence remains limited given small sample sizes ranging from 13 to 80 participants across studies.

Researchers speculate this age-dependent response relates to baseline vascular function. Older adults typically have more impaired blood vessel health, providing greater room for improvement. Younger sedentary people may have sufficiently healthy arteries that gentle yoga practice can’t meaningfully enhance.

However, even among older practitioners, yoga’s benefits were inconsistent. Some studies showed improved blood vessel function while others found no significant changes in arterial stiffness or compliance, despite two to three yoga sessions weekly for 12 to 24 weeks. Different yoga styles, including Hatha, Bikram, and Vinyasa, produced varying results across studies.

The Hot Yoga Question

One specific finding challenges marketing claims about heated yoga classes. Researchers directly compared Bikram yoga practiced at 105 degrees Fahrenheit versus the same routine at room temperature (73 degrees). After 12 weeks, 54 sedentary adults aged 40 to 60 showed similar outcomes regardless of temperature. Neither group demonstrated significant changes in brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, which measures how fast blood pressure waves travel through arteries.

Studios often promote heated classes as superior for circulation, claiming warmth helps blood vessels dilate and improves flexibility. The evidence doesn’t support these claims. One study did find that 12 weeks of heated Bikram yoga “improved endothelium-dependent vasodilation in sedentary, middle-aged adults,” but noted “the heated environment did not enhance these vascular adaptations significantly.”

Translation: some vascular improvements occurred with Bikram yoga, but the heat itself provided no additional benefit. And importantly, improvements in vasodilation, a measure of how well blood vessels widen, didn’t correspond to changes in arterial stiffness, another key cardiovascular marker.

Why Intensity Matters

The pattern across studies points to intensity as a critical factor. Conventional exercise creates greater mechanical stress on blood vessel walls through elevated heart rate and blood flow, triggering beneficial adaptations. Yoga’s gentler movements may simply not provide enough stimulus to remodel arterial function, particularly in younger, sedentary adults.

This doesn’t mean yoga lacks value. Middle-aged and older practitioners may see modest vascular benefits, and yoga offers other documented advantages including improved balance, flexibility, and stress reduction. But for sedentary individuals primarily concerned with cardiovascular health, structured exercise programs appear more effective.

Tai Chi, which combines slow, flowing movements with mindfulness elements similar to yoga, produced more consistent vascular improvements than yoga in the studies examined. This suggests that movement quality, intensity, and duration all contribute to cardiovascular adaptations beyond any meditative or stress-reduction components.

What This Means for Sedentary Adults

For inactive adults genuinely interested in improving cardiovascular health through movement, this review offers clear guidance. Conventional exercise, particularly supervised aerobic or resistance training, produces more consistent and reliable vascular improvements than yoga. Tai Chi and Pilates also show promise, especially for older adults who may find high-intensity workouts challenging or inaccessible.

The review’s authors acknowledge several limitations. Most included studies had small sample sizes, and intervention durations varied widely from single sessions to six-month programs, making direct comparisons difficult. Few studies included long-term follow-up to determine whether vascular improvements persisted after interventions ended. Some studies showed critical or moderate risk of bias in domains including randomization, missing data, and selective reporting.

Additionally, no studies directly compared different yoga styles and exercise modalities within the same population. Future research with larger samples and standardized protocols would help clarify which interventions work best for specific populations.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/hot-yoga-heart-health/

 

Waiting can be boring, which is why we typically do anything we can to avoid it. We fill moments where we have to wait with something to keep our minds busy – such as scrolling on social media, reading the news or listening to a podcast.

But waiting isn’t always bad. Research shows that it can be beneficial as it improves self-control – an ability important for many social, cognitive and mental health outcomes.

Self-control refers to a person’s ability to regulate their thoughts, emotions and behavior when long-term goals conflict with short-term temptations.

Self-control has broad importance – whether that’s in school or the workplace – because of its implications for learning, decision-making, performance, social relationships and well being. The skill is key in resisting temptation in these settings.

Our ability to wait is a key way self-control is put to the test.

This might include pausing for a moment before writing a response to an email that has annoyed us. Or maybe it’s resisting the temptation of an unhealthy food when you’re trying to eat healthier. Both of these are examples of exerting self-control and creating space between impulse and action.

Research shows that even short delays or pauses – such as ordering food ahead of time or waiting before making a purchase – can cool-off impulses and help us prioritize long-term goals.

Despite the attention given to self-control in different fields of psychological research, waiting as a standalone construct has not received as much attention. Still, what research there is on the topic shows us that waiting can have similar benefits.

For instance, research has looked at what effect silence has in coaching conversations – with silence acting as a form of waiting. When the person who has been asked a question pauses before answering, it gives them the space to process their thoughts. This can help them better understand how they’re feeling, uncover memories or even shed a light on things that are confusing them. In this way, silence serves a distinct purpose in communication – be it a pause for better listening, a defense or a chance for reflection.

Moments of waiting can create space for reflection. Having the opportunity to reflect on our actions, emotions and experiences can spark ideas, deeper focus and creativity.

There are many personal and cultural differences in terms of how we perceive time in waiting. Waiting can also be uncomfortable or frustrating for those brains that crave stimulation. And, in some cultures, it can be framed as passive or inefficient – while in others, waiting is deemed powerful and transformative.

These differences mean that waiting can be perceived and practiced differently – and so benefits will appear in different forms.

The Value Of Waiting

To reap the benefits that can come from learning self-control, resisting urges and appreciating the moments when we’re waiting, we need to recognize the value of waiting.

Here are some evidence-based tips from positive psychology for practicing it more intentionally for our own well being:

1. Savoring

Have you ever bought a ticket for an event and ended up enjoying the anticipation more than the event itself? Or felt the excitement of counting down to a summer holiday with friends?

When we anticipate something exciting, part of the joy lies in the wait itself. Research shows that savoring what we look forward to helps us prolong pleasure.

Every time we think about it, we get small bursts of joy. Visualizing the concert, the trip or any event that you long for makes waiting less of an obstacle and more of an extension of the experience.

2. Gratitude

There are many moments in life where we have no option but to wait – for instance, while waiting to hear from your doctor about test results. But these moments can also give us an opportunity to feel gratitude.

Pausing to reflect on what you’re grateful for can make waiting less about the frustration or worry you’re feeling and more about appreciation.

3. Meaning making

Instead of seeing waiting as an inconvenience, try re-framing the way you think about it.

The next time you’re stuck in traffic or standing in a long line, instead of seeing it as an inconvenience, re-frame it and see the moment as a chance to rest, pause or reflect. Re-framing how you think about the situation can change the experience.

When we connect waiting to a sense of purpose, waiting gains direction and meaning.

4. Mindfulness

Irritable waiting moments can be cues to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness involves paying full attention to the present moment, and looking at it with curiosity and acceptance.

Intentionally noticing what’s going on in you and around you can turn an annoying circumstance into a mini check-in and chance to re-charge. This small practice may even help to improve your well being by helping you to relax and regulate emotions.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/waiting-isnt-bad-can-actually-boost-your-well-being/

Is a constantly aching back a sign of declining health? A major study of Brazilian adults reveals that nearly two-thirds of people with chronic back pain battle multiple serious health conditions, challenging the idea that chronic back pain exists in isolation.

Research published in the Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy examined health data from 87,678 adults who participated in Brazil’s 2019 National Health Survey. Of participants, 21.6% reported having chronic back pain. Yet among those dealing with persistent back problems, a stunning 62.1% also had at least one other chronic health condition.

Scientists at the University of Technology Sydney say these patients are managing serious conditions including heart disease, depression, arthritis, diabetes, and other serious ailments that make daily activities exponentially more difficult.

Heart disease affected 40.5% of people with chronic back pain versus 22.8% of those without back problems. Arthritis or rheumatism struck 19.3% of back pain sufferers compared to only 4.3% of others. Depression rates nearly tripled, jumping from 7.7% in people without back pain to 19.3% in those with chronic back issues.

Rather than viewing back pain as an isolated musculoskeletal problem, the research points to chronic back pain as part of a broader health crisis affecting millions of people.

Women and Older Adults Hit Hardest

Women made up a significantly larger portion of those dealing with back pain plus additional health problems. People with multiple conditions tended to be older, with lower education levels, and higher body mass index readings.

Of those with chronic back pain and depression, women represented 81.1% of cases. For arthritis combined with back pain, women made up 79.3% of sufferers. The average age difference between those with back pain alone versus those with multiple conditions was 12.1 years.

Certain Disease Combinations Worsen Activity Limitations

Having multiple conditions alongside chronic back pain severely impacts daily functioning. The research found that certain combinations proved particularly challenging for maintaining normal activities.

People with chronic back pain plus arthritis or rheumatism were more than twice as likely to report higher levels of activity limitations compared to those without this combination. Depression paired with back pain made people 60% more likely to report worse activity limitations, while cardiovascular disease increased those odds by 50%. Other lung diseases also showed a strong association, with nearly double the likelihood of activity limitations.

Of people with back pain alone, 41.5% reported no activity limitations, but only 25.9% of those with multiple health conditions reported no limitations — a difference of more than 15 percentage points.

Medical Treatment Falls Short for Most Back Pain Patients

Most clinical guidelines focus on back pain as a standalone condition, but this research shows that approach may overlook the reality that most patients face multiple interconnected health issues.

The interconnected nature of these conditions could explain why some back pain treatments succeed while others fail. A person dealing with depression, heart disease, and arthritis alongside their back pain may require a fundamentally different treatment strategy than someone with back pain alone.

While this study focused on Brazil, the patterns mirror findings from wealthier countries. The connection between chronic back pain and other health conditions crosses economic boundaries. Previous research from Germany, Australia, and the United States has documented similar clustering of chronic diseases with back pain.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/just-back-pain-other-health-problems/

For centuries, women have whispered about the mysterious link between their monthly cycles and the moon’s phases. New research shows that the connection was real, and, believe it or not, smartphones may have disrupted it.

An analysis of 176 women’s menstrual records spanning nearly a century shows that female reproductive cycles synchronized with lunar phases until around 2010. That’s precisely when LED lights flooded the market and smartphones became ubiquitous, bathing modern life in artificial blue light around the clock.

“Women’s menstrual cycles recorded before the introduction of light-emitting diodes in 2010 and the extensive use of smartphones significantly synchronized with the Moon, while those after 2010 coupled to the Moon mostly in January,” the researchers report in their Science Advances paper.

When Technology Rewrote Biology

Led by Charlotte Helfrich-Förster at the Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg, researchers tracked menstrual data from women across multiple generations, comparing records kept on paper calendars from the mid-20th century with smartphone app data from recent years. The contrast was dramatic.

Before 2010, women’s periods clustered around full and new moons in a pattern too consistent to be random, though this synchronization was always temporary, lasting only months or a few years before shifting. After 2010, that synchronization largely disappeared (except during January, when the combined gravitational pull of the sun, moon, and Earth reaches its annual peak).

Artificial light exposure, particularly from LED screens and bulbs, may disrupt the body’s ability to detect natural lunar light cycles. Unlike older incandescent bulbs, LEDs emit high levels of blue light that interferes with circadian rhythms and could mask the subtle environmental cues that once guided reproductive timing.

Hidden Forces Shape Cycles

The study shows something even more intriguing: menstrual cycles appear to respond not just to moonlight, but to the moon’s gravitational forces. Women’s periods synchronized with three different lunar cycles (the familiar 29.5-day pattern of moon phases, plus two gravitational cycles lasting about 27 days each).

This gravitational influence explains why synchronization persists in January, when Earth reaches its closest point to the sun. During this period, the combined gravitational forces of the sun and moon create the strongest tidal effects of the year, powerful enough to override the interference from artificial light.

Researchers examined records from 176 women across 24 years, creating one of the largest long-term studies of menstrual patterns ever conducted. Most participants were European women who tracked their cycles for an average of six years, with some records spanning nearly four decades from menarche to menopause.

When Screens Changed Everything

The smartphone revolution transformed how humans experience light and darkness. Before 2010, most people encountered artificial light primarily from incandescent bulbs that emit warm, yellowish light similar to firelight. LED screens and bulbs produce blue light that closely mimics daylight, confusing the body’s internal clock.

Satellite measurements show global light pollution increased dramatically after 2010, matching the timeline when lunar-menstrual synchronization weakened. Countries with higher light pollution, like northern Italy, showed less menstrual-lunar correlation than areas with darker night skies.

Google search data supports this connection. Queries for “period pain” spike consistently in January across multiple countries, indicating women worldwide experience stronger menstrual effects during the month when lunar gravitational forces peak.

Research shows human reproductive cycles operate like a “circalunar clock,” similar to the circadian clock that governs daily rhythms, but tuned to monthly lunar patterns.

Like other biological clocks, this lunar timekeeper has a limited range. Menstrual cycles can only synchronize with lunar phases when a woman’s natural cycle length falls within specific windows: roughly 26 to 36 days for moon phases, with narrower ranges for the gravitational cycles. Even before 2010, this synchronization was intermittent, lasting only months or a few years at a time before shifting out of phase.

As women age and their cycles typically shorten, they fall outside these synchronization ranges, explaining why lunar connections weaken over time. Modern lifestyle factors that shorten cycles (including artificial light exposure) make menstrual synchronization even less likely.

If artificial light can disrupt fundamental reproductive rhythms that evolved over millennia, this raises questions about whether other biological processes could also be influenced. The research adds to evidence that light pollution extends beyond cosmetics; it’s an environmental factor reshaping human physiology in ways scientists are beginning to understand.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/womens-periods-synced-with-moon-smartphones-zapped-connection/

If you believe that the end of the world is at hand, then you really need to know what the rapture is. Simply put, the rapture is the belief that, at any moment, Jesus Christ will descend from heaven to the sky and “rapture” all those who truly believe in Him into heaven. Those among the faithful who have already died will rise from the dead and also be translated into heaven.

Evangelical Christians on TikTok have been predicting the rapture will come this week. When the rapture happens, believers think the rest of us will be left behind, not knowing where many of those we know have gone. For this reason, it is often known as “Left Behind theology.”

For the followers of Left Behind theology within conservative Evangelical Protestantism, significant parts of the Bible – the books of Revelation and Daniel in particular – refer to events that are yet to happen at the end of the world. These are the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and God’s final judgment of all humanity into the saved and the damned.

But for the rapture in particular, the First Book of Thessalonians (4.16–17) in the New Testament is the crucial text: “For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up [raptured] in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.”

Tribulation

The rapture is the first of two ideas that Left Behind theology has added to the traditional Christian story of the end of the world. The second is the Tribulation.

According to most Left Behind theologians, the rapture will be followed by a period of seven years of Tribulation on earth, based on some complicated calculations around the text of Daniel 9.24–27.

This is the age of the Antichrist, the son of Satan – a human figure soon to reveal himself.

He will be a global earthly ruler opposed to Christ and pretending to be him. He it is who is called in the Bible “the beast rising out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads” (Revelation 13.1), “the little horn” (Daniel 7.8), and “the lawless one” (2 Thessalonians 2.3) whose number is 666 (Revelation 13.18).

Christians who have been raptured into heaven are immune from these seven years of natural disasters, wars, famine and the persecutions of the Antichrist.

The Kingdom Upon Earth

After the seven years of the Tribulation, Christ will return with his saints to fight and defeat Satan, the Antichrist, and his forces at the battle of Armageddon.

Most followers of Left Behind theology believe that Christ will then set up his kingdom upon earth and reign from Jerusalem for a millennium or a thousand years. He will govern the earth with his Christian followers, along with those Jews who have recognized Christ as the Messiah during the time of the Tribulation.

The eventual conversion of the Jews during this time explains, in part at least, the commitment to and support of many Evangelical Protestant Christians to the continuation of the State of Israel until the time of Tribulation when the Jews convert to Christianity.

At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released and there will be a final but short rebellion against God, after which Satan will be defeated. Then God will judge everyone for eternal happiness in heaven or eternal misery in hell.

A Relatively Recent Innovation

In the history of Christian thought, the idea of the rapture before the Tribulation is a relatively recent innovation.

We can date it to the 1830s and the theology of the Anglican John Nelson Darby (1800–82), a member of the Protestant Plymouth Brethren, and the founder of the group still known as the Exclusive Brethren. But it was popularized in Protestant circles in the United States by its inclusion in the notes of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909.

The Bible of C.I. Scofield (1843–1921) was the main source for the idea of the rapture until The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey (1929–2024) in 1970, a work that has sold over 28 million copies and has been translated into 54 languages. “Someday,” declared Lindsey, “a day that only God knows is coming to take away all those who believe in Him. He is coming to meet all true believers in the air. Without benefit of science, space suits, or interplanetary rockets, there will be those who will be transported into a glorious place more beautiful, more awesome, than we can possibly comprehend.”

Source : https://studyfinds.org/what-is-the-rapture-why-does-tiktok-believe-end-coming-soon/

 

New research suggests that mammograms may continue to benefit women in their eighties, a group often excluded from cancer screening guidelines. A UCLA study found that women over 80 who had a mammogram within two years of their breast cancer diagnosis lived longer and were less likely to see their cancer return compared with women of the same age who were not screened.

Researchers reviewed 174 women, ages 80 to 98, diagnosed between 2013 and 2020. Of these, 98 had undergone a mammogram before diagnosis, while 76 had not. Women in the screening group had a 74 percent lower risk of death and a 55 percent lower risk of recurrence, based on hazard ratios. These benefits remained even after adjusting for age, tumor type, and whether surgery was performed.

Early Detection in the 80+ Group

How cancer was discovered differed sharply between groups. Nearly 80 percent of unscreened women found their cancer by feeling a lump, compared to just 25 percent of screened women.

Unscreened women were more likely to be diagnosed with larger tumors (3.1 cm versus 1.7 cm), higher-grade cancers, and more advanced disease. They were also more likely to require mastectomy or to forgo surgery entirely.

Why Screening May Work Better With Age

Concerns have long existed that mammograms may not help elderly women. The opposite appears to be true. The UCLA team noted that mammography often performs better in older women because breast tissue becomes less dense, making it easier to detect abnormalities.

Other large studies confirm this trend. A 2017 National Mammography Database analysis showed that accuracy improves with age, with fewer false alarms and better cancer detection.

Treatment Paths Differ With Screening

Screening also influenced treatment choices. Women who were screened were more likely to have breast-conserving surgery (82 percent versus 61 percent) and radiation therapy. Unscreened women more often had mastectomy or no surgery at all.

Over a median follow-up of 55 months, survival differences became clear. Screened women not only lived longer overall but also had longer disease-free intervals. These advantages held up even after accounting for factors such as age, tumor biology, and surgery.

What Guidelines Say About Mammograms After 75

Guidelines remain mixed for older women. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force does not issue recommendations for women 75 or older, citing insufficient evidence. The American Cancer Society suggests continuing screening only if a woman is in good health with an expected lifespan of at least 10 years. The American College of Radiology advises continuing as long as a woman is healthy and willing to undergo follow-up tests if needed.

With no clear consensus, decisions often rest with patients and their doctors. Surveys of older women have found that physician recommendations strongly influence whether patients continue mammograms.

Study Boundaries

The UCLA team emphasized limits to their study. It was retrospective, relatively small, and based mostly on White, non-Hispanic patients. It included only women already diagnosed with breast cancer, so it does not address how screening affects those who never develop the disease.

Potential downsides of continued screening also remain. Earlier research has shown that about 11 percent of women over 80 receive a false-positive mammogram, which can lead to additional tests or procedures without a cancer diagnosis. Such experiences can create stress and financial strain for patients and their families.

A Question for an Aging Population

The number of older adults in the U.S. is climbing rapidly. Between 2010 and 2020, the share of adults 65 and older grew faster than any other age group, reaching nearly 17 percent of the population. With more women living into their eighties and nineties, decisions about when to stop cancer screening will only grow more important.

The UCLA findings, published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology, suggest that healthy women over 80 may still benefit from mammograms, both in detecting cancer earlier and in improving survival. Rather than stopping at a fixed age, the study supports individualized decisions made between patients and their healthcare providers.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/mammograms-after-80-longer-breast-cancer-survival/

Scientists have spotted a major blind spot in how we watch for dangerous asteroids. New research shows that space rocks orbiting near Venus stay hidden from Earth’s telescopes, and some could pack enough punch to level an entire city.

Models suggest a still-undetected population of Venus asteroids exists, with some potentially measuring 300 to 390 meters across. These could release 150 to 410 megatons of TNT, enough to destroy a large city if one were to strike Earth.

Published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, the study shows these space rocks could carve craters up to 3.4 kilometers wide and cause destruction at a city-wide scale if one hit our planet.

“These objects could form craters with diameters from 2.2 to 3.4 km, and release energies at impacts ranging from 1.5 to 4.1 × 10² Megatons TNT, which is more than enough to destroy large cities,” the study states. That level of destruction ranks as level 8 on the Torino scale, meaning collisions capable of causing localized destruction.

Why These Space Rocks Stay Hidden

The problem asteroids are called Venus co-orbitals. They follow the same path around the Sun as Venus, cycling through different patterns over about 12,000 years. While Venus protects them from crashing into that planet, Earth gets no such protection.

Current telescopes struggle to spot these rocks for a simple reason: they only show up for short periods right after sunset or before sunrise, high up in the sky. The asteroids that do come closer to Earth appear brighter and easier to find, which means we’re missing the ones that stay farther away but could still hit us.

Most of the 20 known Venus asteroids have stretched-out orbits that bring them near Earth sometimes. But scientists now know many more exist in rounder orbits that keep them hidden while still posing a threat to our planet.

Computer Models Show the Hidden Danger

Advanced computer simulations reveal just how big this blind spot might be. Only 20 Venus asteroids are known today, but simulations suggest many more Venus co-orbital asteroids may exist than are currently cataloged.

The models show no preference for creating asteroids with stretched-out orbits. Instead, space rocks should be spread fairly evenly across different orbit shapes, meaning lots of hidden ones likely exist in the danger zone.

Scientists ran computer simulations tracking fake asteroids for 36,000 years and found specific areas where simulated asteroids could get uncomfortably close to Earth multiple times. In their computer models, five test particles came within extremely close distances of our planet.

Separately, previous research by the same team found six real Venus asteroids that could become potentially hazardous within the next 12,000 years, including three objects with very close minimum distances to Earth’s orbit.

Space Telescopes Offer the Best Solution

Ground-based telescopes face serious limitations, but missions in space could change everything. The upcoming Rubin Observatory might spot some of these objects when conditions are just right, but it still deals with the same problem of looking too close to the Sun.

Better options involve putting telescopes near Venus or at special points between the Sun and Venus where gravity balances out. These spots would let telescopes watch the inner solar system continuously without the Sun’s glare getting in the way.

NASA’s NEO Surveyor mission, planned for launch after 2027, will work from a position between Earth and the Sun. Even more ambitious ideas include the CROWN mission, with seven telescopes positioned near Venus that could spot more than 94% of potentially dangerous inner solar system objects.

“Space missions based on Venus’ orbits could be instrumental in detecting Venus’ co-orbitals at low eccentricities,” the researchers conclude.

Recent discoveries of asteroids inside Venus’s orbit highlight how many remain hidden until they pass close to Earth. Current surveys have made progress finding inner solar system objects, including asteroids with orbits completely inside Venus’s path.

Ground-based programs like the “low-SE twilight survey” planned by the Rubin Observatory represent one of the few Earth-based efforts designed to search closer to the Sun for objects that regular telescopes can’t detect.

“Low-e Venus co-orbitals pose a unique challenge, because of the difficulties in detecting and following such objects from Earth,” the study notes. The authors believe only dedicated space missions near Venus could map and find all the remaining potentially hazardous asteroids among Venus populations.

The research examines a broader challenge in planetary defense: potentially dangerous asteroids often remain hidden in the most difficult places to observe, creating ongoing detection challenges for astronomers worldwide.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/undiscovered-venus-asteroids-city-destroying-threat-earth/

Recognising and treating psychological distress with strategies such as cognitive behavioural therapy, antidepressants and stress reduction techniques could help improve mental health.

Persistent psychological distress following a heart attack event and lasting up to 12 months could increase the risk of another cardiac event by nearly 1.3 times, according to a study.

Recognising and treating psychological distress with strategies such as cognitive behavioural therapy, antidepressants and stress reduction techniques could help improve mental health, emotional well-being and quality of life for survivors, researchers said.

The team from the American Heart Association said about 33-50 per cent of heart attack survivors are estimated to suffer psychological symptoms, including depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), all of which can affect physical recovery and long-term health.

The researchers reviewed previously published research on myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD, among others.

“After a mean of 4.7 years of follow-up, moderate psychological distress was associated with a 28 per cent increased risk of future (myocardial infarction) and high (or) very high distress was associated with a 60 per cent increased risk compared with low distress,” the authors wrote in the review published in the journal Circulation.

Author and chair of the group writing the article, Glenn N Levine, said, “Psychological distress after a heart attack is quite common but often goes unrecognised.” “We often focus on the physical aspects of heart disease, yet psychological health is linked to physical health, so when a major cardiac event like a heart attack occurs, emotional recovery is just as important,” Levine, a professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, USA, said.

The researchers explained that damage to heart muscle due to a heart attack can trigger inflammation, causing hormonal shifts and chemical changes in the brain that may contribute towards symptoms of depression, anxiety or PTSD.

Acute psychological stress can narrow the heart’s arteries (coronary vasoconstriction), reduce blood flow to the heart (ischaemia) and cause irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia), even in people without previous heart issues, the team said.

They added that factors through which psychological distress can increase risk of a recurrence of cardiac attack include lesser physical activity, smoking and alcohol, poor diet and sleep, inadequate social support and a lower medication adherence.

Having a history of mental health conditions or chronic illness too can add to the risk, the team said.

Anxiety and stress may affect up to 50 per cent of heart attack survivors during hospitalisation and persist in 20-30 per cent of people for several months or more after hospital discharge, they added.

The authors said that more research is needed to confirm a direct cause-and-effect relationship between psychological distress following a cardiac event and a recurrence of a heart attack.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/health/mental-distress-following-heart-attack-can-increase-risk-of-another-cardiac-event-study-9322850

Dog owners curious about vegan diets for their pets can breathe easier: new research from the University of Nottingham shows that plant-based dog foods compare closely to traditional meat diets across most nutrients. Research challenges long-held beliefs that dogs must eat meat to stay healthy.

Scientists analyzed 31 complete dry dog foods sold in the United Kingdom: 19 meat-based, 6 plant-based, and 6 veterinary “renal” diets formulated for dogs with kidney disease. Using advanced laboratory methods, they measured protein, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Results were compared against European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) nutritional guidelines for adult dogs.

Plant-based foods matched meat diets in protein and amino acid quality, offered healthier fat profiles, and only showed consistent shortfalls in iodine and some B-vitamins.

Plant-Based Dog Food Protein Quality Exceeds Expectations

Protein quality is the top concern for dog owners considering plant-based diets. Many assume plant proteins cannot supply the essential amino acids dogs need.

Research data tells a different story. Measured directly, plant-based foods had almost the same crude protein content as meat-based diets. Importantly, four of six plant-based foods met essential amino acid requirements. For comparison, 11 of 19 meat-based foods and two of six veterinary foods also met the same standards.

Data revealed something unexpected about branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Scientists expected vegan diets to fall short, since these nutrients usually come from meat and dairy. Instead, plant-based foods contained equal or higher average amounts compared to beef or lamb-based diets.

Veterinary diets, which are purposely low in protein to reduce strain on the kidneys, performed worst overall. Two-thirds failed to meet essential amino acid guidelines, and one fell short in six of the nine essential amino acids measured.

Vegan Dog Foods Provide Superior Fat Composition

Fat quality was another area where differences emerged. Meat-based diets contained more saturated fats such as palmitic and stearic acid. Plant-based foods, by contrast, had higher levels of unsaturated fats, including oleic and linolenic acid.

All foods contained adequate amounts of linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid. Vegan foods stood out, averaging about 2.8 times more linoleic acid than meat-based diets. This advantage reflects the inclusion of plant oils and seeds such as flax, chia, and hemp.

Although vegan diets lack fish oil, all six still met essential fatty acid requirements. Their fat composition resembled the heart-healthy profiles seen in human nutrition, though long-term effects in dogs remain to be studied.

Vegan Dog Food Nutritional Gaps: Iodine and B-Vitamin Deficiencies

Plant-based diets did show consistent weaknesses in two areas: iodine and certain B-vitamins. Five of six vegan foods fell below iodine requirements, and all contained less vitamin B3, B9, and B12 compared to meat-based diets. These nutrients support metabolism, nerve function, and DNA synthesis.

Both gaps are relatively easy to solve. The one vegan food that did meet iodine standards used seaweed and algae ingredients. Similarly, B-vitamins can be added through fortification or provided as supplements. Scientists concluded that both nutrients “could easily be supplemented” in plant-based formulations.

Dog Food Industry Compliance Rates Reveal Widespread Shortfalls

When judged against official nutritional guidelines:

• 55% of foods met amino acid targets
• 16% satisfied mineral requirements
• 24% achieved B-vitamin standards
• 100% contained adequate vitamin D
• 100% met essential fatty acid requirements

No food passed every test across all nutrients. Plant-based diets performed comparably to meat-based ones and, in some cases, better than veterinary diets designed for medical use.

Mineral content was largely within safe ranges. Across all foods tested, 87% of individual mineral measurements fell inside FEDIAF standards. Still, only 16% of foods satisfied all mineral requirements. Iodine and selenium were the most common shortfalls, appearing in both plant and meat-based diets.

Plant-based foods contained higher potassium and magnesium than meat-based options, consistent with typical plant nutrition. Calcium and phosphorus remained within safe ranges, supporting bone health and metabolism.

Energy density was nearly identical between plant and meat diets: 328 vs. 332 calories per 100 grams. This means dogs would eat similar amounts regardless of protein source. Veterinary diets contained more calories because they were higher in fat.

For owners motivated by environmental or ethical reasons, this research shows that plant-based feeding can be a viable choice. Dogs evolved as omnivores and appear capable of thriving on well-balanced vegan diets.

No food tested, be it plant, meat, or veterinary, was perfect. Owners choosing vegan foods should look for products fortified with iodine and B-vitamins, or provide these through supplements.

Analysis only covered adult maintenance diets. Puppies, pregnant dogs, and pets with health conditions may require different formulations and should be managed with veterinary guidance.

This was the first independent nutritional comparison of UK plant-based and meat-based dog foods. While no diet type was flawless, the results show that with proper formulation, vegan diets can support healthy adult dogs just as well as meat-based ones.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/plant-based-dog-foods-nutrition/

That afternoon Coke or morning orange juice may do more than add calories. A new study suggests sugary beverages can directly boost cancer’s ability to spread.

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and partner institutions found that the combination of glucose and fructose, typically found in soda, fruit juice, or sports drinks, activates a pathway that makes colorectal cancer cells more mobile. Published in Nature Metabolism, the findings show this process happens without changes in body weight or tumor size.

Led by Jihye Yun, an assistant professor of genetics, the study suggests that colorectal cancer cells are using the sugars as fuel to enhance their ability to migrate and invade.

How Sugary Drinks Fuel Cancer Spread
In mouse models, researchers tested sugar solutions similar to those found in high-fructose corn syrup or table sugar, which both contain glucose and fructose in roughly equal parts. Mice with colorectal cancer tumors that drank these mixtures developed more liver metastases than mice drinking plain water or glucose alone.

The critical player is an enzyme called sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD). When glucose and fructose are consumed together, SORD triggers a chemical shift that raises the NAD⁺/NADH ratio in cells. This ratio is like a cellular “fuel gauge” that tracks how efficiently cells can make and use energy. By tilting the balance, the cancer cells gain a surplus of usable energy that powers glycolysis (sugar breakdown) and activates the pathway that boosts their ability to move and spread.

In simple terms, the cancer cells not only get extra fuel but also a stronger engine for spreading from the original tumor to other organs.

Why Both Sugars Together Spell Trouble
Most earlier studies looked at glucose or fructose in isolation. But in real diets, these sugars almost always arrive together in popular sweetened drinks. The new research shows that only the combination produces the metastasis-boosting effect.

The team tested 13 different colorectal cancer cell lines. Growth did not increase when glucose and fructose were combined, but migration and invasion did. That means the sugars did not make tumors grow bigger; they made them better at spreading.

Colorectal cancer rates have been increasing among younger adults since the 1980s. At the same time, sugary drink consumption has surged. In the U.S., more than half of adults and nearly two-thirds of young people consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily.

One large study of nearly 100,000 women found that drinking two or more sugary drinks per week doubled the risk of developing colorectal cancer before age 50. This aligns with the mechanistic findings in the new animal research.

The study also highlights a clinical gap: many people continue drinking sugary beverages after diagnosis. Some patients even receive recommendations to consume fruit juice or energy drinks during treatment to maintain calorie intake.

But these drinks contain the same glucose/fructose mix that was shown to drive metastasis in lab models. According to the authors, dietary changes may need to become part of cancer care discussions.

Possible Treatment Avenues
The research also points to new strategies for slowing metastasis. SORD levels were found to be higher in human colorectal tumors compared to healthy tissue. In some patient data, metastatic tumors showed even greater expression than primary ones.

Blocking the SORD pathway in mice stopped the spread-enhancing effects of sugary drinks. Statins, common cholesterol-lowering drugs, also reduced metastasis in animal experiments by disrupting the same downstream pathway.

While these results are preliminary and limited to lab and animal studies, they suggest SORD could be a promising target for future therapies. Most cancer deaths result from metastasis, not primary tumors. Strategies that prevent spread—even without shrinking the original tumor—could save lives.

What Comes Next
The researchers are now studying whether the glucose/fructose pathway plays a role in other cancer types. They are also exploring whether dietary interventions could complement standard treatments.

For now, the simplest takeaway is that cutting back on sugary beverages may lower not only the risk of developing colorectal cancer, but also its ability to spread once present.

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Patients should consult their healthcare providers before making dietary or treatment changes.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/sugary-drinks-colorectal-cancer-spread/

Humans may be experiencing one of the most unusual evolutionary changes in our species’ history, and it may have little to do with DNA. A new study from the University of Maine suggests that culture has become such a powerful force that it may be overtaking biology as the main driver of human evolution. If true, this shift could eventually make cultural groups, not just individuals, the key players in shaping our future.

Published in BioScience, the research introduces the idea of an “evolutionary transition in inheritance and individuality,” or ETII. The theory proposes that humans may be moving toward a stage where cultural inheritance — the passing on of knowledge, technology, and institutions — becomes more important than genetic inheritance. Unlike past evolutionary changes that unfolded over millions of years, this cultural shift may be progressing at a pace fast enough to notice within historical timeframes, though the authors stress the process is still incomplete and largely theoretical.

How Culture Can Outpace Genetic Evolution
Researchers Timothy Waring and Zachary Wood argue that cultural evolution is faster and more flexible than genetic evolution in almost every measurable way. Cultural information can move instantly through conversation, teaching, or digital media, while genetic changes are stuck on the slow timetable of generations. People also actively choose which cultural traits to adopt, often from those who seem most successful, whereas genetic inheritance is random and passive.

Medicine shows this dynamic clearly. Procedures like Cesarean sections allow people with narrower pelvises to survive childbirth and pass on that trait. Glasses correct poor eyesight, which would once have been a disadvantage in survival. Surrogacy and assisted reproductive technologies allow people to reproduce where it would otherwise not be possible. Each cultural solution reduces the role of natural selection, leaving culture — not genes — as the stronger link to survival.

Cities and languages also illustrate the advantages of culture at scale. Larger populations tend to produce more patents and innovations per person. Languages with more speakers often evolve toward efficiency. When groups pool knowledge, they can solve problems faster than any individual could manage alone.

The Three Stages of Human–Culture Coevolution
The study outlines three broad stages in the relationship between genetic and cultural evolution:

Stage 1: Early cultural capacity. Human ancestors evolved bigger brains and longer lifespans, allowing us to store and transmit cultural information through language, tools, and cooperation.

Stage 2: Gene–culture balance. For a time, culture and genetics reinforced each other. A classic example is the rise of dairy farming alongside genetic changes that enabled lactose tolerance.

Stage 3: Cultural dominance. Today, cultural solutions often appear before genetic evolution can respond. Medical systems reduce natural selection pressures. Schools and institutions, rather than inherited traits, increasingly shape opportunities. Laws and norms influence reproductive decisions as much as biology does.

One puzzling trend the researchers discuss is the dramatic decline in fertility rates in advanced societies. They note that traditional evolutionary theory struggles to explain this pattern. One possibility is that cultural reproduction — passing on knowledge, skills, and group membership — is becoming more important than biological reproduction. Other theories, such as the transfer of wealth across generations and the widening of social networks, may also contribute. The decline likely results from a mix of these cultural dynamics.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/culture-replacing-dna-driver-human-evolution/

Cancer patients often face a painful trade-off: accept the harsh side effects of chemotherapy or risk letting tumors grow unchecked. The root of the problem is that most cancer drugs can’t tell healthy tissue from cancerous tissue. They spread through the body indiscriminately, attacking both good and bad cells.

A new approach from scientists at the University of Cambridge may change how this problem is tackled. Their experimental drug system remains largely inactive until two separate pieces of the drug meet each other inside tumor tissue. Only there do they snap together to form a potent compound that awakens the immune system against cancer.

The idea is simple but powerful: instead of carrying an active drug throughout the body, carry harmless fragments that only come alive where cancer is hiding.

Why the STING Pathway Is a Key Cancer Target
The treatment works by activating a cellular alarm system known as STING, short for “stimulator of interferon genes.” When triggered, STING launches waves of immune activity designed to destroy infected or damaged cells. Cancer researchers have long wanted to harness this pathway because it can turn so-called “cold” tumors, which evade immune detection, into “hot” tumors that the immune system can attack.

The challenge is that stimulating STING across the whole body can be dangerous. Earlier experimental drugs caused autoimmune reactions, where the immune system mistakenly attacked healthy tissues along with tumors. The Cambridge team set out to make a STING-targeting drug that activates only where cancer enzymes are abundant.

A Two-Part Cancer Drug That Locks Together Inside Tumors
Their solution builds on a compound called MSA2. On its own, MSA2 molecules must naturally pair up to activate STING. The researchers modified versions of MSA2 so that two different pieces, one carrying a bond-seeking group and the other a bond-accepting group, would form a permanent chemical link when they met.

These modified fragments, called N1 and E4, seek each other out and lock together much faster than typical biomedical reactions, likely because MSA2 already tends to form pairs. Once linked, they create a new compound (named SC2S) that proved about 20 times more potent than MSA2 in laboratory tests.

The clever twist is that only one piece of the drug can roam freely. The other is “caged” with a molecular cap that keeps it inactive. This cap can only be removed by an enzyme called β-glucuronidase. Tumors often produce this enzyme at higher levels than normal tissue, especially in oxygen-starved or necrotic regions. In theory, this means the drug should only activate where tumors are present.

Tests in Cells and Early Animal Models
In cultured human cells, the two-part system performed as hoped. Neither fragment alone did anything. But when β-glucuronidase was added, the cage was removed and the two fragments combined into the active drug, triggering strong immune signals even at low concentrations.

The next test was in animals. In zebrafish implanted with human breast cancer cells, the prodrug fragments on their own had little effect. Only when researchers added extra enzyme to the system did tumors shrink and cancer cells undergo programmed death. The enzyme boost also shifted immune cells called macrophages from a tumor-supporting state to a tumor-fighting state. Without the added enzyme, the zebrafish tumors didn’t produce enough β-glucuronidase on their own to activate the drug.

In mice, the story was similar. In standard mouse tumors, the treatment showed little activity, likely because enzyme levels were too low. To test the concept, the scientists engineered a mouse tumor line to overproduce β-glucuronidase. In this special model, the two-part drug successfully assembled inside tumors and accumulated there for hours while remaining nearly undetectable in healthy organs such as the liver, lungs, spleen, and kidneys.

Mice in this engineered model lived longer when given the treatment. Importantly, they also showed fewer side effects compared with a benchmark STING drug, which in this experiment caused modest decreases in red blood cells and related measures.

Limits, Challenges, and Future Cancer Drug Potential
These results, published in Nature Chemistry, are encouraging; however, there are important limitations. The zebrafish and unmodified mouse tumors did not generate enough enzyme for the prodrug to work without outside help. This means that in its current form, the system only functions reliably in tumors with very high β-glucuronidase activity. Not all cancers fall into this category.

Another practical consideration is delivery. In the mouse experiments, one drug component was injected directly into the tumor, while the other was given systemically. That works for accessible tumors, but not for cancers deep inside the body.

The authors emphasize that the true innovation is not this one drug, but the broader strategy: using two harmless fragments that only become active when combined under tumor-specific conditions. With further research, other enzymes or tumor markers could be used as triggers, potentially expanding the approach to a wider range of cancers.

If future studies confirm and extend these results, the two-part system could change how researchers think about cancer drugs. Instead of trying to design inherently “gentle” medicines, scientists might design medicines that stay inert until they reach the right environment.

This tactic could reduce side effects while maintaining or even improving effectiveness. Beyond immune-activating drugs like STING agonists, the same concept could apply to chemotherapy, targeted therapies, or other immune stimulators.

For now, though, the work remains at the proof-of-concept stage. The study involved cell cultures, zebrafish embryos, and small groups of mice — all important steps, but far from clinical use. Much larger studies, long-term safety evaluations, and eventually human trials would be needed before such a drug could ever be prescribed.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/tumor-activated-cancer-drug-shows-promise/

Women in India are more likely to get cancer. Men are more likely to die from it.

The paradox, revealed in a study of the country’s latest cancer registry, tells a story at once simple and confounding.

Women account for just over half of all new cases, but men make up the majority of deaths.

India appears to be an outlier. In 2022, for every 100,000 people worldwide, on average about 197 were diagnosed with cancer that year. Men fared worse, at 212, compared to 186 for women, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.

Nearly 20 million cancer cases were diagnosed globally in 2022 – about 10.3 million in men and 9.7 million in women. In the US, the estimated lifetime risk of cancer is nearly equal for men and women, according to the American Cancer Society.

In India, the most common cancers among women are breast, cervical, and ovarian. Breast and cervical cancers make up 40% of female cases.

While cervical cancer is largely linked to infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), breast and ovarian cancers are often influenced by hormonal factors. Rising cases of these hormone-related cancers are also associated with lifestyle shifts – including later pregnancies, reduced breastfeeding, obesity, and sedentary habits.

For men, oral, lung, and prostate cancers dominate. Tobacco drives 40% of preventable cancers, mainly oral and lung.

So what is going on in India? Is it an earlier diagnosis for women? Are men’s cancers more aggressive, or is it that habits such as smoking and chewing tobacco drag down their outcomes? Or does the answer lie in differences in access, awareness and treatment between genders?

Awareness campaigns and improved facilities mean cancers common among women are often detected earlier.

With their long latency periods – time between exposure to a cancer-causing factor and the appearance of detectable cancer – treatment outcomes are relatively good.

Mortality rates among women are therefore lower.

Men fare worse. Their cancers are more often tied to lifestyle – tobacco and alcohol drive lung and oral cancers, both aggressive and less responsive to treatment.

Men are also less likely to go for preventive check-ups or seek medical help early. The result: higher mortality and poorer outcomes, even when incidence is lower than among women.

“Women’s health has become a bigger focus in public health campaigns, and that’s a double-edged sword. Greater awareness and screening mean more cancers are detected early. For men, the conversation rarely goes beyond tobacco and oral cancer,” Ravi Mehrotra, a cancer specialist and head of the non-profit Centre for Health Innovation and Policy (CHIP) Foundation, told me.

“Women, through reproductive health checks, are more likely to see a doctor at some stage. Many men, by contrast, may go their whole lives without ever seeing one,” Dr Mehrotra said.

But the real story emerges when the numbers are broken down: India’s cancer burden is unevenly spread across regions, and across the types of cancer people face.

Data from 43 registries show that 11 out of every 100 people in India run the risk of developing cancer at some point during their life. An estimated 1.56 million cases and 874,000 deaths are projected for 2024.

The hilly and relatively remote northeast region remains India’s cancer hotspot, with Mizoram’s Aizawl district recording lifetime risks twice the national average.

Doctors say much of this is down to lifestyle.

“For most cancers in the north-eastern state, I’m convinced lifestyle is the key factor. Tobacco use is rampant here – much higher than elsewhere,” R Ravi Kannan, head of Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Assam, told me.

“In Barak Valley in Assam, it’s mostly chewing tobacco; just 25km away in Mizoram, smoking dominates. Add to that alcohol, areca nuts, and even how meat is prepared. Food choices and preparation drive cancer risk. There’s no special cancer-causing gene at play – hereditary cancers aren’t more common here than in other parts of India,” Dr Kannan said.

But the pattern isn’t confined to the northeast. Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir tops the charts for lung cancer in men, while southern Hyderabad city leads in breast cancer. Men in the capital, Delhi, are being diagnosed with all cancers put together at a higher rate than men in other regions, even after correcting for age differences.

Oral cancer is also rising: 14 population registries report increases among men and four among women.

India’s patchwork of risks is part of a larger truth: cancer is at once the most universal and the most uneven of diseases. The disparities seen across Indian states mirror a global divide shaped by geography, income, and access to care.

In wealthy nations, one in 12 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime, but only one in 71 will die from it, according to WHO.

In poorer countries, the picture is reversed: just one in 27 women will ever receive a diagnosis, yet as many as one in 48 will die of the disease.

“Women in lower Human Development Index (HDI) countries are 50% less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women in high HDI countries, yet they are at a much higher risk of dying of the disease due to late diagnosis and inadequate access to quality treatment,” says Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of the Cancer Surveillance Branch at International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c04q9v49ndgo

Astronomers studying mysterious objects called “little red dots” have made a startling discovery about one particularly bizarre specimen. What initially appeared to be a galaxy so jam-packed with stars that they would smash into each other about once a month turned out to be something else entirely: a “black hole star,” where a massive black hole wrapped in super-thick gas clouds creates an elaborate cosmic disguise.

The object, nicknamed “The Cliff,” sits so far away that its light has been traveling toward us for 12 billion years. That means we’re seeing it as it was when the universe was just a toddler. To understand how unusual this would be if it were really a star-packed galaxy, consider that stars in our own galaxy essentially never collide. Space is just too big and empty for such cosmic traffic jams.

But after months of analysis using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers concluded that The Cliff isn’t actually a galaxy full of stars at all. Instead, their study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, proposes represents an entirely new type of cosmic object that has been fooling astronomers by mimicking the light signature of an ancient galaxy.

An Object That Breaks the Rules

Anna de Graaff, who led the research team from Germany’s Max Planck Institute, first encountered The Cliff while studying these puzzling little red dots that don’t fit any category astronomers had seen before. Through telescopes, they look exactly like their nickname suggests: tiny red specks scattered across images of the early universe.

The Cliff stood out even among these oddities. Despite appearing incredibly small, it shines with the brightness of billions of suns. To get a sense of the scale, astronomers calculated that all the stars within 130 light-years of our sun would need to be crammed into a space the size of our immediate solar neighborhood to match what they were seeing.

Little red dots like The Cliff could be one of two things: either really old galaxies packed with ancient stars, or black holes actively feeding on surrounding material. De Graaff’s decided to test the first possibility: could The Cliff really be a galaxy stuffed with more stars than should be physically possible?

Why The Cliff Can’t Be Just a Galaxy

In a stellar system that dense, stars would collide at a rate of about once per month, an extraordinary frequency compared to our own galaxy, where stellar collisions essentially never happen. These stellar crashes would heat up gas to millions of degrees, creating powerful X-ray signals that space telescopes can detect. The researchers note, however, it’s uncertain how much of this energy would actually be radiated versus absorbed or dispersed.

So the team pointed the Chandra X-ray telescope at The Cliff, expecting to see these telltale signs of stellar mayhem. The researchers also tested whether The Cliff might contain unusual types of stars, such as rare giants or supernovas, that could explain its strange properties. They ran the numbers on thousands of different stellar combinations.

They found nothing. No X-ray emissions, no signs of stellar collisions, no evidence that The Cliff contained the mind-boggling number of stars its brightness suggested. The absence of this telltale radiation strongly suggested that the ultra-dense stellar scenario was incorrect.

A New Type of Cosmic Object

After concluding the object couldn’t be a galaxy, the research team proposed it represents something entirely different: a “black hole star.” In this model, a massive black hole sits at the center, surrounded by extraordinarily dense clouds of gas 100 billion times thicker than what exists between stars normally.

This dense gas envelope would absorb and re-emit light from the central black hole in ways that mimic the signatures of old stars. The process creates what scientists call a “Balmer break, “a specific pattern in the light spectrum that was twice as strong in The Cliff as in any previously observed distant object.

“We argue that the Balmer break, emission lines, and absorption line are instead most plausibly explained by a black hole star scenario, in which dense gas surrounds a powerful ionising source,” the researchers wrote.

The black hole at the center would have to be feeding like there’s no tomorrow, gobbling up matter faster than physics textbooks say should be possible. This could explain both the object’s unusual light signature and its lack of X-ray emissions, since the dense gas would absorb most high-energy radiation.

How The Cliff Could Change Our View of the Early Universe

This discovery matters for more than just one strange object. Little red dots like The Cliff are surprisingly common in the early universe. Space telescopes find about one for every thousand galaxies they look at. If most of these aren’t actually galaxies but black hole stars instead, it would completely change how scientists think the universe grew up.

Right now, astronomers struggle to explain how black holes millions or billions of times heavier than our sun could have grown so large so quickly after the Big Bang. Black hole stars might be the missing piece of that puzzle, a phase of cosmic evolution that nobody knew existed.

The team admits their black hole star idea isn’t perfect. It still can’t explain everything about The Cliff’s light signature, especially in certain wavelengths. The real answer might involve additional pieces they haven’t thought of yet: maybe massive stars mixed in with the dense gas, or physics around black holes that scientists don’t fully understand.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/little-red-dot-black-hole-star-webb-space-telescope/

When teenagers stumble out of bed looking exhausted, many parents point fingers at late-night phone scrolling or video games. But a study following over 3,400 children for four years reveals something different: family conflict and parents’ mental health struggles show connections to teen sleep problems that extend beyond screen use alone.

Scientists found associations between parents experiencing psychological difficulties and teenagers who went to bed later, woke up later, and had poorer sleep quality overall. Family arguments and tension showed similar patterns, while appropriate parental monitoring was linked to better sleep quality.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, also uncovered a gender difference: girls whose parents showed more warmth tended to develop earlier sleep schedules, while boys showed no such pattern. However, this finding did not remain statistically significant when researchers used different analytical methods, suggesting caution in interpretation.

Family Environment Plays Key Role in Teen Sleep Patterns

Researchers from the University of Melbourne analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, tracking children from elementary school (ages 9-11) through middle school (ages 13-14). They measured family relationships in the earlier years and sleep patterns in the later ones.

The study used actigraphy (Fitbit devices worn for three weeks) to collect objective sleep data, though only participants with at least seven valid nights were included in analyses. This meant sleep timing and duration data were available for 1,161 participants, while sleep quality data came from parent questionnaires completed for the full sample of 3,419 participants.

The associations were consistent across measures, though the effect sizes were small. Parents dealing with mental health symptoms were linked to teens who went to bed and woke up later. These same teens also showed poorer overall sleep quality according to parent reports.

Households with frequent conflict showed similar patterns. These associations remained even after researchers accounted for age, socioeconomic status, pubertal development, and sex.

“Higher parental monitoring showed a positive association with sleep quality,” the researchers wrote in their paper.”Parental psychopathology was associated with later sleep timing, later chronotype, and poorer sleep quality.”

Screen Time Explains Part of the Family–Sleep Connection

The study found potential pathways linking family difficulties to sleep problems. Children from high-conflict homes or those with parents experiencing mental health challenges spent more time on screens. This increased screen use then partially explained some of the associations between family factors and sleep outcomes.

The researchers calculated what proportion of each association could be explained by screen use. For example, screen use accounted for about 25% of the link between family conflict and later chronotype (evening preference), and about 20% of the link between parental mental health problems and later chronotype.

Emotional regulation skills also played a role as a potential mediator. Teens with weaker emotional regulation showed poorer sleep quality, particularly in families with conflict or parental mental health issues.

“Adolescents in high-conflict households might turn to screens to escape family stress or manage negative emotions,” the researchers explained. While screens may provide temporary relief, excessive use can delay bedtime and increase mental stimulation before sleep.

Girls and Boys Show Different Responses to Parental Warmth

The research revealed what appeared to be a gender-specific pattern. Girls who experienced more parental warmth and acceptance developed earlier chronotypes (preferring to go to bed and wake up earlier). Boys showed no similar response to parental warmth.

“Sex moderated the association between parental warmth and earlier chronotype in girls” but not in boys, the study found.

However, when researchers re-analyzed the data using multiple imputation methods to handle missing data, this gender difference lost statistical significance. The authors noted this finding “warrants cautious interpretation” and requires further research to confirm.

Why Family Dynamics Matter for Teen Sleep Health

These findings add to existing approaches for adolescent sleep difficulties. Most current strategies focus on individual behaviors like enforcing bedtime routines and limiting device use. The research suggests that considering family-level factors could also play a role in comprehensive approaches.

For families, this means recognizing that household emotional climate and parental mental health may connect to teenage sleep patterns. Addressing family conflict and seeking support for parental mental health concerns could complement traditional sleep hygiene approaches.

Healthcare providers might consider broadening their assessment of teen sleep problems to include family dynamics and parental well-being alongside individual sleep behaviors.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/parents-who-regularly-fight-fuel-sleeping-problems-among-teens/

The merger of two black holes is a momentous event, revealing the wildest and most extreme configurations of space, time and gravity known to science.

Researchers have now gotten their best look yet at such an event based on the detection of ripples in space-time called gravitational waves in an observation that lends strong support to hypotheses from eminent physicists Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

The collision occurred 1.3 billion light-years from Earth in a galaxy beyond our Milky Way, and involved two black holes – one about 34 times the mass of the sun and the other about 32 times the sun’s mass. They merged in a fraction of a second after orbiting each other at nearly the speed of light, and left behind a single black hole around 63 times the mass of the sun that was spinning at approximately 100 revolutions per second.
A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). Black holes are extraordinarily dense objects with a gravitational pull so strong not even light can escape.

The merger unleashed a tremendous amount of energy that radiated outward as gravitational waves, an amount equivalent to pulverizing three sun-sized stars. These waves were detected on January 14 at research sites in Hanford, Washington and Livingston, Louisiana that are part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO.

These observations came about a decade after the groundbreaking first detection of gravitational waves, which were produced by a similar merger. Technological improvements since 2015 meant this merger was observed with four times better resolution than the prior one.

Gravitational waves propagate outward from a source like ripples in a pond. In this case, the pond is space-time, the four-dimensional fabric that combines the three dimensions of space – height, width and length – with the dimension of time.

“Thanks to Albert Einstein, we know that space and time are intertwined and are best thought of as facets of a single entity, space-time,” said astrophysicist Maximiliano Isi of Columbia University and the Flatiron Institute, one of the leaders of the study published on Wednesday in the journal Physical Review Letters

“This manifests, for example, in that time flows at different rates depending on where you are: close to a heavy object, like a black hole, time flows more slowly compared to someone farther away, so that someone close to a black hole would age more slowly,” Isi said.

The researchers analyzed the frequencies of the detected gravitational waves to discern fundamental qualities of the black holes immediately before and after the merger. While these frequencies were not sound waves, the researchers compared them to the ringing of a bell.

“This is just like trying to figure out what a bell is made out of from the ringing sound it makes when struck,” Isi said.

A large iron bell, for instance, makes a different sound than a small aluminum bell.

What the researchers learned based on the frequency of gravitational waves offered validation for a basic tenet of scientific understanding of black holes advanced by Hawking, who died in 2018.

Hawking hypothesized that the total surface area of black holes – specifically the surface area of the event horizon, the boundary beyond which nothing can escape – should never decrease. His hypothesis implies that the surface area of the single black hole produced in a merger should exceed the combined surface areas of the two black holes that merged.

This merger met that expectation. Before colliding, the black holes together had a total surface area of about 93,000 square miles (240,000 square km). The single black hole produced by the merger had a surface area of about 155,000 square miles (400,000 square km).

“This is the first time that we have been able to make this measurement so precisely, and it’s exciting to have direct experimental confirmation of such an important idea about the behavior of black holes,” said astrophysicist Will Farr of Stony Brook University and the Flatiron Institute, one of the study leaders.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/science/astronomers-get-best-view-yet-two-merging-black-holes-2025-09-10/

 

Two massive black holes crashed into each other 1.3 billion years ago, and the ripples from that cosmic collision just gave scientists the clearest look ever at how the universe really works. The signal, picked up on January 14, 2025, was so strong and clear that researchers could finally test some of the most ambitious predictions ever made about black holes.

The collision involved black holes each weighing about 30 times more than our sun. When they merged, the crash sent gravitational waves through space itself. These waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime that travel at the speed of light, and when they finally reached Earth after their 1.3-billion-year journey, they were detected by LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), a pair of incredibly sensitive instruments in Washington and Louisiana.

The signal registered three times stronger than anything scientists had detected before, achieving a network signal-to-noise ratio of 80 compared to just 26 for the first gravitational wave detection in 2015. LIGO works by using laser beams to measure tiny changes in distance caused by passing gravitational waves – changes so small they’re less than 1/10,000th the width of a proton.

Testing Einstein’s Bold Prediction About Black Holes

More than a century ago, Albert Einstein made a startling claim about black holes: no matter how chaotic and complicated the original stars were before they collapsed, the black holes they become are surprisingly simple. According to Einstein’s general relativity theory, you only need three properties to completely describe any black hole (mass, spin, and electric charge).

After the two black holes merged, the newly formed black hole had to settle down through a process called “ringdown,” similar to how a bell vibrates after being struck. Scientists analyzed these vibrations with extraordinary precision and found that the black hole’s frequencies behaved in line with Einstein’s equations, within about 30% of the predictions.

The team detected at least two distinct vibration patterns in the aftermath and confirmed that the frequencies matched Einstein’s century-old predictions to within about 30%. This marks the first time scientists had a signal clear enough to show that these cosmic monsters follow the rules of general relativity, even under the most extreme conditions the universe can produce.

Testing Hawking’s Area Law for Black Holes

The scientists also tested one of Stephen Hawking’s most famous theoretical contributions: the area law, which states that the total surface area of black hole event horizons can never decrease over time. The event horizon represents the boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape.

This principle connects black holes to fundamental thermodynamic laws that govern energy and entropy in physical systems. Hawking proposed that black holes have temperature and entropy like any other thermodynamic system, making them far more sophisticated than simple cosmic vacuum cleaners.

To test this law, researchers measured the surface areas of the two original black holes and compared them to the area of the final merged black hole. Using different portions of the gravitational wave signal, they confirmed that the final black hole’s area exceeded the sum of the original areas with extremely high confidence. As the research paper states: “In all cases, the remnant’s event horizon area exceeds the total initial area at high credibility, in agreement with Hawking’s law.”

Why This Detection Breaks New Ground

When the LIGO first detected gravitational waves in 2015, that historic discovery involved similar-sized black holes but produced a relatively weak signal that limited the types of scientific tests researchers could perform. The dramatic improvement in this latest detection stems from years of technological upgrades to the LIGO instruments.

The detectors now operate near their design sensitivity and incorporate advanced quantum technologies that reduce noise from the measurement process itself. This leap in precision allows scientists to extract far more information from each detection.

Rather than just confirming that gravitational waves exist, scientists can now use these cosmic messengers to probe fundamental physics in ways impossible to recreate on Earth. Each new detection adds to humanity’s growing catalog of cosmic mergers and helps researchers understand how black holes form and evolve throughout the universe’s history.

Future detector networks and next-generation observatories promise even greater insights into the cosmos. After billions of years of black hole collisions occurring throughout the universe, humans have finally developed instruments sensitive enough to detect these gravitational waves and test Einstein’s predictions under the most extreme conditions nature provides.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/black-hole-collision-loudest-space-signal-ever/

Cancer patients who regularly consumed sucralose, the artificial sweetener found in Splenda and many diet products, were less likely to benefit from immunotherapy and experienced shorter survival, according to new research. The study reveals a surprising connection between everyday food choices and how well cutting-edge cancer treatments work.

Scientists analyzed dietary data from 91 patients with advanced melanoma and another 41 patients with lung cancer before they began immunotherapy treatment. An additional 25 patients with high-risk melanoma were studied in a separate preventive treatment group. Those consuming more than 0.16 milligrams of sucralose per kilogram of body weight daily (about 0.07 milligrams per pound) had significantly lower response rates and shorter progression-free survival.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center then turned to laboratory experiments to understand why. The study, published in Cancer Discovery, concludes that sucralose alters gut bacteria in ways that deprive immune cells of the nutrients they need to fight cancer.

How Sucralose May Disrupt Cancer Treatment

Laboratory experiments with cancer-bearing mice revealed the likely mechanism behind these poorer outcomes. When researchers gave mice sucralose-laced water, tumors grew larger and fewer animals survived compared to those drinking regular water. Mice given sugar water did not show these problems, suggesting the effect was specific to sucralose rather than sweetness in general.

Analysis of immune cells showed that sucralose consumption left T cells, which are immune cells that cancer immunotherapy drugs are designed to activate, exhausted and less functional. These weakened T cells produced fewer cancer-fighting molecules and had lower energy reserves.

Direct effects of sucralose on T cells in lab dishes were modest. Instead, the bigger impact came from changes in gut bacteria. Sucralose shifted the balance of microbes, encouraging strains that break down arginine, an amino acid that fuels T cells. Blood and tumor tissue from sucralose-consuming mice showed depleted arginine levels.

To confirm that gut bacteria were responsible, researchers transferred stool samples from sucralose-consuming mice to healthy animals. The recipient mice developed the same resistance to immunotherapy, strongly supporting the idea that bacterial changes were driving the effect.

Reversing the Damage

Scientists also found a way to restore treatment response in mice. When they added citrulline, an amino acid the body converts into arginine, to water, the negative effects of sucralose were reversed. Mice consuming both sucralose and citrulline responded normally to immunotherapy, showing tumor shrinkage and improved survival.

Similarly, transferring gut bacteria from mice that responded well to immunotherapy helped restore treatment effectiveness in sucralose-consuming animals, particularly when combined with antibiotics beforehand.

What This Means for Patients

Sucralose is common in tabletop sweeteners, processed foods, beverages, medications, and supplements throughout the American diet. In this study, patients who consumed more than 0.16 mg/kg/day (about 0.07 milligrams per pound of body weight per day) faced higher risk of poor outcomes. The researchers note, however, that their dietary questionnaire did not provide enough detail to calculate exact intake from specific foods or drinks, so this figure cannot be directly translated into cans of soda or packets of sweetener.

Cancer immunotherapy costs over $100,000 annually and works for fewer than half of patients. These treatments have transformed care for previously untreatable diseases. If diet factors like sucralose undermine treatment effectiveness, addressing them could be a simple way to improve outcomes and reduce costs.

The research also raises broader questions about the safety of artificial sweeteners. While regulatory agencies have long considered sucralose safe based on toxicity studies, this study shows it may have immune system and gut bacteria effects at consumption levels once thought harmless.

Earlier studies found sucralose can alter gut bacteria and glucose metabolism in healthy people. This new work is the first to connect those changes directly to cancer treatment response, suggesting that what patients eat and drink could have life-and-death consequences during therapy.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/sweetener-sucralos-cancer-treatment-effectiveness/

 

Study Shows Quick Fixes For Ice Loss Are Too Costly and Risky

Playing specially designed video games might do more than entertain older adults with memory problems. A new study suggests these games could potentially help protect brain regions vulnerable to early Alzheimer’s disease, though the research is still exploratory.

Scientists found that people with mild cognitive impairment who played exergames (video games that combine physical movement with thinking tasks) showed increases in brain volume in areas crucial for memory. Some of these brain changes were also weakly linked with better performance on memory tests.

How Doctors Turned Games Into Medicine

Researchers studied 30 older adults with an average age of 72 who had mild neurocognitive disorder, the medical term for mild cognitive impairment. Most participants (87%) had laboratory evidence pointing to the cause of their memory problems, with 62% showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Half the group received their usual medical care. The other half also used a gaming system called Brain-IT at home. Players stood on a pressure-sensitive platform and controlled games by moving their bodies while solving puzzles. The system also included breathing exercises designed to help with stress and focus.

Each participant was instructed to train at least five times a week for 12 weeks, with each session lasting at least 24 minutes. On average, participants completed about 71 sessions, or nearly six per week. The games adjusted automatically depending on each person’s performance, creating a personalized workout for both body and brain.

Brain Scans Show Volume Increases in Memory-Linked Regions

After three months, brain scans revealed differences between the groups. People who used the gaming system showed increases in gray matter volume in several brain regions, including the hippocampus (the brain’s main memory center), thalamus, and anterior cingulate cortex.

The hippocampus findings are especially notable. In Alzheimer’s disease, this region typically shrinks as memory declines. Seeing increases in hippocampal volume runs counter to what doctors usually expect.

The study, published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, also found signals of a protective effect on the brain’s white matter, the internal wiring that helps different regions communicate. Advanced imaging showed higher integrity measures in the intervention group compared to controls, suggesting preserved connectivity.

Importantly, increases in hippocampal and thalamic volume were weakly correlated with better scores on delayed memory tasks. The authors stress these were modest links, not proof that every brain change led to a memory gain.

More Engaging Than Exercise Alone

Previous research has shown that physical exercise benefits brain health. However, this study suggests that combining movement with thinking challenges and technology may offer additional benefits.

The training delivered multiple forms of stimulation — visual, auditory, and tactile feedback — that required players to coordinate their movements while solving problems. This multisensory approach may help the brain form new connections more effectively than traditional exercise programs.

Participants stuck with the program. Across 12 weeks, they logged nearly 1,700 minutes of training, showing they found the games engaging rather than tedious.

The study does have limitations. With only 30 people, the results need confirmation in larger trials. The three-month timeframe doesn’t show whether benefits last long-term or require ongoing training. The group was predominantly male, and the small sample size means that the results may not be applicable to everyone.

Researchers also couldn’t tease apart which component was most helpful: the physical activity, the mental challenges, the breathing exercises, or the combination.

A Promising Step Forward

Despite these limitations, the findings are encouraging. Hippocampal shrinkage has long been considered an inevitable part of Alzheimer’s progression. Finding an intervention that may help counteract this shrinkage represents a novel approach to treating memory problems.

The technology-based approach also has practical advantages. Unlike many medical treatments, gaming can happen at home, making it potentially more accessible. The system automatically adjusts difficulty and tracks progress, allowing it to be standardized while still tailored to individuals.

Right now, treatments for mild cognitive impairment mainly focus on slowing decline rather than improving function. This exploratory research suggests that with the right approach, partial recovery of memory and brain structure might be possible.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/video-games-tackle-early-alzheimers-signs/

 

Pregnancy loss brings grief, no matter how early it happens. Experts share advice for recovery, knowing when you’re ready to try again, and how to prepare both mind and body for getting pregnant again after a miscarriage.

You were elated when the pregnancy test showed two pink lines. Now, your dreams of becoming a mother are shattered, leaving nothing but grief and a sense of emptiness.

A miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of pregnancy before the 20th week. Occurring in about one in five pregnancies, the risk increases with age. In women over 40, miscarriage occurs in more than one in two pregnancies, said Dr Nur Azleen Sidek, associate consultant with the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at National University Hospital (NUH).

Beyond the physical recovery, the emotional weight of a miscarriage – the lingering sense of pain, isolation, anxiety and grief – can feel overwhelming for the woman.

Dr Sanveen Kang, clinical psychologist and founder of Psych Connect, noted that such feelings often stem from a sense of shame, loss of purpose or a belief that their bodies have somehow let them down. There is also a sense of guilt that the loss is their fault, even when that is not the case, she said.

“Trying again after a miscarriage can both be a hopeful and terrifying decision. For many women, the desire to grow their family co-exists with deep anxiety, grief and fear of another loss,” Dr Kang explained.

Understanding what happens after a miscarriage can help women prepare physically and mentally for the next chapter of their fertility journey.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BODY AFTER A MISCARRIAGE?

During a miscarriage, some women may notice a drop in nausea due to a drop in the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) pregnancy hormone, said Dr Jessie Phoon, obstetrician and gynaecologist, and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) clinician at STO+G Practice.

“Physically, there may be more cramps and vaginal bleeding, though some women may not experience any changes,” Dr Phoon said.

After the pregnancy loss, HCG levels will gradually decline. “Women should expect their menses to return by around four to six weeks later, or even slightly longer, depending on how far along the pregnancy was,” said Dr Azleen.

 

Invisible bursts of radiation that happen inside thunderstorms may hold the key to one of nature’s most spectacular mysteries: how lightning actually begins. Scientists have found that these high-energy flashes, known as terrestrial gamma ray flashes, don’t just accompany lightning strikes—they may help set the stage for them.

For decades, researchers struggled to explain lightning’s first step. Storm clouds build up electrical charge, but the measured electric fields often seemed too weak to spark such enormous discharges. Now, a team led by Victor Pasko at Penn State University suggests the missing piece is a process called photoelectric feedback, in which radiation inside the storm sets off a chain reaction of particles.

Scientists Close In on a 30-Year Mystery

Gamma ray flashes were first spotted by satellites in 1994, coming from thunderstorms. They puzzled scientists because they originated from small, dim regions of storms rather than the bright, crackling areas where lightning is usually seen. The flashes lasted just millionths of a second but carried surprising amounts of energy.

The hype around protein intake doesn’t seem to be going away. Social media is full of people urging you to eat more protein, including via supplements such as protein shakes. Food companies have also started highlighting protein content on food packages to promote sales.

But is all the extra protein giving us any benefit – and can you have too much protein?

Animal protein isn’t linked to a shorter life — and may even offer some protection against cancer.

A large new analysis of nearly 16,000 U.S. adults followed for up to 18 years found no evidence that eating animal protein raises the risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, or any other cause. More surprising still: animal protein appeared to offer modest protection against cancer death.

Meanwhile, plant protein showed no clear survival benefit in this dataset, contrasting with some earlier studies that suggested advantages for vegetarian diets.

Published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, this analysis challenges a controversial 2014 study that claimed high animal protein intake increased cancer risk by more than four times in middle-aged adults. That earlier research helped fuel the plant-based movement and convinced millions of Americans to swap their steaks for salads.

“Our data do not support the thesis that source-specific protein intake is associated with greater mortality risk; however, animal protein may be mildly protective for cancer mortality,” the researchers concluded in their paper. It’s also worth noting that the study was funded by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; however, the authors stated that the sponsor had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript preparation.

Large-Scale Study Finds No Link Between Animal Protein and Death Risk

Led by Stuart Phillips, a professor at McMaster University, the study followed 15,937 adults aged 19 and older, tracking nearly 4,000 deaths between 1988 and 2006. Unlike many earlier studies that relied on people’s memories of what they ate, this analysis used more sophisticated methods to estimate what people typically consumed over time.

The results were reassuring for meat eaters. People who ate more animal protein weren’t any more likely to die early than people who ate less. That was true for deaths from all causes combined, as well as deaths specifically from heart disease. Plant protein showed the same pattern: no sign that it extended life, but also no sign of harm.

But when the researchers zeroed in on cancer deaths, they noticed something unexpected. People who ate more animal protein were actually less likely to die of cancer. The effect wasn’t huge, but it was clear: eating a little more animal protein each day was tied to a small reduction in cancer deaths.

And when researchers looked at bigger differences in intake, the numbers became more striking. People who ate the equivalent of about half an ounce more animal protein a day had roughly a 20% lower risk of dying from cancer. Those who ate about an ounce more had close to a 40% lower risk.

Plant protein, on the other hand, didn’t seem to affect cancer deaths in either direction.

Why These Results Differ From Previous Cancer Studies

So why did this study come to such different conclusions than the famous 2014 paper that warned against meat? It comes down to how the studies were designed.

Earlier studies often divided people into uneven groups — for example, “low protein” eaters versus “high protein” eaters — and then compared outcomes between them. That can lead to skewed results, especially if the groups are small or imbalanced.

The new study, however, looked across the entire spectrum of protein intake and used more advanced modeling to account for errors in how diets are typically measured. It even used the same government dataset as the controversial 2014 study but reanalyzed it in a more rigorous way.

The 2014 study claimed that people aged 50 to 65 who ate the most protein were four times more likely to die of cancer than those who ate the least. But in this new analysis, no such spike in risk was seen for that age group. In fact, the opposite pattern emerged: animal protein was linked to a modest protective effect against cancer.

The researchers also investigated a hormone called IGF-1, which rises when people eat protein and has been suggested as a possible cancer promoter. But here again, the data didn’t support the fear. People with higher or lower IGF-1 levels were no more likely to die of cancer, heart disease, or any other cause.

What These Findings Mean for American Diets

With nearly 16,000 participants and close to 4,000 deaths, this study had substantial statistical power to detect meaningful associations. The demographic makeup broadly represented the American population across different age ranges.

Researchers controlled for factors that could affect results: age, sex, physical activity level, smoking status, and total calorie intake. When they included both animal and plant protein in their statistical models simultaneously, animal protein retained its protective association while plant protein showed no effect.

The protective effect remained even after accounting for plant protein intake, suggesting the link wasn’t simply due to people eating less of something else. Still, the study can’t prove cause and effect.

These results don’t mean people should abandon plant-based diets or consume unlimited meat. The study examined protein sources in isolation, not overall eating patterns. Plant foods provide fiber, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds that weren’t measured here. The research also didn’t distinguish between different types of animal protein such as processed versus unprocessed meats.

However, the results do suggest that widespread fears about animal protein’s effects on longevity may be misplaced. For millions of Americans who enjoy meat, eggs, and dairy products, this research provides reassurance that these foods aren’t shortening their lives.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/animal-protein-linked-to-lower-cancer-death-risk/

Researchers at New York University have built a wireless capsule the size of a large vitamin that rats can swallow, giving scientists a unique way to shine light into their digestive systems without surgery. The device opens new doors for studying the enteric nervous system, a network of neurons in the gut often nicknamed the “second brain” in popular science. In the study itself, the researchers describe it as the body’s second-largest collection of neurons after the brain.

Scientists have long struggled to study gut neurons because traditional methods require cutting animals open, which damages tissue and disrupts normal gut function. The new capsule, called ICOPS (Ingestible Capsule for Optical Stimulation), travels naturally through the digestive tract while delivering light to specially engineered neurons.

Not only is it the first swallowable optical stimulation device designed for rodents, but it’s manufactured entirely through 3D printing without needing expensive chip-making facilities.

Wireless Power Makes the Magic Happen

The capsule is designed for use with optogenetics, a method that engineers neurons to act like light switches. When equipped with special proteins, neurons can be turned on or off with flashes of light. ICOPS uses a micro-LED that operates at about 470 nanometers, emitting predominantly at 460 nanometers, a wavelength known to trigger common optogenetic proteins.

Traditional electrical stimulation can’t match this precision because it activates all nearby nerve cells at once, like flipping every switch in a house instead of just one.

At 2.7 millimeters wide and 18 millimeters long, the capsule weighs just 0.22 grams and passes through rat digestive systems naturally within 20 hours. The device doesn’t need batteries, which would make it too large and potentially dangerous. Instead, it receives energy through magnetic fields generated by external coils.

Scientists place test animals inside a specially designed cage equipped with four spiral coils. These coils create magnetic fields that power the device as rats move freely around their cage. The system works at distances up to 14 centimeters (about the length of a dollar bill) and even when the capsule rotates 75 degrees. The coils operate at low frequencies of 45–63 kHz to minimize tissue heating and stay within international safety limits.

Engineering Challenges Solved with Tiny Components

Building sufficient power into such a tiny device required some serious engineering creativity. The research team at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering packed a receiver coil with 460 turns of copper wire around a ferrite core, paired with a micro-LED and capacitor to optimize power transfer. Picture wrapping thread around a toothpick 460 times, but much more precisely, and you get the idea of the coil complexity.

The transparent plastic housing allows about 80% of blue light to pass through while protecting the guts of the device. Lab tests confirmed durability by soaking three devices in simulated gastric fluid for two days. All kept working perfectly, showing the capsule can handle the harsh conditions inside a digestive system.

When researchers checked how hot the device gets during operation, they found only a 2-degree Celsius increase during extended use, well within safe limits for living tissue. The modest heating happens because the blue LED generates some heat, but the capsule’s surface area lets it cool efficiently.

Safety analysis confirmed the magnetic fields stay within occupational exposure limits set by international radiation protection guidelines. The team measured specific absorption rates, which track how much electromagnetic energy tissues absorb, and found levels well below established safety thresholds.

From Idea to Working Gadget

Scientists built their device entirely through high-precision 3D printing that builds objects layer by layer using light. This approach avoids expensive semiconductor fabrication facilities typically needed for such precision electronics, making the technology accessible to research institutions worldwide and allowing rapid tweaking of design variations.

Researchers successfully printed hundreds of device housings at once, supporting high-volume production at relatively low cost. The simple circuit design contains only three main parts (receiver coil, capacitor, and LED), keeping complexity and expenses manageable.

In live rat studies, scientists successfully tracked the capsule’s journey using micro-CT imaging, which easily spots the metal coil components against surrounding tissue. The device maintained consistent power delivery regardless of where animals positioned themselves or how active they got, proving it functions during normal digestive transit.

Testing revealed the capsule works effectively up to 14 centimeters lengthwise and 9 centimeters sideways from the power source. The device even keeps functioning when rotated 75 degrees relative to the magnetic field, ensuring reliable operation as it moves through the curved digestive tract.

What This Enables and Current Roadblocks

The device lets researchers study gut neurons without the headaches of surgical implants, including tissue damage, infection risk, and behavioral changes that can throw off experimental results. Animals stay in their natural state while scientists deliver light at specific locations along the digestive tract.

Several limitations currently restrict what the technology can do. The study only tested rats using a small sample size. The device only works on specially engineered lab rats whose gut cells have been modified to respond to light, like installing biological light switches. Current designs work only once and operate exclusively with blue light wavelengths.

The technology also depends on external power systems that keep animal mobility limited to specially equipped cages. While rats can move freely within the cage, they can’t venture outside the magnetic field range generated by the coil system.

Researchers note that no actual light-controlled neuron experiments happened in this initial study. The work focused on proving the device concept and showing wireless power delivery actually works. Future research will need to demonstrate whether the light output can effectively control genetically modified gut neurons in living animals.

Manufacturing Innovation Opens New Doors

The 3D printing approach breaks away from traditional microelectronics manufacturing. Instead of relying on clean room facilities and semiconductor fabrication techniques, researchers used readily available printing technology to create precision components.

This manufacturing strategy enables rapid iteration and customization. The team designed custom molds with built-in channels for threading tiny wires and anchoring points for soldering, eliminating many traditional assembly headaches. The modular approach lets researchers easily swap different LED types or modify circuit components.

Future versions could pack in multiple LEDs emitting different wavelengths, letting researchers target various light-sensitive proteins at the same time. Such upgrades could allow scientists to activate some neurons while silencing others within the same experiment, providing more sophisticated control over gut neural circuits.

The research team also envisions scaling the technology for different animal models, though human applications remain distant and would require extensive additional development to meet medical device standards and safety requirements.

This swallowable light source represents an early but important step toward better tools for studying gut neuroscience. While current applications focus on basic research in laboratory animals, the underlying wireless power and miniaturization technologies could eventually inform development of therapeutic devices for human digestive disorders.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/first-swallowable-light-capsule-for-rats-could-transform-gut-research/

In A Nutshell

• Most of food chemistry is still unknown: Beyond calories and nutrients, our diet contains 26,000+ compounds — most unstudied “nutritional dark matter.”
• Hidden compounds may drive health or harm: Molecules like TMAO (from red meat/eggs) raise heart risk, while garlic can block its production; gut microbes turn fruit compounds into health-boosting urolithins.
• Food affects genes and generations: Diet can switch genes on/off through epigenetics, shaping disease risk even in children of malnourished mothers.
• Foodomics is mapping the ‘food universe’: Projects like the Foodome are cataloguing 130,000+ food molecules to uncover how diet truly impacts health and disease.

When scientists cracked the human genome in 2003 – sequencing the entire genetic code of a human being – many expected it would unlock the secrets of disease. But genetics explained only about 10% of the risk. The other 90% lies in the environment – and diet plays a huge part.

Worldwide, poor diet is linked to around one in five deaths among adults aged 25 years or older. In Europe, it accounts for nearly half of all cardiovascular deaths. But despite decades of advice about cutting fat, salt or sugar, obesity and diet-related illness have continued to rise. Clearly, something is missing from the way we think about food.

For years, nutrition has often been framed in fairly simple terms: food as fuel and nutrients as the body’s building blocks. Proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins – about 150 known chemicals in total – have dominated the picture. But scientists now estimate our diet actually delivers more than 26,000 compounds, with most of them still uncharted.

Here is where astronomy provides a useful comparison. Astronomers know that dark matter makes up about 27% of the universe. It doesn’t emit or reflect light, and so it cannot be seen directly but its gravitational effects reveal that it must exist.

Nutrition science faces something similar. The vast majority of chemicals in food are invisible to us in terms of research. We consume them every day, but we have little idea what they do.

Some experts refer to these unknown molecules as “nutritional dark matter.” It’s a reminder that just as the cosmos is filled with hidden forces, our diet is packed with hidden chemistry.

When researchers analyze disease, they look at a vast array of foods, although any association often cannot be matched to known molecules. This is the dark matter of nutrition – the compounds we ingest daily but haven’t been mapped or studied. Some may encourage health, but others may increase the risk of disease. The challenge is finding out which do what.

Foodomics

The field of foodomics aims to do exactly that. It brings together genomics (the role of genes), proteomics (proteins), metabolomics (cell activity) and nutrigenomics (the interaction of genes and diet).

These approaches are starting to reveal how diet interacts with the body in ways far beyond calories and vitamins.

Take the Mediterranean diet (filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish, with limited red meat and sweets), for example, which is known to reduce the risk of heart disease.

But why does it work? One clue lies in a molecule called TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide), produced when gut bacteria metabolize compounds in red meat and eggs. High levels of TMAO increase the risk of heart disease. But garlic, for example, contains substances that block its production. This is one example of how diet can tip the balance between health and harm.

Gut bacteria also play a major role. When compounds reach the colon, microbes transform them into new chemicals that can affect inflammation, immunity and metabolism.

For example, ellagic acid – found in various fruits and nuts – is converted by gut bacteria into urolithins. These are a group of natural compounds that help keep our mitochondria (the body’s energy factories) healthy.

This shows how food is a complex web of interacting chemicals. One compound can influence many biological mechanisms, which in turn can affect many others. Diet can even switch genes on or off through epigenetics – changes in gene activity that don’t alter DNA itself.

History has provided stark examples of this. For example, children born to mothers who endured famine in the Netherlands during the Second World War were more likely to develop heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and schizophrenia later in life. Decades on, scientists found their gene activity had been altered by what their mothers ate – or didn’t eat – while pregnant.

Mapping The Food Universe

Projects such as the Foodome Project are now attempting to catalogue this hidden chemical universe. More than 130,000 molecules have already been listed, linking food compounds to human proteins, gut microbes and disease processes. The aim is to build an atlas of how diet interacts with the body, and to pinpoint which molecules really matter for health.

The hope is that by understanding nutritional dark matter, we can answer questions that have long frustrated nutrition science. Why do certain diets work for some people but not others? Why do foods sometimes prevent, and sometimes promote, disease? Which food molecules could be harnessed to develop new drugs, or new foods?

Source : https://studyfinds.org/what-exactly-are-you-eating-nutritional-dark-matter-your-food

 

A class of drugs called beta-blockers — used for decades as a first-line treatment after a heart attack— doesn’t benefit the vast majority of patients and may contribute to a higher risk of hospitalization and death in some women but not in men, according to groundbreaking new research.

“These findings will reshape all international clinical guidelines on the use of beta-blockers in men and women and should spark a long-needed, sex-specific approach to treatment for cardiovascular disease,” said senior study author Dr. Valentin Fuster, president of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City and general director of the National Center for Cardiovascular Investigation in Madrid.

Women with little heart damage after their heart attacks who were treated with beta-blockers were significantly more likely to have another heart attack or be hospitalized for heart failure — and nearly three times more likely to die — compared with women not given the drug, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal and also scheduled to be presented Saturday at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid.

“This was especially true for women receiving high doses of beta-blockers,” said lead study author Dr. Borja Ibáñez, scientific director for Madrid’s National Center for Cardiovascular Investigation.

“The total number of women in the clinical trial was the largest ever included in a study testing beta-blockers after myocardial infarction (heart attack), so this is a significant finding,” said Ibáñez, a cardiologist at Madrid’s Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital.

The findings, however, only applied to women with a left ventricular ejection fraction above 50%, which is considered normal function, the study said. Ejection fraction is a way of measuring how well the left side of the heart is pumping oxygenated blood throughout the body. For anyone with a score below 40% after a heart attack, beta-blockers continue to be the standard of care due to their ability to calm heart arrhythmias that may trigger a second event.

Still, the drug can have unpleasant side effects, said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver.

“The drugs can lead to low blood pressure, low heart rate, erectile dysfunction, fatigue and mood swings,” said Freeman, who was not involved in the research. “Anytime we use these drugs, we always have to balance risk versus benefit.”

Why would women be more susceptible to harm from beta-blockers than men?

“That’s actually not surprising,” Freeman said. “Gender has a lot to do with how people respond to medication. In many cases, women have smaller hearts. They’re more sensitive to blood pressure medications. Some of that may have to do with size, and some may have to do with other factors we have yet to fully understand.”

In fact, because early research on the heart focused on men, it took medical science years to discover that heart disease presents differently in women. Men typically have plaque buildup in their major arteries and experience more traditional signs of a heart attack such as chest pain. Women are more likely to have plaque in the heart’s smaller blood vessels and can have more unusual symptoms of a heart attack such as back pain, indigestion and shortness of breath.

Advances in treatment lessen need for beta-blockers

The analysis on women was part of a much larger clinical trial called REBOOT — Treatment with Beta-Blockers after Myocardial Infarction without Reduced Ejection Fraction — which followed 8,505 men and women treated for heart attacks at 109 hospitals in Spain and Italy for nearly four years.

Results of the study were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and also presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

None of the patients in the trial had a left ventricular ejection fraction below 40%, a sign of potential heart failure.

“We found no benefit in using beta-blockers for men or women with preserved heart function after heart attack despite this being the standard of care for some 40 years,” said Fuster, former editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and past president of the American Heart Association and the World Health Federation.

That’s likely due to advances in medication treatment such as the immediate use of stents and blood thinners after patients arrive at the hospital. In fact, most men and women who survive heart attacks today have ejection fractions above 50%, Ibáñez said.

“Yet at this time, some 80% of patients in the US, Europe and Asia are treated with beta-blockers because medical guidelines still recommend them,” he said. “While we often test new drugs, it’s much less common to rigorously question the continued need for older treatments.”

While the study did not find any need to use beta-blockers for people with a left ventricular ejection fraction above 50% after a heart attack, a separate meta-analysis of 1,885 patients published Saturday in The Lancet did find benefits for those with scores between 40% and 50%, in which the heart may be mildly damaged.

Source : https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/30/health/heart-attack-beta-blockers-wellness

How can we live longer? The eternal question, and one that scientists have long been trying to answer.

We know that diet, exercise, and genes play a big role in the aging process and how long each of us might be alive for. We also know that certain drugs or medicines have the potential to increase our lifespan. Though there’s still a lot we don’t know about what makes one person live to 102 and another only make it to 72.

But one new study seems to suggest that psilocybin, found in so-called “magic mushrooms,” could have potential as a longevity drug. In a new study, researchers found that psilocin – the compound your body makes after ingesting psilocybin – helped human cells live longer in the lab and that psilocybin boosted survival rates in older mice.

The study has led to numerous headlines claiming that magic mushrooms could be the secret to living longer. But as someone who’s been studying psychedelic compounds like psilocybin, for the past 20 years – with a specific focus on human and rodent psychedelic dosing – I think the claims have been massively overhyped and that applying the findings to humans is deeply problematic.

A Closer Look At The Magic Mushroom Study

The research took place in two stages. The first part was a simple experiment, where researchers treated human lung cells with psilocin. They found that over time, these cells grew slightly faster than the cells that didn’t receive psilocin and survived longer – on average, the psilocybin treated cells lived 28.5% longer.

They also examined markers of cellular health, specifically looking at how many cells showed signs of aging, and found fewer age-related markers in the psilocin-treated cells.

Next, the researchers carried out a study using older mice that received either a placebo or psilocybin. The mice receiving the psilocybin were first given a dose of five milligrams for every kilogram they weighed to help them acclimatize to the drug, then for the following nine months, they received a higher dose of 15 milligrams (for every kilogram) once a month. The mice were then monitored until they died.

Psilocybin was found to extend the lifespan in mice, with treated animals beginning to die around 25 months of age compared with 21 months for those who didn’t receive it.

After ten months of treatment, 80% of the psilocybin group was still alive, while only half of the untreated mice had survived. The treated mice also appeared younger, with healthier fur showing less graying and more new growth, suggesting the drug may have slowed some aspects of aging.

High Doses, High Risk

So why is this happening? Well, scientists already know that psilocin activates many serotonin receptors in the brain and acts as an antioxidant (a substance that can prevent or slow down cell damage), both of which promote cell survival and growth. So this could be playing a part.

Another thing to consider is that one of these brain receptors – the 2C receptor – which isn’t linked to psychedelic effects, controls appetite and metabolism.

And here’s the thing: we already know that eating less can reliably extend lifespan. So, at the very least, the study should have told us how much the mice were eating and how their weight changed throughout the study – just to make sure their longer lives weren’t simply because they were eating less.

But here’s the real issue, a dose of 15 milligrams per kilogram in mice reflects an extremely high psychedelic dose. Administering this dose monthly for up to nine months has never been done in human studies. In fact, rodents exposed to repeated high doses of psychedelics have, in previous studies, displayed signs of schizophrenia.

It´s worth adding that in terms of animal to human dosage, it’s not quite as straightforward as adjusting for weight, as smaller animals have a faster heart rate and metabolize drugs faster. But even taking these things into account, the amount of psilocybin given to the mice would be equal to a human taking more than seven grams of mushrooms. For context, that’s more than double what’s considered a strong or “heroic” dose for most people – a typical dose is between one and three grams.

Psychedelic Boom

So where does this leave us? Well, psilocybin and other psychedelics have received a lot of attention over the past few years, particularly so in the world of mental health research, with numerous studies (and individuals) reporting positive effects.

Some U.S. states, like Oregon and Colorado have eased access to recreational psilocybin and other countries like Germany, the Czech Republic and Australia have bypassed regulatory systems altogether to provide psilocybin in cases of severe depression.

This is concerning though, because when misused or taken in very high doses, magic mushrooms, or psilocybin, can sometimes lead to long-term psychological issues, such as persistent anxiety and paranoia and in rare cases, visual disturbances can continue long after the drug has worn off. Indeed, during the 1960s and 1970s, some studies were carried out on patients in dubious settings and with high doses that led to bad experiences.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/longevity-drug-magic-mushrooms-not-key/

Doctors have long relied on measurements like body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratios to assess health risks. However, researchers are increasingly focusing their attention on an unexpected indicator: neck circumference.

A thick neck might project strength, like that of heavyweight boxers or rugby players, but studies suggest it could signal a concerning health issue.

BMI, which divides weight by height to estimate body fat, doesn’t always tell the complete story. A competitive bodybuilder might have a high BMI, but clearly isn’t obese. This is where neck circumference offers additional insight.

Research shows that people with larger necks relative to their body size face increased risks of several serious health conditions. The connection lies in what neck size reveals about fat distribution, particularly in the upper body.

This fat around your upper body releases fatty acids into your blood, which can interfere with how your body manages cholesterol, blood sugar and heart rhythm. Essentially, neck circumference serves as a proxy for visceral fat – the harmful fat that wraps around your organs.

The evidence linking neck size to health problems is striking. People with thicker necks show increased rates of several cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

Atrial fibrillation is particularly concerning. This condition causes irregular heartbeat and blood flow, potentially leading to blood clots and stroke. The electrical imbalance in the heart can eventually progress to heart failure.

Neck circumference also correlates with coronary heart disease, where the main arteries to the heart narrow and restrict oxygen-rich blood flow.

But cardiovascular problems aren’t the only concern. Larger neck circumference increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. Diabetes can lead to serious long-term complications, including vision loss and limb amputations.

There’s also a connection to sleep disorders. Thick necks have been linked to obstructive sleep apnea, where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. This condition causes extreme daytime fatigue and strains the cardiovascular system. People with sleep apnea face higher risks of car accidents due to their exhaustion.

So what constitutes a risky neck size? For men, 17 inches (43cm) or greater increases health risks. For women, the threshold is 14 inches (35.5cm) or greater.

Perhaps most surprisingly, these risks persist even in people with normal BMI. You could have a healthy weight according to traditional measures, but still face elevated health risks due to neck circumference.

And for each additional centimeter of neck circumference beyond these thresholds, death rates and hospitalization rates increase.

What This Means For You

If your neck measures above these thresholds, it’s not cause for panic – but it is worth taking seriously. Neck size represents just one piece of your overall health picture, but it’s an important one that’s often overlooked.

The good news is that neck circumference can change with lifestyle modifications. Cardiovascular exercise and weight training can help reduce upper-body fat. Quality sleep supports metabolic regulation and recovery. A balanced diet rich in pulses, fruits, and vegetables provides essential nutrients without excess calories.

Measuring your neck takes seconds with a tape measure. Simply wrap it around the narrowest part of your neck, ensuring the tape is snug but not tight.

This simple measurement could provide valuable insight into health risks that traditional metrics might miss. While neck circumference shouldn’t replace other health assessments, it offers another tool for understanding your cardiovascular and metabolic health.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/what-your-neck-size-reveals-about-your-health/

Your brother covers your rent. Mom helps with groceries. Dad lends money for car repairs. These everyday exchanges add up to a hidden economy worth about $52 billion, and many families say it’s hurting their relationships.

More than half of respondents have borrowed money from friends or family, according to a new JG Wentworth survey of 1,267 people. While these informal loans can help during a crunch, they often come with a cost: nearly half say the arrangement caused serious conflicts, and three-quarters say they weren’t as close afterward.

With research showing U.S. credit-card balances at roughly $1.18 trillion in early 2025, it’s no surprise people look to loved ones for help. But mixing money and relationships can create problems that outlast the debt.

Who Respondents Ask for Money, and How Much They Borrow

When money gets tight, people most commonly turn to their family. In this survey, parents (77.7%), siblings (75.8%), and grandparents (75.7%) were the top sources; cousins (75.5%), aunts (73.7%), and uncles (73.4%) followed.

Friends barely registered at 2.8%, and romantic partners at 2.0%, underscoring how rarely people lean on non-family for cash.

Nearly half (48.3%) said they would be most likely to ask a family member for money with no expectation of repayment, but only 1.1% said they’d do the same with a friend. By contrast, 45.5% said they’d rather take out a formal loan or use credit than borrow from personal relationships.

On average, respondents reported borrowing $297 from friends or family, and still owing $237. About half (50.3%) of those with outstanding balances worry they won’t be able to repay in full.

When good intentions go wrong

The informal nature of many family loans leads to friction. Just over half of lenders (54.5%) reported having to ask more than once to be repaid. Nearly half (49.5%) never set a repayment timeline, and 49.9% never put the agreement in writing.

Without clear terms, many lenders lose money: 50.4% said they ended up out cash due to unpaid loans, whether partially or in full. The survey also suggests women may be slightly more inclined to forgive debts to preserve a relationship (57.7% vs 50.3% of men).

Some frustration ran so deep that 48.1% of lenders considered taking legal action, but ultimately decided against it.

The Relationship Damage Is Lasting

Among people who had borrowed or lent money, 46.6% said the experience caused serious arguments or conflicts; only 4.1% reported no problems.

Longer-term fallout was common:

• 75.1% said they were no longer as close as before,
• 71.3% said communication broke down for a while,
• 71.0% said the strain led to estrangement,
• 69.9% said it harmed their own financial well-being, and
• 69.1% said the relationship ended altogether.

When interest was discussed or charged, it averaged 3.21%, below typical credit-card rates but still an added stressor for already delicate situations.

For years, doctors have repeated a familiar message: if you’re heading into surgery, shedding pounds could improve your odds of a smooth recovery. Hospitals often encourage patients to slim down before elective procedures, citing risks like infection, heart strain, and breathing difficulties in heavier individuals. But a study from UCLA suggests that this advice may not apply equally to everyone. For older adults, carrying a little extra weight may actually improve the chances of surviving surgery.

The study followed more than 400 adults over age 65 who underwent major operations at a Los Angeles hospital. When the researchers compared outcomes across weight categories, they found something surprising. Seniors in the “overweight” range (a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9) had the lowest risk of dying within 30 days of their procedures. In fact, only one out of 128 overweight patients died in the month after surgery. By contrast, 25 out of 133 patients with a “normal” BMI did not survive, a rate nearly 20 times higher.

“Our study findings challenge the traditional belief that attaining a normal BMI (18.5–24.9) is ideal before major elective surgery for older adults,” the authors wrote in their paper, published in JAMA Network Open. Instead, the results suggest that for seniors, a little extra weight may sometimes be protective.

Rethinking the ‘Normal’ Weight for Seniors
BMI is a simple ratio of weight to height. For adults, a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered “normal,” 25 to 29.9 is “overweight,” and anything above 30 is “obese.” Health campaigns often frame “normal” weight as the gold standard. But this study suggests that for seniors, those categories may not tell the full story.

At the other end of the scale, the results were grim. Patients who were underweight (BMI below 18.5) fared the worst of all. Fifteen out of 20 underweight patients died within a month, giving this group the highest mortality rate by far. By comparison, the overweight group had the best outcomes.

The findings highlight a critical point: the meaning of “healthy weight” changes with age. Older adults lose muscle mass, often shrink in stature, and experience shifts in fat distribution. A thin body at 70 or 80 may not reflect youthful fitness but rather declining reserves that make it harder to withstand stress.

Why Might Extra Pounds Be Protective?
The researchers, led by Dr. Cecilia Canales, assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, can’t say for certain why overweight patients survived at higher rates, but several theories make sense. Surgery places enormous stress on the body. Blood loss, anesthesia, and healing demands drain energy reserves. Having extra fat and muscle may give seniors more of a cushion, literally buying them time to recover.

Nutrition also plays a role. Older adults with slightly higher weight may have better stores of protein and vitamins that the body can draw on to repair tissues and fight off infection. In contrast, thinness in older adults is often a warning sign of hidden illness. Conditions like cancer or heart disease can cause unintentional weight loss, leaving patients weaker and less able to recover after an operation.

The authors explain: “Older adults, particularly frail individuals, may benefit from being in the overweight category.” That idea, often called the “obesity paradox,” refers to the counterintuitive observation that carrying some extra weight can sometimes protect rather than harm, depending on the situation.

Where Extra Weight Stops Helping
The study doesn’t suggest that heavier is always better. At the highest end of the scale, problems piled up. Seniors with morbid obesity (BMI 40 or above) didn’t necessarily die at higher rates, but nearly eight in ten developed complications. Lung issues like pneumonia and breathing trouble were especially common, along with blood clots and strokes.

So, while being moderately overweight seemed protective, extreme obesity still posed major risks. The “sweet spot” in this study was firmly in the overweight category, not in obesity’s upper ranges.

Frailty Adds Another Layer
The UCLA team also looked at frailty — a measure of overall resilience that considers factors like strength, energy, and chronic illness. About a quarter of the patients were classified as frail, while more than a third were “pre-frail.”

Source: https://studyfinds.org/why-extra-weight-may-help-seniors-survive-surgery/

Four in ten American parents say they don’t believe, or aren’t sure, their children will be able to afford to live in the same neighborhood where they grew up, according to a sobering new poll. In fact, the survey suggests that more than half of all Americans think they’re already paying too much for housing, with the average person reporting that 42% of their annual income goes toward housing costs.

The study of 1,000 Americans, conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by construction finance platform Built, highlights how concerns about housing affordability have become widespread. What was once viewed as a problem mainly affecting the poorest households is now seen as an issue facing a much broader slice of the population.

Housing Costs Are Straining Families Everywhere

Survey respondents pointed to their surroundings as part of the problem. Nearly half (45%) said their neighborhood’s cost of living is higher than average, while another third (33%) described their area as “notorious” for high housing costs.

Parents in particular worry about the long-term impact. When 42% say their kids won’t be able to afford their childhood neighborhoods, it signals a shift in expectations about whether the next generation will be able to maintain the same standard of living.

Americans Warm to Affordable Housing

The study shows perceptions of affordable housing are changing. Overall, 83% of respondents view affordable housing positively, more than for townhomes (76%), apartments (70%), or mobile and pre-fabricated homes (64%).

Still, many misunderstand what “affordable housing” means. Some believe it refers to extremely low-cost homes (38%), public housing (33%), or places meant only for people living in poverty (23%). A third, however, correctly recognized that affordable housing is designed for a wider range of incomes.

When asked who needs affordable housing most, people named low-income families (44%), retirees and seniors (29%), veterans (22%), and first-time buyers or renters (19%). Acceptance has also grown: two-thirds said they would willingly live near affordable housing, and more than half (53%) would react positively if a nearby property was converted into affordable units.

“Affordability challenges have gone mainstream,” said Chase Gilbert, CEO of Built. “More people are realizing affordable housing isn’t about charity — it’s about keeping the American dream within reach. Homeownership has always been a cornerstone of that dream, and for too many, that path is getting harder to find.”

Policy Ideas Gain Support

Americans also want action from policymakers. Survey respondents pointed to state governments (45%), local governments (44%), and the federal government (36%) as having responsibility for addressing housing shortages.

Among specific policies, the most popular idea was converting surplus buildings like offices or warehouses into housing (45%). Others supported requiring new developments to include affordable units (42%) and offering tax incentives for neighborhoods that add more housing (34%). Two in three (65%) said they would back the construction of new housing in their own neighborhoods.

Broadly, 73% of Americans believe it’s important to have plenty of housing options where they live, and 74% think housing costs should be stabilized. Yet 41% say their cities don’t currently have enough housing to meet demand.

From Policy to Practice

Industry leaders caution that policy support alone won’t be enough. “Policy decisions are definitely a part of the equation, but there’s more to it than that,” Gilbert explained. “Even if funding for new buildings is unlocked, it must flow into real projects for construction to begin. Capital that doesn’t move is no different than capital that was never there”.

Experts often point to additional hurdles such as financing, labor shortages, and local regulations that can delay projects, even when communities are ready to support them. These challenges underline the gap between good intentions and real construction on the ground.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/your-kids-might-not-afford-your-neighborhood-housing-market-income/

With burgers sizzling and classic rock thumping, many Americans revel in summer cookouts, at least until that wayward cousin asks for a “pop” in soda country, or even worse, a “coke” when they actually want a Sprite. Few American linguistic debates have bubbled quite as long and effervescently as the one over whether a generic soft drink should be called a soda, pop or coke.

The word you use generally boils down to where you’re from: Midwesterners enjoy a good pop, while soda is tops in the North and far West. Southerners, long the cultural mavericks, don’t bat an eyelash asking for coke – lowercase – before homing in on exactly the type they want: Perhaps a root beer or a Coke, uppercase.

As a linguist who studies American dialects, I’m less interested in this regional divide and far more fascinated by the unexpected history behind how a fizzy “health” drink from the early 1800s spawned the modern soft drink’s many names and iterations.

Bubbles, Anyone?

Foods and drinks with wellness benefits might seem like a modern phenomenon, but the urge to create drinks with medicinal properties inspired what might be called a soda revolution in the 1800s.

The process of carbonating water was first discovered in the late 1700s. By the early 1800s, this carbonated water had become popular as a health drink and was often referred to as “soda water.” The word “soda” likely came from “sodium,” since these drinks often contained salts, which were then believed to have healing properties.

Given its alleged curative effects for health issues such as indigestion, pharmacists sold soda water at soda fountains, innovative devices that created carbonated water to be sold by the glass. A chemistry professor, Benjamin Stillman, set up the first such device in a drugstore in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1806. Its eventual success inspired a boom of soda fountains in drugstores and health spas.

By the mid-1800s, pharmacists were creating unique root-, fruit- and herb-infused concoctions, such as sassafras-based root beer, at their soda fountains, often marketing them as cures for everything from fatigue to foul moods.

These flavored, sweetened versions gave rise to the linking of the word “soda” with a sweetened carbonated beverage, as opposed to simple, carbonated water.

Seltzer – today’s popular term for such sparkling water – was around, too. But it was used only for the naturally carbonated mineral water from the German town Nieder-Selters. Unlike Perrier, sourced similarly from a specific spring in France, seltzer made the leap to becoming a generic term for fizzy water.

Regional Naming Patterns

So how did “soda” come to be called so many different things in different places? It all stems from a mix of economic enterprise and linguistic ingenuity.

The popularity of “soda” in the Northeast likely reflects the soda fountain’s longer history in the region. Since a lot of Americans living in the Northeast migrated to California in the mid-to-late 1800s, the name likely traveled west with them.

As for the Midwestern preference for “pop” – well, the earliest American use of the term to refer to a sparkling beverage appeared in the 1840s in the name of a flavored version called “ginger pop.” Such ginger-flavored pop, though, was around in Britain by 1816, since a Newcastle songbook is where you can first see it used in text. The “pop” seems to be onomatopoeic for the noise made when the cork was released from the bottle before drinking.

Linguists don’t fully know why “pop” became so popular in the Midwest. But one theory links it to a Michigan bottling company, Feigenson Brothers Bottling Works – today known as Faygo Beverages – that used “pop” in the name of the sodas they marketed and sold. Another theory suggests that because bottles were more common in the region, soda drinkers were more likely to hear the “pop” sound than in the Northeast, where soda fountains reigned.

As for using coke generically, the first Coca-Cola was served in 1886 by Dr. John Pemberton, a pharmacist at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta and the founder of the company. In the 1900s, the Coca-Cola company tried to stamp out the use of “Coke” for “Coca-Cola.” But that ship had already sailed. Since Coca-Cola originated and was overwhelmingly popular in the South, its generic use grew out of the fact that people almost always asked for “Coke.”

As with Jell-O, Kleenex, Band-Aids and seltzer, it became a generic term.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/pop-soda-coke-fizzy-history-behind-americas-favorite-linguistic-debate/

On average, Americans say $74,000 a year would make them happy, according to new survey from Talker Research. But there’s a disconnect: half of respondents say their current paychecks don’t support the lifestyle they want.

The survey of 2,000 adults, commissioned by SurePayroll By Paychex, describes how traditional employment and evolving goals are pushing people to look for alternatives that boost income and meaning at work.

What Americans Consider the Perfect Salary Range

While $74,000 represents the average “perfect salary,” not everyone agrees on what would make them financially happy. One in five (19%) say they’d need six-figure income to enjoy their lifestyle.

The numbers paint a clear picture: 24% of employed Americans are unhappy with their income, and 50% of respondents say their current earnings don’t support their desired lifestyle. That dissatisfaction appears to be influencing how people approach work and money.

Job-market activity reflects this mood. 26% have searched for new jobs in the past three months, 35% are currently looking, and among those navigating the market in the past year, 39% say finding work is harder than before.

Today’s job seekers want more than bigger paychecks. Beyond salary, 28% want better benefits, 20% want improved work-life balance, and 20% want more flexibility, a reminder that total compensation and quality of life matter.

How Americans Are Starting Side Hustles for Extra Income

Economic uncertainty is sparking entrepreneurial interest. The current economy has made 32% of non-business owners more interested in starting a side business, and 69% of all respondents are looking for ways to earn extra money.

Entrepreneurship’s appeal now rivals traditional employment: 52% say starting a small business or side hustle is just as or more viable than pursuing a conventional full-time job.

Nearly 29% already run a side business. Among these entrepreneurs, 40% say their ventures are driven equally or more by passion than by money. And among potential side-hustlers, 47% say they’d be driven equally (or primarily) by earning from something they love.

Americans also see specific opportunities to get paid for their interests: 47% believe they could monetize an activity or idea they’re passionate about, and 59% of non-business owners wish they could start a passion-based business—examples ranged from “quilting” and “doing voice-overs” to “help[ing] people release their emotional baggage.” For those with a clear passion, 57% say the dream is to make it their only source of income.

Given extra income, Americans say they’d prioritize stability: 46% would add to savings or investments, 42% would pay bills, 35% would cover groceries, and 23% would fund travel—suggesting many see extra earnings as a way to strengthen their financial foundation.

Why Workers Prefer Small Companies Over Large Corporations

Worker preferences are also tilting toward smaller employers. About a quarter (24%) of respondents say it’s more beneficial to work for a small business. Respondents view small businesses as more gratifying to work for (40% vs 12% for large companies), with better relationships with customers (59% vs 7%) and employees (58% vs 9%).

“The data shows that more Americans are hoping to turn their passions into paychecks,” said Glenn Ferretti, director of digital sales at SurePayroll. “Whether it’s a side hustle or a full leap into launching a small business, it’s clear people want more control, more meaning and more freedom in how they work. This highlights the need for affordable solutions that can help Americans turn their small business dreams into reality.”

The research points to an American workforce in transition. While $74,000 represents the average “perfect salary” reported in this survey, the larger story is how many people are actively reshaping work and income to better match their goals.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/perfect-salary-for-americans-survey/

Do you like AI models? Well, chances are, they sure don’t like you back.

Eighty years have passed since Japan’s surrender ended World War II. But the way Japan thinks about its wartime history is changing at pace. This is coinciding with a political shift that risks renewed Japanese militarism, an outcome that would complicate politics across east Asia.

Japan’s traditional narrative of the war originated in the post-war occupation, a period in which the U.S. oversaw the demilitarization of Japanese society. These efforts included the establishment and adoption of Japan’s current constitution in 1947.

Article 9 of the constitution renounces the use of force as a means of settling international disputes, thus limiting the Japanese military to being a purely defensive organization. Japan has upheld Article 9 since its inception, transforming itself into a pacifist nation and pursuing a humanitarian and diplomatic foreign policy.

Tokyo refused to send personnel even for UN peacekeeping missions until the 1990s, when a Japanese military contingent arrived in Cambodia following its civil war. When its troops have been involved, they have only served in supporting rather than combat roles.

The U.S. occupying force also developed a peace education program for Japanese schools. This program established the core themes and ideas surrounding Japan’s traditional narrative of the war.

The narrative renounces militarism and points to the WWII as a cautionary tale of the excesses of nationalism and aggression. It explains that Japan was misled by militaristic social elites and that the war was not in the best interests of the Japanese people.

Remembering War Crimes

Japan’s traditional narrative also encourages introspective contemplation of Japanese war crimes, such as the massacre of Chinese civilians in the captured city of Nanjing between December 1937 and January 1938. These atrocities are considered shameful and are not usually discussed in public by traditionalists.

When support for militarism grows, however, survivors of the war share stories of the atrocities they witnessed or – indeed – participated in. One instance of this occurred in 2007, when references to some of Japan’s wartime atrocities were removed from school textbooks.

Prominent traditionalists spoke out against this, with Rev. Kinjo Shigeaki giving interviews warning against militarism. He shared the story of how, brainwashed by Japanese Imperial Army soldiers into believing American troops would rape all the local women and run over the men with their tanks, he murdered his mother and siblings in 1945.

Nowadays, the traditional narrative is most popular among older Japanese people who lived through the war or the immediate post-war period. By holding true a historical narrative that renounces militarism, traditionalists are in favor of Article 9 and Japan’s pacifistic foreign policy.

The revisionist narrative emerged in the 1950s. Since then, it has grown to challenge the traditional narrative in popularity. It seeks to explain that the war was morally justified as an effort to liberate east Asia from western imperialists.

At the same time, the revisionist narrative also explains that the war was misguided. Its proponents argue that, by attacking and subjugating neighboring countries, Japan was merely mimicking western-style imperialism.

Accusing the west of corrupting Japan predates the revisionist narrative. An instance of it can be found as early as the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, which took place between 1946 and 1948. General Ishiwara Kanji, the wartime leader of the Imperial Japanese Army, argued that Japan was forced to open up by the west and to behave as a western power.

Ishiwara told the tribunal: “When Japan did open its doors and tried dealing with other countries, it learned that all those countries were a fearfully aggressive lot. And so for its own defense it took your own country as its teacher and set about learning how to be aggressive. You might say we became your disciples.”

This perspective underpins the revisionist narrative’s framing of the Japanese people as a primary victim of the war. That an otherwise peaceful people with good intentions made the error of mimicking the west, resulting in a war in which they suffered the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

By failing to condemn militarism, the revisionist narrative makes Japanese rearmament permissible. As a result, revisionists tend to oppose Article 9 and call for Japan to restore its military.

Why Does This Matter?

Historical narratives change. It is at the Japanese nation’s discretion which narrative it favors, with both probably capturing some aspect of Japan’s complex wartime history. What is concerning, though, is that the current shift in how Japan remembers its wartime history may contribute to militaristic backsliding.

Japan held elections for its upper house, the House of Councillors, in July. The rightwing populist Sanseitō party secured over 12% of the national vote, up from 3.33% in 2022. Sanseitō is an ultranationalist and pro-revisionist party that glorifies Japan’s imperial past and promises to revoke Article 9.

Alongside other pro-revisionist parties, it draws significant support from young voters. Young people in Japan nowadays consume significantly more revisionist media than older generations, alluding to the popularity of this narrative among young voters.

Japan’s neighbors view Sanseitō and other revisionist parties with suspicion. China, which lost more than 20 million people following Japan’s wartime invasion, has condemned calls for Article 9 reform. Past efforts to reform Article 9 – or even just pursue a more assertive foreign policy – have triggered large anti-Japanese protests in cities throughout China.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/japans-shifting-memory-wwii-raising-fears-renewed-militarism/

More than half of Earth’s land surface has pushed past what scientists call local ecological boundaries, or limits that help keep our planet’s life-support systems stable. These boundaries are part of a scientific framework known as planetary boundaries, which identifies the safe environmental conditions that have allowed human civilization to flourish for thousands of years.

According to a new study led by researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, 60% of global land has already crossed these limits, and 38% has entered a high-risk zone. Once an area is in that zone, it faces a much greater likelihood of ecological breakdown. This happens not necessarily overnight, but over time, as the capacity of ecosystems to regulate climate, support biodiversity, and provide essential services declines.

The findings, published in One Earth, aren’t meant to declare the planet doomed, but they are a warning light that’s difficult to ignore.

A Global Checkup for the Planet

If the Earth were a patient, this study is like a comprehensive medical exam. It doesn’t just check temperature and pulse, but runs a detailed scan of the whole system. Scientists wanted to answer a deceptively simple question: How much of the world’s land is still operating within safe environmental limits?

The “planetary boundaries” concept divides Earth’s environmental systems into nine critical categories, from climate stability to biodiversity, ocean health, nutrient cycles, and freshwater availability. Two of these — climate change and biosphere integrity — are considered “core” boundaries because they underpin all the others.

Biosphere integrity is essentially the health of the planet’s living systems: forests, grasslands, wetlands, and the countless plants, animals, and microorganisms that keep them functioning. Unlike climate change, which can be measured with one global metric like carbon dioxide concentration, biosphere integrity varies enormously from place to place. That makes it harder to track and harder to manage.

How Do You Measure Nature’s Health?

To solve this, the research team used two indicators:

1. HANPPHol: Short for Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production (Holocene baseline). This measures the share of nature’s productivity (the plant growth that forms the base of all food webs) that humans take for themselves through farming, logging, and other uses.
2. EcoRisk: A measure of how far an ecosystem has shifted from its natural state, based on changes in vegetation structure and the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and water.

Both indicators can be calculated anywhere on Earth and compared against a preindustrial baseline representing conditions before large-scale human disruption.

The researchers used a global vegetation model to map these indicators for every year since 1600, across a grid where each square represents 0.5° × 0.5° of latitude and longitude. That’s about 34 miles north-to-south everywhere, but the east-to-west distance varies with latitude.

A Timeline of Change: 1600 to Today

The historical maps tell a striking story. In 1600, much of the planet was still within safe limits, though certain regions in Europe, India, China, and the eastern United States already showed signs of stress due to long-established agriculture.

Things changed rapidly after 1900. For one key global indicator, the proportion of nature’s productivity appropriated by humans, the “safe” threshold was crossed around this time. This was the era of major agricultural expansion in North America and Central Eurasia, when forests and grasslands were converted into cropland at an unprecedented pace.

By 1900, about 37% of the world’s land had already crossed local ecological thresholds. By today, that number has risen to 60%, with 38% in high-risk territory.

It’s Not Just Farming Anymore

Agriculture remains a major driver of ecological change, especially in Europe, Asia, and North America, where intensive land use has left few ecosystems untouched. But the study also found that remote areas without heavy farming are now under increasing stress.

High-latitude regions like the Arctic and high-altitude regions like the Tibetan Plateau are showing elevated EcoRisk scores. This is not because of plows or bulldozers, but due to climate change. Warming temperatures, shifts in rainfall patterns, and nitrogen deposition from fossil fuel use are altering ecosystems in ways that can ripple far beyond their borders.

Why This Matters to People Everywhere

When ecosystems cross these boundaries, it’s not just wildlife that suffers. Humans depend on healthy ecosystems for services we often take for granted:

• Pollination of crops by insects and other animals.
• Water purification through wetlands and forested watersheds.
• Carbon storage in soils and vegetation, which helps stabilize the climate.
• Flood and drought regulation by healthy landscapes.

Lose these services, and we face higher costs, greater risks, and more frequent crises.

Temperate grasslands and forests, which include much of Europe and eastern North America, have some of the highest levels of boundary transgression. In contrast, tropical rainforests and boreal forests in less populated areas are closer to their natural state, though they’re increasingly pressured by logging, agriculture, and climate change.

Maps That Point the Way

One of the most valuable parts of this research is its specificity. Instead of a single global average, the study provides detailed maps showing exactly where ecosystems are most at risk. This kind of spatial information can guide governments, conservation groups, and communities in deciding where to focus their efforts.

For example, if a region’s HANPPHol score is high, that may point to the need for more sustainable farming practices. If its EcoRisk score is high despite low human land use, that suggests climate impacts or other diffuse pressures that need a different kind of response.

A Narrowing Safe Space

The takeaway is sobering: The “safe operating space” for Earth’s land ecosystems is shrinking. We haven’t yet reached the point where every ecosystem is in crisis, but the trend is moving in that direction — and fast.

The study’s authors stress that this is not just a scientific curiosity. It’s a call for urgent, targeted action to protect what remains intact and restore what has been degraded. That means investing in sustainable agriculture, protecting and reconnecting natural habitats, and tackling climate change head-on.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/global-study-land-beyond-local-ecological-limits/

Writing, reading, math and mindfulness? That last subject is increasingly joining the three classic courses, as more young students in the United States are practicing mindfulness, meaning focusing on paying attention to the present moment without judgment.

In the past 20 years in the U.S., mindfulness transitioned from being a new-age curiosity to becoming a more mainstream part of American culture, as people learned more about how mindfulness can reduce their stress and improve their well-being.

Researchers estimate that over 1 million children in the U.S. have been exposed to mindfulness in their schools, mostly at the elementary level, often taught by classroom teachers or school counselors.

I have been researching mindfulness in K-12 American schools for 15 years. I have investigated the impact of mindfulness on students, explored the experiences of teachers who teach mindfulness in K-12 schools, and examined the challenges and benefits of implementing mindfulness in these settings.

I have noticed that mindfulness programs vary in what particular mindfulness skills are taught and what lesson objectives are. This makes it difficult to compare across studies and draw conclusions about how mindfulness helps students in schools.

What Is Mindfulness?

Different definitions of mindfulness exist. Some people might think mindfulness means simply practicing breathing, for example.

A common definition from Jon Kabat-Zinn, a mindfulness expert who helped popularize mindfulness in Western countries, says mindfulness is about “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, nonjudgmentally, in the present moment.”

Essentially, mindfulness is a way of being. It is a person’s approach to each moment and their orientation to both inner and outer experience, the pleasant and the unpleasant. Fundamental to mindfulness is how a person chooses to direct their attention.

In practice, mindfulness can involve different practices, including guided meditations, mindful movement and breathing. Mindfulness programs can also help people develop a variety of skills, including openness to experiences and more focused attention.

Practicing Mindfulness At Schools

A few years ago, I decided to investigate school mindfulness programs themselves and consider what it means for children to learn mindfulness at schools. What do the programs actually teach?

I believe that understanding this information can help educators, parents and policymakers make more informed decisions about whether mindfulness belongs in their schools.

In 2023, my colleagues and I conducted a deep dive into 12 readily available mindfulness curricula for K-12 students to investigate what the programs contained. Across programs, we found no consistency of content, teaching practices or time commitment.

For example, some mindfulness programs in K-12 schools incorporate a lot of movement, with some specifically teaching yoga poses. Others emphasize interpersonal skills such as practicing acts of kindness, while others focus mostly on self-oriented skills such as focused attention, which may occur by focusing on one’s breath.

We also found that some programs have students do a lot of mindfulness practices, such as mindful movement or mindful listening, while others teach about mindfulness, such as learning how the brain functions.

Finally, the number of lessons in a curriculum ranged from five to 44, meaning some programs occurred over just a few weeks and some required an entire school year. Despite indications that mindfulness has some positive impacts for school-age children, the evidence is also not consistent, as shown by other research.

One of the largest recent studies of mindfulness in schools found in 2022 no change in students who received mindfulness instruction.

Some experts believe, though, that the lack of results in this 2022 study on mindfulness was partially due to a curriculum that might have been too advanced for middle school-age children.

The Connection Between Mindfulness And Education

Since attention is critical for students’ success in school, it is not surprising that mindfulness appeals to many educators.

Research on student engagement and executive functioning supports the claim that any student’s ability to filter out distractions and prioritize the objects of their thoughts improves their academic success.

Mindfulness programs have been shown to improve students’ mental health and decrease students’ and teachers’ stress levels.

Mindfulness has also been shown to help children emotionally regulate.

Even before social media, teachers perennially struggled to get students to pay attention. Reviews of multiple studies have shown some positive effects of mindfulness on outcomes, including improvements in academic achievement and school adjustment.

A 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites mindfulness as one of six evidence-based strategies K-12 schools should use to promote students’ mental health and well-being.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/mindfulness-in-american-schools/

Air conditioning can feel heaven-sent on hot summer days. It keeps temperatures comfortable and controls humidity, making indoor environments tolerable even on the most brutally warm days.

Your car breaks down on a Tuesday morning, and the repair bill comes to $500. If you’re part of Generation Z, there’s a good chance you have nothing set aside to cover it. A new survey from Credit One Bank reveals that 62% of Gen Z have no emergency savings at all, nearly double the rate of baby boomers. There’s a very clear widening gap in financial preparedness happening between generations.

The study, which surveyed 1,150 Americans, found that while older generations have had time to build financial cushions, younger adults are entering adulthood with far less of a safety net. Many lean more heavily on credit cards when faced with unexpected expenses, especially those under 35 and students.

When asked how they’d handle a $500 emergency, 51% of all consumers said they’d turn to a credit card, with that number rising to 60% among respondents under 35 and 70% among students. The findings highlight a significant disconnect between the common advice to “use cash” and the reality of how people actually respond in a crisis.

Gen Z and Millennials Rely Heavily on Credit Cards for Emergencies

Generational differences in preparedness are clear. While 65% of baby boomers have cash on hand for emergencies, Gen Z faces the most severe savings shortfall, with nearly two-thirds having no emergency savings at all.

Gen X is the least prepared to weather long-term financial shocks. About three-quarters (74%) don’t have more than six months of savings, with millennials (71%) and Gen Z (68%) not far behind.

Credit reliance becomes more pronounced in larger emergencies. One in four Gen Z and millennials say they’d max out their credit cards to handle a financial emergency. Nearly half (48% of Gen Zers and 47% of millennials) say they’d even go over their credit limit, knowing they’d face a penalty, compared to just one in three baby boomers.

About half of Gen Zers (48%) and millennials (49%) say they need a higher credit limit for emergencies, versus only 27% of baby boomers. Only 38% of Gen Zers have any emergency cash savings, making credit more necessity than choice for many.

Most Americans Have Less Than 6 Months Emergency Savings

Two-thirds of all consumers have six months or less in emergency savings, with many far short of recommended targets. High income doesn’t guarantee preparedness: just one in four people earning over $80,000 have enough savings to cover a year’s worth of expenses, and more than half (56%) wouldn’t last six months — only slightly better than the national average.

Among those with a rainy-day fund, preparedness varies widely. Married consumers are more than twice as likely as singles to have at least $2,000 saved (37% vs. 17%). One-third of adults 55 and older have reached that $2,000 milestone, compared to just one in five younger adults.

Overall, 54% of consumers have an emergency fund, but 16% have no savings at all and no plans to start one. Only 27% say they could cover a major expense without relying on credit.

Women More Likely Than Men to Use Credit for Emergency Expenses

Women are more likely to turn to credit cards in an emergency (44% vs. 36% of men), while men are more likely to rely on cash (64% vs. 56% of women). For a $500 emergency specifically, 55% of women would use credit, compared to 47% of men.

Credit reliance also differs by income and geography. Half of those earning under $40,000 say they’d use credit in a crisis, compared to just 35% of those making $80,000 or more. Urban residents are the most likely to see credit as a backup (48%), followed by rural residents (41%) and suburban residents (38%).

Most Americans don’t have a dedicated credit card for emergencies. In fact, 76% lack one entirely, meaning they’d rely on everyday-use cards as a fallback.

Cash Still Dominates Daily Spending Despite Credit Card Emergency Reliance

Despite the emergency credit trend, cash is still the most common payment method for daily expenses (79%), followed by debit cards (78%) and credit cards (66%). Mobile payments have grown to 31% adoption, while cryptocurrency remains niche at 7%.

Credit card ownership shows a generational divide: just 48% of Gen Zers have a credit card, compared to two-thirds of millennials and Gen Xers, and three-quarters of baby boomers. Gen Z and millennials are more likely to hold cryptocurrency than other generations (about one in ten), though Gen X and millennials lead in mobile payment adoption.

The survey paints a clear picture: while many Americans want to use cash for emergencies, limited savings often force them to lean on credit instead, pushing them into debt.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/gen-z-have-zero-emergency-savings-young-americans-face-financial-crisis/

Does anyone else think we’ve all become a bit too protein-obsessed? Once upon a time, we got our protein from meat, fish, dairy and pulses. Now it seems like every consumable product comes loaded with it — from energy bars to protein-packed cereals and baked goods.

I’m surprised no one’s thought of stirring it into their tea for a boost. Oh wait, they have.

That’s not to say I’m anti-protein. Far from it. Protein plays an essential role in body functions such as growth, immunity and digestion. It’s important that we get enough of it each day. But the million-dollar questions we should be asking are: how much do we actually need? When is it too much, or too little? And where should we be getting it from?

Protein is one of the three macronutrients we need in the largest amounts – the others being carbohydrates and fats. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are important too, but they’re needed in much smaller quantities — typically milligrams, or even micrograms.

Protein is involved in a huge range of physiological processes. It’s of course crucial for muscle growth and repair. Bodybuilders looking for an Adonis (or Amazonian) physique often consume large amounts alongside strength training. But protein isn’t just about muscles – it’s a core structural material for bone, skin, hair and nails too.

It also plays vital roles inside the body. It allows muscles to contract, makes up digestive and metabolic enzymes, and is a key component of hemoglobin (which carries oxygen), ferritin (which stores iron) and antibodies (which fight infection).

But remember: protein doesn’t work in isolation. Our bodies also rely on carbohydrates and fats — providing short and long-term energy sources that are just as important.

Carbohydrates provide four calories of energy per gram, and fats provide nine calories per gram. While protein can also be used as an energy source – also producing four calories per gram – carbs are more accessible for tissues to use rapidly. And crucially, building muscle also requires fuel. So, if your diet is too low in carbohydrates, your muscle gains may stall and you may find yourself depleted of energy.

In general, protein is filling and can help reduce snacking. And too little protein can be harmful. Protein deficiency can occur due to inadequate diet, eating disorders, or conditions such as cancer, Crohn’s, or liver disease. Symptoms include fatigue, muscle wasting and a weakened immune system.

Because protein also helps regulate fluid balance in the body, a deficiency can lead to swelling or edema. In severe cases, as seen in some developing countries, the condition kwashiorkor — marked by a swollen belly — can result from inadequate protein intake.

How Much?

It can sometimes be difficult to work out how much protein you should be eating each day, especially when different sources give variable advice.

A good starting point is to consider your overall energy requirements. Government recommendations in the UK suggest that up to 35% of your daily calories should come from fat, and up to 50% from carbohydrates. That leaves a minimum of 15% for protein — which for someone on a 2,500-calorie diet works out to about 95g of protein per day.

Another calculation accounts for your body size too, giving a value more specific to the individual. Around 0.8g protein per kilogram of body weight for a sedentary adult is advised.

For athletes and bodybuilders – who often aim for around 2g per kilogram — this can mean as much as 200g of protein a day. And that’s hard to achieve through regular food alone. For context, 30 eggs contain 200g of protein, as does 2.5kg of cooked beans. Certain foods have more protein (like the go-to chicken breast), though the overall volume of food required can still be high.

That’s where protein powder often comes in — usually offering 20g–30g of protein per scoop – as supplementation. It’s absolutely fine to incorporate some powder or shakes into a healthy diet alongside wholefoods, which are the best protein sources. But it’s important to set limits – and avoid the temptation to go overboard.

Too Much

Is it possible to be taking on too much protein? The answer is yes, if you’re regularly consuming more than your body needs.

Excess protein is broken down and excreted through the kidneys, which may cause dehydration and place additional strain on renal function. Unused protein can also be converted into fat, potentially leading to weight gain. High-protein diets are sometimes associated with gastrointestinal side effects such as bloating, diarrhea and bad breath.

And while many high-protein foods are healthier, others (such as red or processed meats) may also be high in saturated fat, which can increase the risk of serious conditions like heart disease.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/how-much-protein-do-you-really-need-too-much-or-too-little-can-be-harmful/

A strange species of cockroach that produces milk for its young has helped scientists uncover something unexpected: when pregnant mothers don’t get enough sleep, their pregnancies last significantly longer and their bodies struggle to produce the nutrients their babies need.

In a new study, researchers found that sleep-deprived Diploptera punctata cockroaches had gestation periods nearly 25 days longer than well-rested counterparts. These exhausted mothers also produced around 50% less of the protein-rich milk essential for their babies’ development—though the number of babies born remained the same.

While the researchers don’t claim the mothers deliberately adjusted their pregnancies, they speculate that the extended gestation may be a biological response that helps make up for lower nutrient availability. In their words, the findings “suggest that the decreased milk protein production is compensated for by increasing the duration of the pregnancy to yield an equal number of progeny.”

How the “Milk Cockroach” Nurtures Its Young

Diploptera punctata might seem like an oddball subject for pregnancy research, but this Pacific beetle mimic cockroach shares an unusual trait with mammals: it gives birth to live young and feeds them with milk-like proteins inside its body. Its eggs lack a yolk, and developing offspring are nourished in a brood sac over the course of a roughly three-month pregnancy.

This form of internal nourishment, known as matrotrophic viviparity, is rare among insects but is also found in tsetse flies and some reptiles and fish. While not exactly mammalian, the cockroach’s reproductive method makes it an intriguing model for studying how pregnancy and sleep might interact, even in species far removed from humans.

How Pregnancy Changes Cockroach Behavior

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati and the University of Bristol used motion sensors and video tracking to monitor groups of cockroaches: males, non-pregnant females, and late-stage pregnant females.

Males remained active throughout the night. Pregnant females, by contrast, ventured out less often and were more cautious. They traveled shorter distances from their shelters and emerged less frequently than non-pregnant females.

When they did leave their hiding spots, it was most often during the two-hour period after sunset, a time the researchers identified as the peak activity window for scavenging behavior. This change may reflect an evolved strategy to avoid predators or conserve energy while carrying young.

Sleep Disruption Extends Pregnancy by Nearly a Month

To understand how sleep affects pregnancy, scientists exposed pregnant females to mechanical disturbances. This entailed the authors shaking the insects’ containers for five minutes, either two or four times during their normal 12-hour rest period.

The control group, which was not disturbed, had gestation lengths just under 70 days. Those disturbed four times a day saw their pregnancies stretch by nearly 25 days. Even moderate disruption (twice daily) resulted in pregnancies that were roughly 10 days longer.

This gestational delay tracked with a decline in milk production: transcript levels for milk protein dropped by about 50% in the most sleep-deprived group. Yet despite reduced milk protein expression, these mothers still produced the same number of babies, hinting that longer pregnancies may have helped compensate.

What Humans Can Learn From These Pregnant Cockroaches

The study offers a rare opportunity to examine the effects of sleep deprivation on pregnancy under tightly controlled lab conditions, something that can’t ethically be done with humans.

Though it doesn’t directly translate to people, the work echoes findings from human studies linking poor maternal sleep to increased risks of miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight. This cockroach model gives researchers a new way to explore how disrupted rest affects fetal development and birth timing, findings that may eventually lead to better maternal care guidelines.

Even more intriguing is the cockroach’s apparent ability to adjust gestation length in response to sleep and nutritional stress. It’s not clear whether the delay is driven by the mother, the offspring, or both. Still, the biological flexibility it suggests could have broader implications for understanding pregnancy timing across species.

A Reminder That Sleep Is Essential—Even for Insects

The research reinforces what doctors typically tell their pregnant patients: regular, high-quality sleep is a biological necessity. For D. punctata, insufficient sleep interferes with milk production and delays birth, putting additional strain on the mother.

Despite being well-fed in the lab, these mothers still paid a cost for losing sleep: longer pregnancies mean longer periods of vulnerability and energy expenditure. In the end, even an insect as evolutionarily distant as a cockroach shows how vital rest is for bringing the next generation into the world.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/cockroaches-prove-sleep-essential-for-healthy-pregnancy/

Common respiratory infections like the flu and COVID-19 might jolt dormant cancer cells back to life in survivors, causing them to multiply and spread in the lungs. This new research offers a potential explanation for why cancer deaths rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting it wasn’t solely due to delayed screenings and treatments.

In a lab study published in Nature, scientists found that when mice with dormant breast cancer cells were infected with the flu, the number of those sleeping cancer cells in their lungs increased by 100 to 1,000 times within just two weeks. A similar dramatic effect was observed when the mice were infected with a version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Most people think of cancer as either present or absent, but the reality is more complex. After successful cancer treatment, tiny clusters of cancer cells (sometimes just single cells) can remain in a dormant state for years or even decades. These sleeping cells stay alive but don’t grow or spread, and this dormancy is why some cancer patients experience a recurrence long after their initial treatment.

Why Respiratory Infections Trigger Cancer Cell Growth

The research team from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus used genetically modified mice that develop breast cancer similar to humans. These mice naturally develop dormant cancer cells in their lungs that can remain inactive for up to a year, which mimics what happens in human cancer survivors.

When researchers infected these mice with the influenza A virus, the dormant cancer cells began dividing within three days. By 15 days post-infection, the number of cancer cells had increased dramatically, and they remained elevated even months later.

The key to this awakening is a protein called interleukin-6, or IL-6. When viruses infect the lungs, they trigger inflammation, and as part of this response, lung cells produce IL-6. This protein acts as a wake-up call for the dormant cancer cells. Scientists proved IL-6’s central role by using mice that were genetically engineered to lack the protein. When these mice caught the flu, their dormant cancer cells stayed asleep. The viral infection proceeded normally, but without IL-6, the cancer cells remained dormant.

The process unfolds in two distinct phases. First, the viral infection and IL-6 production cause the cells to awaken and multiply rapidly. After the acute infection subsides and IL-6 levels drop, immune cells called CD4+ T cells take over to maintain the expanded cancer cell population. Instead of eliminating the awakened cancer cells, these immune cells actually protect them by suppressing other immune cells, called CD8+ T cells, that would normally hunt down and destroy the cancer.

Human Data Supports Lab Findings

Human data from two large databases supports these laboratory findings. A study of the UK Biobank, which tracked nearly 5,000 cancer survivors who had been in remission for at least five years before the pandemic, found that those who tested positive for COVID-19 had a higher risk of death.

• COVID-positive cancer survivors were 4.5 times more likely to die from any cause compared to those who tested negative.
• Even after excluding deaths directly caused by COVID-19, the positive group still had a 2.56 times higher mortality rate.
• Most concerning was cancer-specific mortality, where COVID-positive survivors were 1.85 times more likely to die from cancer.

A separate analysis of the Flatiron Health database, which contains medical records from nearly 37,000 women with breast cancer, revealed that those who contracted COVID-19 after their cancer diagnosis had a 44% increased risk of developing lung metastases compared to women who didn’t get the virus. The increased risk of cancer death was greatest in the months immediately following the COVID-19 infection and decreased over time, a trend that mirrors what researchers observed in mice.

Cancer Survivors Need Better Protection from Respiratory Viruses

These findings provide a potential explanation for a puzzling observation from the early pandemic: cancer death rates rose significantly in 2020 and 2021, beyond what could be fully explained by COVID-19 deaths or delays in cancer care. Millions of COVID-19 infections may have awakened dormant cancer cells in survivors, leading to increased recurrences and deaths.

The research opens up new possibilities for protecting cancer survivors from infection-triggered recurrences. For example, some treatments for severe COVID-19, such as drugs that block IL-6 signaling, might be able to prevent the virus-induced reawakening of cancer cells. However, the timing of such a treatment would be critical to prevent the cancer from waking up without interfering with the body’s ability to fight the infection.

For the millions of Americans with a history of cancer, this study suggests that the threat of recurrence extends far beyond what oncologists traditionally monitor. The invisible battle between dormant cancer cells and the immune system continues long after the final treatment, and respiratory viruses have emerged as an unexpected threat in that ongoing fight.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/cancer-survivors-respiratory-viruses-like-flu-covid/

American seniors are receiving billions of dollars’ worth of medical care that may not help them, and Medicare is footing most of the bill. A new study reveals that Medicare beneficiaries receive $4.4 billion annually in medical services that offer little to no clinical benefit, with $3.6 billion paid by Medicare and $800 million in out-of-pocket costs.

These so-called “low-value” tests, procedures, and screenings are commonly used despite evidence showing they provide minimal benefit and sometimes cause harm. Services like prostate cancer screening for elderly men, spinal injections for low back pain, and head scans for routine headaches are among those identified as overused.

Dr. David Kim from the University of Chicago and Dr. A. Mark Fendrick from the University of Michigan analyzed 47 medical services frequently labeled low-value. Their research, published in JAMA Health Forum, estimates how much money could be saved if such services were reduced or eliminated across the Medicare system.

The $4.4 billion estimate includes both what Medicare pays directly and what beneficiaries contribute in out-of-pocket payments. These services are classified as low-value based on national guidelines and expert consensus that they generally do not improve outcomes in the populations receiving them.

Which Medical Services Drive the Most Medicare Spending?

The study used Medicare claims data from 3.7 million beneficiaries between 2018 and 2020, representing a 5% sample of the national population aged 65 and older. The researchers applied strict criteria to avoid mislabeling necessary services as wasteful. For example, men with a history of elevated PSA levels or prostate cancer were excluded from the low-value prostate screening group.

Twenty of the 47 services accounted for 95% of all low-value spending. Among the most costly: screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in asymptomatic patients, testing for bacteria in urine without urinary symptoms, and use of feeding tubes in patients with advanced dementia. While the first two were specifically identified as “most costly,” the third was listed among the top 20, though its relative ranking was not specified in the text.

Five of the services studied, including PSA testing for prostate cancer, screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis, and electrocardiograms for routine cardiac screening, received a “grade D” from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), meaning they are not recommended due to lack of benefit or potential for harm. These five services alone accounted for $2.6 billion of the $4.4 billion annual total.

Most Common Low-Value Medical Services

The study also looked at which unnecessary services are most frequently performed. Four of the top five were imaging procedures: for plantar fasciitis (heel pain), headaches, syncope (fainting), and low back pain. Although “imaging for plantar fasciitis” appears at the top of the prevalence chart, the paper does not explicitly say it was the most common overall. It is, however, among the most frequently used low-value services.

Other high-prevalence services included prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in older men and spinal injections for low back pain. The study does not specifically list all 20 services in the main text, but they appear in accompanying figures.

The authors recorded 2.6 million instances of low-value care each year in their 5% Medicare sample. When scaled to the national Medicare population of 65.7 million people, that suggests tens of millions of such services are delivered annually.

Hidden Costs of Unnecessary Medical Care

The $4.4 billion figure likely underestimates the true cost of low-value care. The study authors describe their estimate as conservative, since it does not include the cost of follow-up care often triggered by an unnecessary test or procedure, a phenomenon known as a “care cascade.”

For example, a previous study cited by the authors found that each dollar spent on low-value PSA screening resulted in an additional $6 in related downstream costs among Medicare Advantage enrollees. These costs stem from additional tests, appointments, and procedures, though the specific nature of the care cascade was not detailed in this new paper.

Beyond financial waste, patients may also face real harms from unnecessary services. These include exposure to radiation, complications from invasive procedures, and emotional stress from false positives. Some treatments, such as feeding tubes for dementia patients, may even lower quality of life without improving survival.

How to Save Billions and Improve Care

The Affordable Care Act grants the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary the authority to stop Medicare payments for preventive services that receive a USPSTF grade D. By eliminating payments for just the five most expensive grade D services, the study estimates that Medicare could save $2.6 billion annually.

Other reforms could include adding prior authorization requirements for select services, modifying electronic health record order sets to remove low-value options, and increasing clinician education around evidence-based guidelines.

Still, eliminating low-value care entirely will be difficult. Providers may “game” the system by recoding services to bypass restrictions; for example, coding a head scan ordered for syncope as one for trauma. Some may substitute other unnecessary services. Patient expectations and fear of malpractice lawsuits can also drive overuse.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/medicare-blows-billions-low-value-medical-services/

 

Every day, adults inhale an estimated 68,000 microplastic particles just from indoor air, which is equivalent to about three to four particles per breath, research shows. Scientists say this daily total is roughly 100 times higher than earlier estimates based on larger particles.

French researchers made this startling discovery by using advanced detection methods to spot plastic fragments invisible to earlier studies. Unlike previous work that could only identify particles larger than 10 micrometers, this investigation focused on the tiniest fragments measuring just 1–10 micrometers, or about 10 times thinner than a human hair.

“The health impacts of MP inhalation may be more substantial than we realize,” the research team wrote in their paper, published in PLOS One.

That’s because particles this small can penetrate the deepest parts of the lungs, cross into the bloodstream, and potentially reach vital organs. In car cabins, concentrations were especially of concern, measuring more than four times what the researchers measured in apartments.

How Scientists Detected These Invisible Particles

Microplastics form when larger plastic items such as bottles, bags, and textiles break down. While contamination in oceans and rivers is well known, detecting these fragments in indoor air has been a challenge. The term “microplastic” refers to plastic particles between 1 micrometer and 5mm in size. While scientists have known for years that these particles contaminate oceans and rivers, understanding their presence in indoor air has proven more challenging.

The research team from France’s Géosciences Environnement Toulouse used a technique called Raman spectroscopy to identify and count these nearly invisible particles. This method can detect plastic fragments as small as 1 micrometer, a major advancement over the standard approach that only catches particles 10 to 20 times larger.

Researchers collected air samples from three apartments in Toulouse, France, and two different cars during various driving trips. The process proved incredibly time-consuming. Analyzing just one square millimeter of filter required 14 hours of spectra collection and produced about 3,600 individual particle readings. This intensive approach meant the team could only examine 16 samples total, but the results provided unprecedented detail about the smallest plastic particles in indoor air.

Analysis revealed 10 different types of plastic polymers floating in indoor air In homes, polyethylene (the plastic used in shopping bags and food containers) dominated, making up 76% of all particles found. Nearly all detected particles (97%) appeared as irregular fragments rather than fibers, and an overwhelming 94% measured between 1 and 10 micrometers.

Why Microplastic Particles Are More Dangerous

Particles greater than 10 micrometers usually get trapped in the upper respiratory tract and are cleared by coughing or swallowing. But the 1–10 micrometer fragments can bypass these defenses and lodge deep in lung tissue.

The health concerns extend beyond the physical presence of plastic particles. These fragments often carry toxic chemical additives and can absorb harmful pollutants from the environment. When lodged in body tissues, they may release these chemicals, potentially disrupting hormone functions and increasing cancer risks.

Occupational studies have already documented serious health problems among workers exposed to high levels of airborne plastic particles. Textile industry employees, for example, show three times the normal rate of lung cancer, particularly those working with synthetic fibers like nylon.

Even larger particles that get trapped in the respiratory system contribute to plastic exposure through an indirect pathway. These particles get cleared by the body’s natural cleaning mechanisms and are then swallowed, leading to gastrointestinal exposure. The researchers estimate this indirect route may exceed current estimates of dietary microplastic intake from food and beverages.

Vehicle Interiors Create Microplastic Hotspots

Vehicle interiors emerged as particularly intense sources of plastic particle exposure, with air samples containing 2,238 particles per cubic meter versus 528 particles per cubic meter in homes. The confined spaces contain numerous synthetic materials that constantly shed microscopic fragments through wear, temperature changes, and UV exposure from sunlight.

Polyamide and polyethylene (common materials in car upholstery and interior components) dominated the plastic particles found in vehicle air samples. Cars showed a different contamination pattern than homes, with polyamide (25%) and other interior materials like dashboard plastics leading the contamination instead of the polyethylene that dominated household air.

The constant vibration, temperature fluctuations, and physical wear of driving appears to accelerate the breakdown of these materials into respirable particles. Since people in developed countries spend approximately 5% of their time in vehicles according to the study, this concentrated exposure represents a significant source of daily microplastic inhalation.

What Research Shows About Global Exposure

Comparing results with other published studies on indoor air quality showed remarkable consistency. Despite different methods and locations, research from around the world showed similar patterns of microplastic distribution, pointing to a global phenomenon rather than isolated incidents.

Scientists still need direct measurements of the smallest particles (nanoplastics below 1 micrometer) to complete the exposure picture. The study’s mathematical models indicate these ultra-tiny fragments could number in the millions per cubic meter of air, representing potentially massive daily exposures.

Future research should examine how factors like ventilation, cleaning practices, building materials, and human activities influence indoor microplastic concentrations. Understanding these variables could help develop strategies to reduce exposure levels.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/study-finds-indoor-air-especially-cars-filled-with-microplastics/

For years, apples and bananas have been staples in health-conscious diets. Known for their fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and overall versatility, these fruits have earned a reputation as go-to healthy options. However, a recent study by researchers at William Paterson University has shifted the spotlight to a lesser-celebrated citrus fruit — lemon. After assessing 41 fruits on various health metrics, the study concluded that lemon ranks highest in nutritional value.

The researchers evaluated fruits based on nutritional density, vitamin content, antioxidants, and health benefits. Lemons, despite their modest size and tangy flavor, came out on top for their impressive combination of vitamin C, soluble fiber, flavonoids, and other plant compounds. These nutrients are known to support immunity, aid digestion, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues.

What gives lemon a unique edge is not just its vitamin profile, but also how it interacts with the body. While naturally acidic in taste, lemons have an alkalizing effect once metabolized. This contributes to better pH balance in the body, which can benefit gut health and overall digestion.

More Than Just juice: Full Potential of Lemons

The study also highlighted the benefits of lemon peel, which many people overlook. Lemon peels are rich in limonene — an essential oil with antimicrobial and potential anti-cancer properties. Unlike thinner-skinned limes, lemons have a thicker peel that holds a higher concentration of these beneficial oils. Including grated peel in meals not only adds flavor but may also offer additional health advantages.

Moreover, the flavonoids in lemons may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, contributing to long-term heart health. Combined with its soluble fiber content, lemon helps stabilize blood sugar levels and promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.

Everyday Ways To Include Lemons In Diet

Even for those who find lemons too sour to eat directly, there are simple ways to make them part of daily meals. Adding lemon juice to warm water — especially with a bit of honey — is a popular morning ritual that can help kick-start digestion. A squeeze of lemon over salads, soups, or rice bowls not only enhances flavor but also adds nutritional value. Grating lemon zest into dishes or desserts can deliver a subtle citrus note along with a dose of antioxidants.

Source : https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/apple-vs-lemon-vs-banana-who-wins-the-healthiest-fruit-trophy-science-has-the-answer/articleshow/122926096.cms?from=mdr

A new study calls into question the general assumptions about waterfront living, showing that Americans living close to the coast tend to live longer lives, while those near inland waters like lakes and rivers actually have shorter life expectancies.

Yes, it’s long been thought that living near waterways brings benefits for everyone. But it turns out that the location of your blue space matters far more than simply living near any water at all.

Researchers Analyze 66,000+ Communities Nationwide

Researchers from Ohio State University analyzed data from 66,263 census tracts across the continental United States, creating one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind. They compared life expectancy data from 2010–2015 with proximity to both coastal waters and inland water bodies, while accounting for dozens of other factors that influence longevity.

Americans living within 31 miles of the coast showed consistently higher life expectancy rates compared to areas near large inland water bodies. The average American in the study lived 78.3 years, but that number varied based on their relationship with water.

How Climate, Air Quality, and Income Differ Near Coasts vs Inland Waters

The differences between coastal and inland water environments are stark. Areas near inland waters averaged 21 scorching days per year with temperatures above 95°F, while coastal areas saw just 2.2 such days. Coastal residents also breathe cleaner air, with lower levels of air pollution and wildfire smoke.

Money plays a major role too. Mean household income near coastal waters reached $91,075 compared to just $67,774 near inland water bodies — a gap of more than $23,000 per year. Higher incomes often translate into better healthcare access, nutrition, and overall quality of life.

Coastal geography may also provide logistical and health advantages. These areas tend to feature flatter terrain and better transportation access, while inland water regions are more mountainous and harder to navigate, affecting everything from emergency response times to daily stress.

The ocean acts as a natural climate moderator, helping purify air and regulate temperature. Coastal areas experience less extreme weather overall, with fewer dangerously cold days and more stable seasonal patterns. Recreational access to beaches and opportunities for outdoor activity, such as swimming or walking along the shore, may also offer added health benefits not always matched by inland water features.

Why Inland Water Impacts Life Expectancy Differently in Cities and Rural Areas

Here’s where the research gets particularly interesting: the negative effects of inland waters primarily impact urban areas, while rural communities near inland waters actually see modest life expectancy benefits.

In cities, proximity to large inland water bodies correlates with shorter lifespans. But in rural areas, the relationship flips. Urban inland waters face greater pollution, flood risks, and air quality challenges, while rural inland waters can offer recreational and aesthetic benefits without the same environmental hazards.

This urban-rural split reveals that context matters enormously when evaluating how water proximity affects health outcomes.

What the Findings Mean for Public Health

These results, published in Environmental Research, carry serious consequences for the millions of Americans living near inland waters. The Great Lakes region, mountain lake communities, and riverside cities may need to address environmental factors that could be undermining residents’ health and longevity.

The research team acknowledged limitations in their work, including the inability to measure actual water quality or track how individuals personally interact with nearby water bodies. They also couldn’t include behavioral factors like smoking, diet, and exercise in their analysis.

However, the massive scale of the study — covering virtually every American community — provides robust evidence for the patterns they identified. The consistency of results across multiple statistical approaches strengthens confidence in their conclusions.

Rather than assuming all waterfront living offers the same benefits, Americans might want to consider whether their blue space comes with an ocean breeze or sits inland. The difference, the authors suggest, may be associated with meaningful differences in health and longevity.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/living-near-water-shorten-lifespan/

Picture this: it’s your first day at a new job. You’re about to introduce yourself to a large group of people you’ll be working with – and promptly fall flat on your face. Not exactly the entrance you had in mind. We’ve all cringed at moments like these — whether they happen to us or to others. That instant, full-body wince, and the shared, silent relief that it didn’t happen to you.

Embarrassment is a universal, visceral and oddly contagious emotion. It’s what psychologists call a self-conscious emotion. This means it hinges on our awareness of ourselves through others’ eyes.

Unlike shame or guilt, embarrassment isn’t usually moral — it’s about looking awkward or inept. Context matters too. We feel more embarrassed in front of people whose opinions we value or who hold power.

Yet while embarrassment may feel uncomfortable, it actually has surprising social and psychological benefits.

Empathy And Social Connection

Evolutionary psychologists believe embarrassment developed as a social corrective – a way to acknowledge mistakes, signal remorse and reduce conflict within groups. This instinct probably helped our ancestors stay in the group, which was critical for survival. People who showed embarrassment were seen as more trustworthy and cooperative.

In this way, embarrassment can invite empathy and forgiveness, strengthening relationships. It signals that we care what others think, promoting approachability and emotional closeness. So, while it’s uncomfortable in the moment, embarrassment probably evolved to keep communities cohesive.

Embarrassment is also contagious. Most of us have cringed on someone else’s behalf. This shows how deeply tuned our social brains are. We empathize with others’ awkwardness, often rushing to reassure them. This empathy helps preserve harmony and can also help us build connection with others.

Trust And Virtue

Visible signs of embarrassment – such as blushing or stumbling over words – are often seen as signs of honesty and generosity. One study found that people who show embarrassment are judged to be more trustworthy and sociable.

Blushing may have evolved on purpose to be a visible, honest signal of humility that others instinctively trust. Experiments even show we’re more likely to forgive someone who looks embarrassed than someone who acts indifferent.

Learning Social Norms

Forgetting you’re not on mute in a Zoom meeting, sending a message to the wrong group chat or realizing your shirt’s inside out after an important meeting. These moments may be minor, but our brains still process them as social threats – albeit small ones.

In this way, embarrassment helps us adhere to social norms and expectations – many of which are unwritten and only discovered once we’ve flubbed them by mistake. Embarrassment acts as an internal guide, helping us remember social missteps and encouraging us to conform to shared expectations – not out of shame, but because it feels right. It also nudges us whenever we stray near the edges of what’s socially comfortable, helping us course-correct swiftly.

The way we react to an embarrassing situation is also important in helping us learn from our experiences. Many of us laugh nervously when embarrassed. This effectively reframes the incident from threatening to harmlessly amusing in our minds.

Humility And Authenticity

Embarrassment keeps egos in check, signals emotional intelligence and makes us more relatable. In a curated world, an awkward moment can humanize us and build credibility.

However, while moderate embarrassment is healthy and constructive, excessive fear of it can become harmful – crossing into social anxiety.

Your Brain On Embarrassment

Embarrassment isn’t generated by a single “embarrassment center” in the brain. Rather, it’s generated by a network of different brain regions working together.

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a region in the front of the brain that’s active during self-reflection and when thinking about how others perceive us. It’s also involved in storing social memories – which is why an embarrassing memory, even from years ago, can still make you cringe when it pops into your head.

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is the reason you blush, your heart pounds and you feel sweaty when you’re deeply embarrassed. The ACC activates your “fight or flight” reaction. When the ACC fires up, it also helps us adjust our behavior – aiding in impulse control and helping us learn from the mistake so we don’t do it again.

The amygdala is the brain’s emotional alarm bell. When we get embarrassed, the amygdala registers the emotional intensity of the situation – especially the fear of being seen negatively.

People with social anxiety show an imbalance between the mPFC and amygdala. Their mPFC is under-active (so they’re less able to rationalize others’ perspectives), while their amygdala is overactive (causing excessive fear signals). This combination makes it hard for them to accurately gauge social situations, often interpreting them as more threatening and embarrassing than they really are.

Finally, the insula, a region located deep in the brain, helps us tune into our emotions and bodily states. This creates that gut-level discomfort we feel during embarrassing moments. All these regions work in concert during an embarrassing moment.

Embarrassment is uncomfortable, yes – but it’s also a reminder that we care about others and want to belong. It’s part of what makes us human. So the next time you experience an embarrassing moment, try to laugh it off and remember that the moment is helping us to learn and connect.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/why-feeling-embarrassed-might-actually-be-good-for-you/

The locals residing in Liechtenstein possess enough money to let them live a life without doing any work. This allows them to have enough time to pursue a hobby they love.

Tucked away like a hidden gem between Switzerland and Austria, lies a country that has no airport, no currency and no language. Yet, “it is one of the richest and safest countries on Earth” with pristine natural beauty, majestic castles, and a crime rate so low that only seven people are in jail. Sounds unbelievable? Well, such a place exists and it is called Liechtenstein. A video on this offbeat European wonderland has now gone viral on Instagram.

The caption offered an overview of Liechtenstein, boasting medieval castles and snow-capped Alps with a population of approximately 30,000 people. It read, “Ever heard of Liechtenstein? Most people have not. But this tiny nation tucked between Switzerland and Austria is wildly unique. No airport — you have to fly into another country. No currency — they use the Swiss Franc. No official language of their own — German is borrowed. And yet, it is one of the richest and safest countries on Earth. Liechtenstein proves this: You do not need size, flash, or your own rules to thrive.”

Wealthiest Country In Europe

Do you know Liechtenstein is the second-wealthiest country in Europe in terms of per capita GDP, “even wealthier than the king of Britain?” The locals here possess enough money to let them live a life without doing any work. It allows them to have enough time to pursue a hobby they love.” The residents “benefit from low taxes and have no external debt.” Their equation is based on mutual respect and flaunting your affluence is something they look down upon. Due to barely-there crime rates, there are about 100 police officers in Liechtenstein and people don’t even bother to lock their doors at night.

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Internet Calls It Utopia

The post received multiple reactions from travel enthusiasts who were floored by Liechtenstein’s beauty and unique lifestyle. “It looks like a dream,” gushed a user. “This is what life should be all over the world,” chimed in another. “Want my country to become like this in terms of wealth, no crime, honest and hardworking people,” hoped one person.

Source : https://www.news18.com/viral/all-about-liechtenstein-in-europe-no-airport-no-currency-of-own-yet-rich-locals-ws-l-aa-aa-9465604.html

 

Archaeologists found evidence of infant cannibalism from 850,000 years ago at Gran Dolina cave. A human neck bone with cut marks indicated intentional decapitation.

Spanish archaeologists found evidence of ‘infant cannibalism’ around 850,000 years ago. Researchers discovered a human neck bone while digging at the Gran Dolina cave site in Atapuerca, northern Spain. The remains show clear cut marks consistent with intentional decapitation.

“This case is particularly striking, not only because of the child’s age, but also due to the precision of the cut marks,” says Dr. Palmira Saladié, IPHES-CERCA researcher and co-director of the Gran Dolina excavation alongside Dr. Andreu Ollé. The IPHES researchers also mentioned that some bones also show defleshing marks and intentional fractures, typical indicators of meat exploitation similar to those found on animal bones consumed by these same humans.

“The vertebra presents clear incisions at key anatomical points for disarticulating the head. It is direct evidence that the child was processed like any other prey,” Saladié added.

The child was a Homo antecessor, a species that was the last link between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Several of the other bones found over the years have cut marks. The archaeologists are certain that our ancestors were cannibals and ate children.

However, this is not the first incident linked to human cannibalism. About 30 years ago, first known case of human cannibalism worldwide. The experts cited by IPHES in its report explained, “that we are documenting now is the continuity of that behaviour: the treatment of the dead was not exceptional, but repeated.”

Source : https://www.news18.com/viral/ancient-humans-cannibalised-children-850000-years-ago-scientists-find-butchered-remains-ws-l-9466340.html

Working 50+ hours a week while watching rent consume half your paycheck has become the American nightmare in certain cities. A new study reveals which urban areas are pushing residents to their breaking point, and the results expose deep cracks in how we live and work across the country.

With 77% of Americans feeling stressed about the nation’s future and 73% worried about the economy, according to the American Psychological Association, your zip code could be the difference between manageable daily pressure and overwhelming anxiety.

America’s Most Stressed Cities

Detroit tops the list as the country’s most stressed city, and the numbers tell a brutal story. The Motor City has the highest unemployment rate in America at 11.4% and the lowest household income when accounting for living costs—just over $38,000 per year.

Money troubles go far beyond just unemployment. Detroit residents face the nation’s highest poverty rate at 31.5% and struggle with credit scores averaging 624, which banks consider “bad credit.” Family life takes a hit too, with the second-highest divorce rate and proportion of single-parent households nationwide.

Cleveland ranks second, largely due to household incomes under $43,000 after adjusting for living costs. The financial strain shows up everywhere: Cleveland has the fourth-highest rate of families falling behind on bills, the second-highest foreclosure rate, and leads the nation in divorces at over 41%.

Baltimore rounds out the top three, where housing costs devour family budgets. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment consumes nearly 40% of household income—the third-highest burden in America. Homeowners aren’t safe either, with the seventh-highest rate of mortgages where families owe significantly more than their homes are worth.

Where Geography Determines Your Mental Health

Regional patterns emerge clearly from the data. Southern and Rust Belt cities dominate the most stressed rankings, with Memphis, Shreveport, and Birmingham all landing in the top 10. Meanwhile, smaller Western cities and college towns tend to offer more manageable lifestyles.

Work stress varies dramatically by location. Pearl City, Hawaii, offers the most relaxed work environment, while Scottsdale, Arizona, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, tie for the most demanding work schedules. Financial stress follows similar geographic patterns, with Cleveland leading the nation in money worries.

Crime adds another layer of anxiety for residents in stressed cities. Baltimore experiences some of the highest violent crime rates nationally, along with the sixth-most mass shootings between March 2020 and March 2025. Detroit faces similar safety challenges, creating a cycle where economic stress and public safety concerns feed off each other.

South Burlington, Vermont, claims the least stressed spot overall, showing that smaller communities can offer significantly better quality of life despite potentially lower salaries.

Expert Solutions for Urban Stress

“Where you live can play a big role in how stressed you are. Cities with high crime rates, weak economies, less effective public health and congested transportation systems naturally lead to elevated stress levels for residents. When moving, it’s important to consider how a certain city may impact your mental health – not just your financial opportunities,” explains Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst.

Workplace Stress Solutions

Dr. Michael Peterson from the University of Delaware identifies two key factors in the workplace that employers can address. “The two major drivers of employee work-related stress are demand—control imbalances, and effort—reward imbalances,” he explains. The first occurs when employees lack decision-making power over their work pace and processes, often due to micromanagement. The second happens when “an employee does not receive sufficient reward for the amount of effort they put into their work.”

Dr. Rachel Wu from UC Riverside emphasizes workplace flexibility: “Personal issues often require flexibility in remote options or time off. As long as the work gets done at some other point, the employers could allow more flexibility to help employees. For good employees, micromanaging also creates unnecessary work-related stress.”

Financial Stress Management

For managing money troubles, Dr. Peterson offers concrete strategies: “Financial stress occurs when people lose control of their money and/or the expenses that they incur to live.” He recommends two key solutions: creating a budget to track spending and building an emergency fund. “Financial advisors recommend that everyone work toward saving three to six months’ worth of expenses in an emergency fund,” he notes.

Dr. Wu suggests making financial management less overwhelming: “Perhaps they can make it a game. First they can list their fixed expenses, and then try to figure out which of those fixed expenses can be removed or reduced. Couponing/deal hunting can be challenging, but also quite fun.”

Family Stress and Policy Solutions

Childcare is also a major policy issue. “Much more quality, affordable daycare is a necessity because quality daycare is no longer affordable for most families,” says Dr. Wu. “The universal preschool program would be an excellent place to start.”

Dr. Peterson emphasizes communication for family financial stress: “Finances are always a source of family stress because as money becomes less available the demands of the family often don’t change. Communication is perhaps the biggest remedy to this problem.”

He also calls for policy changes: “Governments should work toward easing the financial burden of families rather than carelessly passing on uncontrolled government spending through a myriad of taxes, regulations, and oppressive policies.”

When asked about 2025’s biggest financial stressors, Dr. Peterson points to inflation and job insecurity: “Right now, the top financial stressors are potential for job loss and rising inflation. The facts indicate that our dollar does not buy the same amount as it did two or three years ago.” He warns that “Job loss is also a real threat especially in certain industries, and as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is incorporated more into the workplace.”

Dr. Wu echoes similar concerns: “I think uncertainty in the financial markets and employment opportunities, as well as housing prices and inflation (especially food prices) are big financial stressors this year. It’s become much harder to stretch the dollar, and many families have to buy much less food for the same amount of money.”

Source : https://studyfinds.org/most-stressed-cities-in-2025/

Although 10,000 steps per day can still be a suitable target for those who are more active, 7,000 steps per day might be a more realistic and achievable target for many

Walking around 7,000 steps a day could be enough to significantly reduce the risk of dying early and developing serious health conditions, according to a major new analysis published in the medical journal, The Lancet.

Drawing on 57 studies involving more than 160,000 adults worldwide, the research claims to provide the most comprehensive evidence to date that modest daily step counts are strongly linked to improved health outcomes.

“Based on our meta-analyses, compared with 2,000 steps per day, 7,000 steps per day was associated with a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality,” the authors of the study wrote. The same step count was associated with a 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease incidence and meaningful reductions in the risks of type 2 diabetes (14%), dementia (38%), depression (22%), cancer (6%), and falls (28%).

This is the first large-scale study to examine not just death rates, but a broad set of health outcomes. “An inverse non-linear dose-response association was found, with inflection points at around 5,000-7,000 steps per day,” the study said, indicating that health gains tend to level off beyond this range for most conditions.

While walking more than 7,000 steps continued to provide additional benefits for some outcomes—particularly heart disease—the authors suggest that 7,000 steps may be a more realistic and impactful daily target for the general public than the commonly promoted 10,000-step goal. “Although 10,000 steps per day can still be a suitable target for those who are more active, 7,000 steps per day is associated with clinically important improvements in health outcomes and might be a more realistic and achievable target for many people,” the researchers concluded.

The study, titled ‘Daily steps and health outcomes in adults – a systematic review and dose response meta analysis’, also found that even relatively modest activity—such as 4,000 steps a day—was measurably better than very low step counts, such as 2,000 per day.

“Daily step volume is consistently associated with lower risks of major health outcomes. Although risk reductions occur even at lower step counts, they continue with increasing steps per day,” it said, while concluding that “approximately 7,000 steps per day was associated with risk reductions for all outcomes examined and might serve as a practical quantitative public health target”.

How was the study done?

The study team, led by researchers from Australia, the UK and the US, reviewed data from publications between 2014 and early 2025, with 31 studies included in meta-analyses. Step counts were recorded using devices, allowing for objective measurement across diverse populations. However, the authors noted that the “certainty of evidence varied across outcomes”, with stronger evidence for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, and lower certainty for outcomes such as cancer and dementia due to fewer studies and limitations in study design.

Still, the authors emphasised that step counts provide a straightforward and widely accessible way to encourage more physical activity. “Daily step count is a simple and easily communicated measure of physical activity,” they wrote, calling for public health policies to consider step-based targets as part of future guidelines. They also advised that results should be interpreted in light of limitations such as the age of participants and the potential for confounding variables.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/7000-steps-a-day-tied-to-lower-risk-of-death-diabetes-cancer-more-lancet-study-ws-kl-9459116.html

GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide may cause 25–40% of weight loss to come from lean muscle.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have become household names, promising dramatic results for millions struggling with obesity. But new research out of the University of Virginia reveals a troubling side effect that could undermine long-term health: these drugs may be destroying muscle mass and failing to improve the heart and lung fitness that’s crucial for staying alive.

The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found that popular GLP-1 receptor agonists — including semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) — cause people to lose substantial amounts of muscle alongside fat. Even more concerning, despite their proven cardiovascular benefits, these medications appear to do little for cardiorespiratory fitness, a key predictor of mortality.

The researchers found that approximately 25% to 40% of weight loss from these drugs comes from fat-free mass (which includes muscle), at rates that far exceed normal aging. While healthy adults typically lose about 0.8% of their muscle mass each year due to aging, people taking these weight loss drugs can lose muscle much faster. In major clinical trials, participants lost anywhere from 25% to 40% of their total weight from muscle rather than fat alone.

Why GLP-1 Drugs Don’t Improve Heart and Lung Fitness
The research reveals a puzzling contradiction in modern obesity treatment. While these medications have revolutionized weight management and shown remarkable success in reducing heart attacks and strokes, they’re not delivering the fitness improvements doctors would expect from such dramatic weight loss.

Cardiorespiratory fitness — essentially how well the heart, lungs, and muscles work together during exercise — is one of the strongest predictors of mortality risk. People with poor fitness have much higher chances of dying from any cause, regardless of their weight. Typically, losing substantial amounts of weight should improve this fitness level, but the new research suggests these drugs aren’t delivering that benefit.

The study’s authors analyzed multiple clinical trials involving thousands of participants taking various GLP-1 medications. Across nearly every study examined, participants either saw no improvement in their peak oxygen consumption (a gold standard measure of fitness) or showed only modest gains that could be attributed to factors other than the medication itself.

How Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic and Mounjaro Trigger Muscle Loss
The muscle loss stems from several factors related to how these medications work. GLP-1 drugs dramatically reduce appetite, leading to severe caloric restriction that can trigger the body to break down muscle tissue for energy. During periods of low food intake, the body increases muscle protein breakdown while decreasing muscle protein synthesis, essentially breaking down muscle to meet its energy needs.

Many people taking these medications also experience fatigue and gastrointestinal side effects that reduce their physical activity levels. Less movement means less stimulus for the body to maintain muscle mass, creating a cycle of muscle loss.

The researchers noted that prolonged caloric restriction also impacts cardiac protein balance, reducing synthesis while sparing degradation. This could explain why some studies found reductions in stroke volume (the amount of blood the heart pumps with each beat) in people taking these medications.

Exercise Training Shows Promise for Preserving Muscle
The study identified a potential solution: combining these medications with exercise training. Small trials that included structured exercise programs alongside GLP-1 treatment showed promising results for maintaining muscle mass and improving fitness levels.

In one study of people taking tirzepatide with exercise training, participants not only preserved more muscle mass but also showed improvements in fitness when measured per kilogram of muscle tissue. Another trial combining liraglutide with exercise demonstrated similar benefits compared to medication alone.

The authors concluded that “concomitant exercise training may be able to offset potential reductions” in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle loss for people taking these drugs.

Exercise programs that showed benefits typically included both aerobic exercise and resistance training, though the optimal combination, intensity, and duration remain unclear. The studies were small and some lacked proper control groups, so larger trials are needed to confirm results.

What This Means for Patients Taking GLP-1 Weight Loss Medications
The muscle loss has serious implications for the millions of Americans taking these medications. Muscle mass helps regulate blood sugar, supports bone health, and maintains metabolic rate. Losing substantial muscle could potentially diminish some of the long-term health benefits these medications provide.

For older adults and people who already have low muscle mass before starting treatment, the risks may be particularly concerning. These populations could face higher risk for frailty, falls, and functional decline if muscle loss accelerates.

Pharmaceutical companies are already exploring solutions. Some researchers are investigating combining GLP-1 medications with other drugs that specifically preserve muscle mass, such as bimagrumab, an antibody that blocks signals telling muscles to break down.

The study authors emphasized that their results shouldn’t discourage people from using these medications when appropriate. The cardiovascular and metabolic benefits of GLP-1 drugs are well-established and important. Rather, the research highlights the importance of comprehensive treatment approaches that address the whole person, not just the number on the scale. For now, that strategy appears to center on one tried-and-true intervention: regular exercise.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/weight-loss-drugs-ozempic-tirzepatide-semaglutide-muscle-loss/

 

Getting a warning on your phone seconds before an earthquake hits isn’t science fiction anymore; it’s reality for millions of people worldwide. Scientists at Google and UC Berkeley have turned ordinary Android smartphones into the world’s largest earthquake detection network, reaching 2.5 billion people across 98 countries.

Over three years, this smartphone-based system detected more than 11,000 earthquakes and delivered alerts with accuracy matching traditional seismic monitoring systems. For earthquake-prone regions without expensive monitoring networks, a simple Android phone could mean the difference between life and death. The research behind this remarkable system is now published in Science.

How Android Phones Detect Earthquakes Using Built-In Sensors
Android phones work as earthquake detectors by using their built-in accelerometers, the same motion sensors that rotate your screen when you flip your device. When a phone sits still, it continuously monitors for sudden movement spikes matching earthquake wave patterns.

“When an individual phone triggers, it sends a message to Google servers with acceleration information and an approximate location,” the researchers, led by Richard Allen, director of the Berkeley Seismology Lab, explain in their paper.

Google’s algorithms then analyze reports from multiple phones to determine if the pattern represents a real earthquake rather than construction work or passing trucks.

This crowd-sourced approach fundamentally changes earthquake monitoring. Traditional systems rely on expensive seismic stations costing hundreds of thousands of dollars each, requiring ongoing maintenance that many earthquake-prone regions simply can’t afford.

The Android system automatically runs on most devices through Google Play Services, meaning roughly 70% of the world’s smartphones participate in this detection network without users doing anything special.

System Accuracy Rivals Professional Earthquake Networks
During the study period from April 2021 to March 2024, the Android Earthquake Alerts system detected an average of 312 earthquakes monthly, ranging from magnitude 1.9 to 7.8. Crucially, 85% of these detections matched earthquakes listed in traditional scientific catalogs, proving the system’s reliability.

Accuracy improved dramatically as Google’s engineers refined their algorithms. Early magnitude estimates had a median error of 0.50, dropping to just 0.25 by study’s end, rivaling the performance of Japan’s national earthquake warning network.

The system delivers two warning types based on predicted shaking intensity. “TakeAction” alerts break through all phone settings for areas expecting strong shaking, taking over the entire screen and playing loud sounds while displaying instructions to “Drop, cover and hold on.” “BeAware” alerts appear as standard notifications for lighter shaking areas, still providing valuable safety information.

Turkey Earthquake Response Highlights System Improvements
The system faced its biggest test during the catastrophic February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey. The first quake, measuring 7.8 magnitude, killed tens of thousands and revealed both the system’s potential and limitations.

Initially, the system underestimated the first earthquake’s size, providing a magnitude estimate of 4.5 instead of 7.8. However, researchers used this experience to improve their algorithms. When they tested updated software on the same earthquake data, results were dramatically better: the system would have detected the earthquake in 6.3 seconds and closely estimated a magnitude of 7.4, potentially warning 67 million people.

During a magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Nepal, the system delivered over 10 million alerts, with some people receiving warnings up to 60 seconds before feeling shaking.

Users Report High Satisfaction with Earthquake Alerts
Survey responses from over 1.5 million alert recipients revealed overwhelming satisfaction with the system. An impressive 85% rated alerts as “very helpful”—even among those who didn’t feel earthquake shaking during the event.

Results showed 36% of people received alerts before feeling shaking, 28% during earthquakes, and 23% afterward. Among recipients of urgent TakeAction alerts, 28% followed recommended “drop, cover, and hold on” responses, higher compliance than previous earthquake warning studies.

Trust remains strong: 84% of respondents said they would trust future alerts more based on their experience, while only 3% expressed decreased trust. After three years of operation, fewer than 0.1% of users have disabled earthquake alerts entirely.

Before Android’s system launched, only 250 million people worldwide had earthquake early warning access. Countries with high seismic risk but limited resources, including nations in Central Asia, South America, and parts of Africa, suddenly gained access to potentially life-saving technology.

The system detects earthquakes in remote locations where traditional networks would never be cost-effective, even identifying offshore earthquakes up to 100 kilometers from coastlines when they reach magnitude 4.5 or higher.

Beyond emergency alerts, this technology could help identify unknown faults beneath cities, provide rapid post-earthquake damage assessment, and improve regional hazard models worldwide. For millions living in earthquake-prone areas without traditional monitoring, an Android phone represents their best defense against one of nature’s most unpredictable threats.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/how-google-turned-android-phones-into-worlds-largest-earthquake-detection-network/

New Year’s resolutions have become almost synonymous with failure. By mid-February, most people have already abandoned their ambitious goals to eat healthier, exercise more, or save money. Does it come down to laziness, lack of motivation, or something else? New research reveals the real reason why most resolutions fail.

The year-long study published in Psychological Science finds that people who stick to their resolutions share one surprising trait: they actually enjoy the process of pursuing their goals. While most people set resolutions based on their importance or usefulness, those who succeed are driven by something else entirely: they find the journey itself rewarding.

Researchers from Cornell University explain that intrinsic motivation stems from experiencing goal pursuit as an end in itself, where the benefits cannot be separated from the actual pursuit. In other words, successful resolution-keepers don’t just grit their teeth and push through the discomfort. They discover ways to make the process genuinely enjoyable.

This finding turns popular wisdom about willpower and discipline on its head. Instead, the research shows that people who maintain their resolutions throughout the year are those who manage to find immediate satisfaction in their efforts, not just in the distant outcomes they hope to achieve.

How Scientists Tracked Resolution Success for an Entire Year

Researchers followed 2,000 Americans throughout an entire year, checking in with participants every four months to track their progress on New Year’s resolutions. At the start of the year, participants listed their primary resolution and rated how much they enjoyed pursuing it versus how important they considered the goal.

Results showed that people consistently rated their resolutions as more important than enjoyable, meaning they chose goals primarily because they mattered, not because they were fun. However, those who stuck with their resolutions throughout the year were distinguished by higher levels of enjoyment from the very beginning.

The research found that participants were more motivated by external factors (average score 6.27 out of 7) than by internal enjoyment (average score 5.41 out of 7). Yet enjoyment proved to be the stronger predictor of long-term success.

Consider two people trying to establish a running habit. One runs primarily for long-term health benefits, while another discovers they genuinely enjoy the meditative quality of their morning jogs and the sense of accomplishment after each run. The second person is far more likely to still be running months later.

Why the Research Goes Beyond American Culture

To ensure their findings weren’t limited to American culture or dependent on people’s subjective assessments, the researchers expanded their investigation. They replicated the study with 500 participants in China during Chinese New Year, finding the same pattern: enjoyment predicted goal adherence more strongly than importance.

Moving beyond self-reported measures, researchers tracked actual daily step counts of 439 people who had goals to walk more. Again, those who found walking more inherently enjoyable walked significantly more steps than those primarily motivated by health benefits.

Most compelling evidence came from an experimental study where researchers actually manipulated people’s motivation. They had 763 participants download a health app that scans product barcodes. Half were encouraged to view the app as a game with product discoveries, while the other half were told it provided useful product information.

Those in the game-focused condition scanned 26% more products over the following 24 hours than those in the information-focused condition. This experiment provided crucial evidence that increasing enjoyment actually causes better goal adherence.

The Psychology Behind Why Fun Beats Willpower

Researchers offer a compelling explanation for why enjoyment proves more powerful than importance in sustaining long-term behavior change. Goals based on importance rely on delayed benefits, the promise of better health, financial security, or professional success somewhere in the future. But humans naturally discount future rewards, making them less motivating as time passes.

Enjoyable goals deliver immediate rewards. When someone finds their goal pursuit inherently satisfying, they receive payoffs right away, not just eventually. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle that sustains motivation over time.

Particularly intriguing was the researchers’ finding about people’s beliefs regarding their own motivation. In a follow-up study, participants were asked what would better predict goal adherence: importance or enjoyment. Most people chose importance, indicating they don’t fully understand what actually drives their own long-term behavior.

This misunderstanding may lead people to set themselves up for failure. If someone believes willpower and commitment are what matter most, they’re less likely to focus on making their goal pursuit enjoyable. They might choose the most efficient workout rather than the most fun one, or the most nutritious meal plan rather than one with foods they actually like eating.

How to Make Your Goals More Enjoyable and Sustainable

Research findings have practical applications for anyone trying to make lasting changes. Rather than focusing solely on why a goal matters, people might benefit from actively cultivating enjoyment in the process. This could mean finding a form of exercise that feels more like play than work, discovering cooking techniques that make healthy eating pleasurable, or creating reward systems that make savings goals more engaging.

For policymakers and organizations trying to promote behavior change, the research indicates that interventions should emphasize the immediate, enjoyable benefits of desired behaviors rather than just their long-term consequences. Public health campaigns might be more effective highlighting how physical activity can be fun and stress-relieving today, not just beneficial for preventing disease decades later.

Research also offers hope for the millions of people who have repeatedly failed at resolutions or behavior change attempts. The problem may not be a lack of willpower or commitment, but rather a failure to tap into the rewards that make persistence possible.

For the millions of Americans who will set resolutions this coming New Year, the message is clear: choose goals that can become genuinely enjoyable to pursue. The path to lasting change isn’t paved with grit and determination alone, but with the simple human capacity to find joy in the process of becoming better.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/forget-willpower-heres-the-real-secret-to-long-term-goal-success/

Cancer researchers have discovered something remarkable hiding in plain sight: a common bacteria used to make sauerkraut and kimchi can transform stevia leaves into a potentially potent weapon against one of the deadliest cancers.

Scientists at Hiroshima University found that when they fermented stevia leaf extract with Lactobacillus plantarum — the same bacteria used in yogurt and fermented vegetables — it created a compound that proved devastatingly effective against pancreatic cancer cells. The fermented extract triggered a cascade of cellular suicide in lab-grown cancer cells while leaving healthy cells largely unharmed.

Pancreatic cancer remains one of medicine’s most stubborn opponents, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%. Most patients receive their diagnosis when the disease has already spread, making treatment options limited and often ineffective. Traditional therapies like chemotherapy and radiation frequently fail against this aggressive cancer.

How Fermentation Creates New Cancer-Fighting Compound

During fermentation, the bacteria essentially rewrites the chemical structure of compounds found naturally in stevia leaves, creating an entirely new molecule called chlorogenic acid methyl ester, or CAME. This compound proved far more lethal to cancer cells than anything found in unfermented stevia extract.

Researchers, led by Dr. Masanori Sugiyama, spent months optimizing the fermentation process. They tested different temperatures, time periods, and oxygen levels before settling on the most effective combination: 37 degrees Celsius (about body temperature) for 72 hours in an oxygen-free environment.

When they tested both regular stevia extract and the fermented version against PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells — a standard cell line used in cancer research — the results were remarkable. The fermented extract required significantly lower concentrations to kill cancer cells. It killed half the cancer cells at 271.2 micrograms per milliliter after 48 hours, while regular stevia extract needed 331.3 micrograms per milliliter to achieve the same effect.

CAME proved even more potent when tested alone. At 119.1 micrograms per milliliter, it killed half the pancreatic cancer cells in 48 hours — nearly 40% more effective than regular chlorogenic acid, which required 189.6 micrograms per milliliter.

Cancer Cell Death Mechanism Revealed Through Laboratory Testing

The compound triggers a specific type of cellular death called apoptosis — essentially cellular suicide where damaged cells systematically dismantle themselves. Cancer cells typically resist this process, allowing them to grow uncontrollably. CAME appears to override this resistance by manipulating the molecular switches that control cell death.

Using flow cytometry, a technique that analyzes individual cells, researchers discovered that CAME significantly increased production of proteins that promote cell death while simultaneously reducing production of Bcl-2, a protein that helps cells survive.

CAME also arrested cancer cells in a specific phase of their growth cycle called G0/G1, essentially freezing them in place before they could divide and multiply. The percentage of cancer cells undergoing apoptosis increased from 4.4% to 21.4% after 48 hours of CAME treatment.

In wound-healing tests that mimic how cancer spreads through tissue, the fermented extract significantly slowed cancer cell migration compared to untreated cells — crucial since pancreatic cancer’s tendency to spread makes it so deadly.

Safety Testing Shows Promise for Future Cancer Treatment

Perhaps most encouraging, the fermented stevia extract showed minimal toxicity toward healthy cells. When researchers tested it against HEK-293 cells — a non-cancerous human kidney cell line often used to assess safety — they found little to no harmful effects even at high concentrations.

This selective toxicity represents a holy grail in cancer research. Many current cancer treatments damage healthy cells along with cancerous ones, causing the debilitating side effects associated with chemotherapy and radiation. A treatment that specifically targets cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue could revolutionize cancer care.

The fermentation process also dramatically enhanced stevia’s antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help protect cells from damage caused by reactive molecules called free radicals, which contribute to aging and disease development. When researchers exposed healthy cells to hydrogen peroxide — a compound that causes oxidative damage — pretreatment with fermented stevia extract provided significantly better protection than regular stevia extract.

Next Steps Before Human Clinical Trials Begin

While these results are promising, significant work remains before fermented stevia extract could become a cancer treatment. The current research, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, used laboratory-grown cancer cells, which don’t perfectly replicate the complex environment of tumors in living patients.

Animal studies would be the logical next step, followed by carefully designed human clinical trials if those results prove encouraging. Researchers would need to determine optimal dosing, delivery methods, and potential side effects. They’d also need to establish whether the treatment works against actual tumors and whether it can be safely combined with existing therapies.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/kitchen-bacteria-stevia-breakthrough-pancreatic-cancer-fighter-study-finds/

Two specially trained dogs have proven they can detect Parkinson’s disease simply by smelling skin swabs, achieving accuracy rates that rival expensive medical tests. In a rigorous study, the canines correctly identified the neurological condition in 70% and 80% of patients while maintaining over 90% accuracy in ruling out healthy individuals—a breakthrough that could change how doctors screen for a disease that currently has no definitive diagnostic test.

Getting a Parkinson’s diagnosis today means waiting for telltale symptoms like tremors and stiffness to appear, often years after brain damage has already begun. Doctors rely on observing these physical signs because current medical tests are either invasive, expensive, or unreliable. But dogs possess a secret weapon: noses that are 10,000 times more sensitive than humans, capable of detecting molecular changes invisible to our senses.

How Dogs Were Trained to Detect Parkinson’s from Skin Swabs

Researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Manchester, in collaboration with Medical Detection Dogs in the UK, discovered that Parkinson’s patients produce different oils on their skin compared to healthy people. These oils, called sebum, carry a distinct scent that trained dogs can learn to recognize from simple cotton swab samples taken from patients’ backs.

Starting with ten candidate dogs, researchers quickly learned that medical detection work isn’t for every canine. After initial screening, only five showed promise, and as training intensified over nearly a year, three more dropped out. The final two, a two-year-old male Golden Retriever and a three-year-old male Labrador-Golden Retriever mix, proved exceptional at the task.

Dog training was methodical and demanding. Over 38 to 53 weeks, the animals learned to distinguish between 205 different skin samples from people with and without Parkinson’s. Trainers rewarded correct identifications while ignoring samples from healthy individuals, teaching the dogs to alert only when they detected the disease’s unique scent signature.

Double-Blind Trial With Over 90% Accuracy

The real test came when researchers presented the dogs with 100 completely new samples during double-blind trials, meaning neither the handlers nor researchers knew which samples contained the target scent. This eliminated any possibility of unconscious human cues influencing the dogs’ behavior.

Results, published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, were impressive. The first dog correctly identified 28 out of 40 Parkinson’s samples (70% sensitivity) and properly dismissed 54 out of 60 healthy samples (90% specificity). The second dog performed even better, catching 32 out of 40 Parkinson’s samples (80% sensitivity) and correctly ignoring 59 out of 60 control samples (98% specificity).

These accuracy rates surpass many current medical detection scenarios. Dogs trained to detect bladder cancer, for example, achieved only 41% accuracy in previous studies. The Parkinson’s detection rates also compete with some laboratory tests and brain imaging procedures currently used in hospitals.

Both dogs showed remarkable agreement on which samples were easier to identify, indicating that some patients may produce stronger scent signatures than others. Research focused exclusively on drug-naive patients — those who hadn’t yet started Parkinson’s medications — ensuring cleaner scientific results about the disease’s natural scent profile.

What Exactly Are Dogs Smelling in Parkinson’s Patients?

Parkinson’s disease changes more than just movement. It also alters how the body produces skin oils. Patients often develop seborrheic dermatitis, a condition involving excessive production of sebum that’s chemically different from healthy individuals. This altered sebum composition can appear even before the characteristic motor symptoms of Parkinson’s emerge.

The changed sebum creates volatile organic compounds (essentially odor molecules) that produce a distinctive scent signature. While human noses can’t detect these subtle differences, dogs can identify molecular changes occurring at the cellular level. The discovery builds on earlier observations by Joy Milne, a Scottish woman with hyperosmia (an enhanced sense of smell) who noticed her husband’s scent change years before his Parkinson’s diagnosis.

Could Medical Detection Dogs Help Diagnose Parkinson’s Earlier?

While dogs won’t replace neurologists, they could serve as valuable screening tools, especially in areas where movement disorder specialists are scarce. Early detection could enable earlier treatment and potentially slow disease progression.

Research also points toward developing electronic sensors that could detect the same chemical signatures dogs identify. Such devices could deliver rapid, non-invasive screening that complements existing diagnostic methods without the substantial costs and time requirements of training detection dogs.

Challenges remain, however. Training detection dogs requires significant time and resources — nearly a year of intensive work per animal — and only a small percentage of candidates prove suitable. The study also couldn’t determine what specific factors made some samples easier to detect than others, limiting understanding of how consistent this detection method might be across different patients.

Despite these limitations, the study could yield a significant advance in Parkinson’s disease detection. It turns out humanity’s oldest companion may become an unexpected ally in diagnosing one of our most challenging neurological conditions.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/dogs-can-smell-parkinsons-disease-accurate/

 

With talent in short supply and the nation’s workforce more mobile than ever, companies are seeking to locate in places where workers want to live. That makes quality of life an economic issue. And state economic development organizations are leaning into that as they pitch their states to business.

“Connecticut is one state with a whole lot of everything,” the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development declares on its website, which goes on to tout the state’s “good quality of life” more than half a dozen times.

“New Mexico offers a place your employees will love and want to stay,” its state economic development website says.

“The good life is calling,” says Nebraska.

But where is the best life? CNBC’s annual competitiveness study, America’s Top States for Business, is here to find out. Because quality of life has become so essential in attracting quality talent, we consider it among ten categories of competitiveness. While any state can say it is a great place to live, we put those claims to the test using empirical data.

The category considers factors including the crime rate, air quality, and the cost and availability of child care. We also consider legal protections for workers, and protections against discrimination. And with data showing younger workers considering reproductive rights in their choice of where they are willing to live, we factor those state laws in our rankings as well.

Under this year’s methodology, Quality of Life represents 10.6% of a state’s total Top States score.

Some states do not measure up well when it comes to quality of life. But these states are America’s most desirable places to live and work in.

8. (tie) Virginia

With some 2.6 million people packed into just 1,300 square miles, Northern Virginia is certainly crowded. But it often doesn’t feel that way.

Crime in the commonwealth is on the low side despite its size. And Virginians are healthy, ranking in the top ten nationally for frequent exercise, according to the United Health Foundation.

Virginia’s air quality is generally good, with only Arlington and Fairfax Counties in the D.C. Metro area receiving poor grades for ozone pollution, according to the American Lung Association.

But child care can be scarce, with just about 1,500 licensed centers in a state of 8.8 million people, according to Child Care Aware of America. It can also be pricey, at about 11% of median income for a two-income household.

2025 Quality of Life Score: 167 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: B-)

Strengths: Air Quality, Health, Low Crime Rate

Weakness: Child Care

8. (tie) Nebraska

Life in the heartland is as healthy and wholesome as it is cracked up to be, at least by the numbers in The Cornhusker State. With only 3,372 violent offenses in 2023 in a state of nearly two million people, according to FBI statistics, the crime rate is the sixth lowest in the nation.

Nebraska also ranks in the top five states for clean air, based on data from the American Lung Association and the non-profit First Street Foundation.

And Nebraskans are healthy, with among the lowest incidences of mental and physical distress, and the second lowest rate of drug deaths, according to the United Health Foundation.

But child care is relatively scarce, and expensive. Nebraska has just 864 licensed child care centers, and child care costs, on average, 15% of the median income for a two-parent household. State law bars private insurance coverage for abortions, which are banned after 12 weeks.

2025 Quality of Life Score: 167 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: B-)

Strengths: Air Quality, Health, Low Crime Rate

Weaknesses: Child Care, Reproductive Rights

8. (tie) Massachusetts

The Bay State is America’s healthiest, with the lowest incidence of premature death, according to the United Health Foundation. It might have to do with the fact that Massachusetts ranks No. 1 in primary care doctors and mental health providers per capita, not to mention number two for dentists. Just 2.6% of Massachusetts residents lack health insurance — the lowest percentage in the country — compared to nearly 8% nationally.

Massachusetts is a leader in worker protections, according to Oxfam America’s annual scorecard on Best and Worst States to Work in the U.S. — particularly when it comes to guaranteeing the right to organize.

However, air quality is poor, and child care, while more accessible than in many states, is expensive.

2025 Quality of Life Score: 167 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: B-)

Strengths: Health, Worker Protections

Weaknesses: Air Quality, Child Care

7. North Dakota

No state offers more accessible and affordable child care than The Peace Garden State, with 462 licensed child care centers in a state of fewer than 800,000 people. A two-income household making the median income can expect to spend only about 9% of it on child care.

Add the fact that crime is low and the air is clean, and you get a relatively stress-free environment. North Dakotans report the second-lowest incidences of mental and physical distress in the nation. The state also has the second-lowest level of food insecurity in the nation.

But while North Dakota excels in feeding its families, it does not score well in protecting its workers.

North Dakota ranks 40th on the Oxfam scorecard, meeting just three of the 16 criteria the organization sets for worker protection. While state law requires equal pay across gender and race, and it includes protections against sexual harassment and child labor, it does not allow for things like paid family and sick leave. Nor does the state extend protections to agricultural workers, domestic workers, or warehouse workers.

2025 Quality of Life Score: 171 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: B)

Strengths: Child Care, Health, Air Quality, Low Crime Rate

Weakness:

Worker Protections

6. Hawaii

How could a paradise like The Aloha State not finish at the very top of a state quality of life ranking? Crime is low, the environment is pristine, and Hawaii prides itself on its welcoming, Aloha spirit. The problem is that the state fails badly when it comes to caring for its keiki, the affectionate Hawaiian term for children.

Hawaii has just 544 licensed child care centers in a state of 1.8 million people. Those who can get their children into child care will pay dearly for it — 18% of median income for a two-income household, the highest in the nation.

Ready Keiki, a multi-faceted state plan established in 2023, aims to ensure pre-school access for all 3 and 4-year-olds by 2032. It still has a long way to go.

Hawaii also has health issues. While the vast majority of Hawaiians have health insurance, the state ranks 34th in primary care physicians per capita.

2025 Quality of Life Score: 173 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: B)

Strengths: Low Crime Rate, Air Quality, Inclusiveness

Weaknesses: Child Care, Health Care

5. Connecticut

When choosing a place to live, you won’t find one that is much safer or healthier than The Nutmeg State.

With just 5,573 violent offenses in a state of 3.6 million people in 2023, Connecticut had the fourth lowest crime rate in the nation. The United Health Foundation ranks the state 5th for overall health, with low instances of physical and mental stress, and one of the nation’s lowest obesity rates. However, the state has seen a 235% increase in drug deaths since 2007.

The state has robust worker protections and inclusive state laws. But it also has America’s worst air quality, with high levels of both ozone and particulate matter.

2025 Quality of Life Score: 179 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: B)

Strengths: Low Crime Rate, Health, Inclusiveness

Weakness: Air Quality

4. Minnesota

In The Land of 10,000 Lakes, people pride themselves on being “Minnesota nice,” and that applies to pretty much everyone. Minnesotans enjoy broad protections against discrimination, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Worker rights and reproductive rights are strong as well. In 2023, a year before he became a household name as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, Gov. Tim Walz signed into law the Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act, which codifies access to abortion and reproductive health care as a fundamental right.

The home of the renowned Mayo Clinic, Minnesota has an outstanding health system. The state ranks 7th in primary physicians per capita, and it has among the lowest percentages of people without health insurance.

But Minnesota does not do as well in child care, with only about 1,800 licensed child care centers in a state of nearly 6 million people. Child care in Minnesota eats up, on average, 14% of a two-parent household’s income, according to Child Care Aware of America.

2025 Quality of Life Score: 189 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: B+)

Strengths: Inclusiveness, Worker Protections, Reproductive Rights, Health

Weakness: Child Care

 

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/14/americas-10-best-places-quality-of-life-top-states-for-business.html

Plus, discover all the other lifestyle factors that could determine whether you develop the brain-robbing disease

SCIENTISTS have spent decades trying to understand what causes dementia.

Is it alcohol? Obesity? Or are some of us simply genetically predisposed?

The evidence is mixed – though experts generally agree that there are several factors involved in the abnormal build-up of proteins called amyloid and tau, which are what cause symptoms.

A new review by Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pennsylvania, suggests two common infections may play a role.

Researchers found both chlamydia pneumoniae and SARS-CoV-2 increase the levels of substances in the brain called cytokines.

These trigger inflammation, which can “harm brain cells and may help speed up the buildup of harmful proteins linked to Alzheimer’s”.

Chlamydia pneumoniae is a “very common” type of bacteria that causes lung infections, including pneumonia.

It affects about 50 per cent of people by age 20, and 75 per cent by 65, and is passed on by sneezing and coughing, according to Superdrug.

It is not the same as the STI chlamydia, though both are highly infectious.

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes Covid-19.

In 2022, seven in 10 people in England were thought to have been infected. That number is now likely much higher.

The report, published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, found chlamydia pneumoniae and SARS-CoV-2 can invade the central nervous system through the blood-brain barrier and, “potentially more importantly”, the olfactory route, which is responsible for our sense of smell.

“The olfactory system is lined with a specialised tissue called neuroepithelium that can serve as an entry point for pathogens to the brain,” the authors said.

“After initial infection, these microbes can travel along the olfactory nerves, ultimately reaching the brain’s olfactory bulbs, which are linked to areas of the brain for memory and cognition.

“This pathway is particularly relevant given that loss of smell is an early symptom in both Covid-19 and Alzheimer’s disease.”

We hope to create new avenues for prevention and treatment

Dr Brian J BalinProfessor of neuroscience
They looked at patients with certain genetic factors known to significantly increase a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s – the most common form of dementia.

This included APOE – a protein which transports fatty molecules like cholesterol to cells in our brain.

Everyone carries two copies of APOE, one inherited from each parent.

The three most common variants are APOE2, APOE3 and APOE4.

Having at least one APOE4 variant is said to double or triple the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and someone with two variants is eight to 12 times more likely to get it, according to Alzheimer’s Research UK.

About one in 50 people carry two copies of APOE4.

Scientists also examined the cytokines IL-6 and CCL2, which are involved in inflammation and immune responses in the body.

Those carrying this gene variant appeared to be “more susceptible” to both chlamydia pneumoniae and SARS-CoV-2, “potentially amplifying” their risk for developing Alzheimer’s.

Co-author Dr Brian J Balin, a professor of neuroscience and neuropathology and director of the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging, said: “These findings bring us one step closer to understanding the complex interactions between infections and Alzheimer’s disease.

“As we continue to learn more about the role infectious agents play in the development of this disease, we hope to create new avenues for prevention and treatment.”

About 980,000 people in the UK are living with dementia.

This number is expected to rise to more than 1.4million by 2040.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, accounting for between 60 and 80 per cent of all cases.

Symptoms often develop slowly over several years and they may not be obvious at first.

In the early stages, it can be difficult to tell the difference between memory problems caused by Alzheimer’s, and mild forgetfulness that happens as we get older.

But memory loss is one of the most common early symptoms, and may include losing memories of recent events, asking the same questions repeatedly, or having difficulty following conversation and learning new information.

Patients may go on to regularly forget names and faces, repeat the same behaviours and routines, regularly misplace things, become confused about the date or time of day, feel disorientated in unfamiliar places, have problems finding the right words, or become low in mood, anxious or agitated.

As Alzheimer’s progresses, it can impact other areas of life, including communication, sleep, movement, senses and day-to-day care.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/health/14704513/common-infections-trigger-alzheimers-risk/

Celestial objects that glow with steady, eternal light powered not by nuclear fusion like our sun, but by dark matter — the invisible substance that makes up most of the universe — may already exist near the center of our galaxy. According to research from the University of Hawaii and Durham University in the U.K., these strange entities called “dark dwarfs” could be awaiting discovery.

The study, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, reveals that dark matter doesn’t just passively float through space. Instead, it can actively power stellar objects in ways never before imagined, fundamentally changing how astronomers think about the building blocks of the cosmos.

“Dark dwarfs retain their initial lithium-7 in mass ranges where brown/red dwarfs would destroy it, providing a method for detecting them,” the researchers wrote, offering astronomers a potential roadmap for finding these elusive objects.

When Failed Stars Get a Dark Matter Boost

Brown dwarfs are essentially failed stars: sub-stellar objects (celestial bodies smaller than stars) too small to sustain the nuclear fusion that powers stars like our sun. They’re cosmic also-rans that briefly flicker with nuclear activity before cooling down and fading into darkness over billions of years.

Red dwarfs, meanwhile, are the smallest true stars, just barely massive enough to maintain steady hydrogen fusion. They sit right at the boundary between success and failure in the stellar world.

Dark matter changes this entire equation. When dark matter particles collide and annihilate inside these sub-stellar objects, they release energy that can keep them glowing indefinitely. This process transforms what would normally be a cooling brown dwarf into something entirely new: a dark dwarf.

Unlike their conventional counterparts, dark dwarfs maintain constant temperature, size, and brightness over time. They’re essentially cosmic perpetual motion machines, powered by the universe’s most mysterious substance.

The Galactic Center Connection

The research team used complex mathematical models to predict where these objects might exist. Their calculations point to a specific location: the center of our galaxy, where dark matter density reaches extreme levels. Study authors believe they are more than 1,000 times denser than dwarfs in our solar neighborhood.

This geographic limitation explains why astronomers haven’t spotted dark dwarfs yet. Most telescopic surveys focus on objects relatively close to Earth, but dark dwarfs would primarily exist in the crowded, dust-obscured region around our galaxy’s supermassive black hole.

How to Spot a Dark Dwarf

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of dark dwarfs is how astronomers might identify them. The key lies in the aforementioned lithium-7, a light element that gets destroyed in the cores of conventional stars and brown dwarfs when temperatures rise high enough.

Because dark dwarfs operate at lower core temperatures than their conventional counterparts, they preserve their original lithium-7 content. This creates a distinctive signature: objects that appear to have the mass of normal stars but retain lithium levels that should have been burned away long ago. It’s like finding fingerprints at a crime scene, the clear evidence that something unusual happened.

Current estimates suggest dark matter makes up about 85% of all matter in the universe, yet scientists know virtually nothing about its properties beyond its gravitational effects. Dark dwarfs could change that, offering a window into dark matter’s behavior and interactions.

The research also indicates that the minimum mass required for hydrogen burning — a fundamental threshold in stellar physics — isn’t actually fixed. Instead, it depends on local dark matter conditions, meaning stellar evolution works differently in different parts of the galaxy.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/dark-dwarfs-milky-way-powered-by-dark-matter/

 

Sexual health is still seen as a taboo subject among women in Singapore. Not talking about it means that women are losing out on important education, and possibly, medical help.

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) conducted two studies in 2024 which revealed unmet sexual health needs in women of reproductive age. The first study involved 787 women, aged between 21 and 45 years, and found that 57 per cent were not aware of symptoms of female sexual health issues.

Also, even though 94 per cent agreed that awareness and education on female sexual health issues are important, only 43 per cent would seek medical help if they experienced such issues.

The second study, among 477 healthcare professionals who treat women of reproductive age, produced some shocking statistics – 81 per cent were unaware of available screening tools. And only 10 to 12 per cent felt confident or very confident in diagnosing or managing sexual health issues.

In March, the KKH-led Maternal and Child Health Research Institute launched Singapore’s first set of Guidelines on Sexual Health for Women of Reproductive Age, for healthcare professionals. These provide a comprehensive framework covering screening, assessment, education and management across all stages of reproductive health.

For example, a screening tool doctors would use could be The Female Sexual Function Index-6, a questionnaire which assesses female sexual function across six domains, including arousal, lubrication, satisfaction and pain.

“Sexual health during a woman’s reproductive years affects overall health now and in the future,” said KKH’s Dr Tan Tse Yeun, senior consultant at the department of reproductive medicine. “Specifically, it influences women’s function, well-being, relationships and ability to have children.”

MYTH #1: IF YOU’RE NOT SEXUALLY ACTIVE, YOU DON’T NEED TO SEE A GYNAECOLOGIST

A visit to the gynaecologist is not just about screening for sexually-transmitted diseases or monitoring your pregnancy or reproductive health.

“Gynaecological care is important throughout a woman’s life journey,” said Dr Tan, who is also co-chairperson of the guidelines’ work group at KKH. “During your teenage years, we help manage period problems and irregular cycles. In your twenties and thirties, we monitor reproductive health and address conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome or endometriosis.

“During your forties and fifties, we help manage perimenopause and menopause symptoms,” she added. “Whether a woman is sexually active or not, these health needs remain relevant.”

Dr Charu Narayanan, family physician at International Medical Clinic, explained that all women, even if they’re not sexually active, should consider having a checkup with their primary care provider to address any concerns relating to their menstrual cycle, reproductive and sexual health and contraception, if required.

A visit to a gynaecologist might be necessary in some situations, regardless of whether women are sexually active.

“It’s commonplace for women to complain of heavy or painful periods, irregular cycles, abnormal bleeding or unusual vaginal discharge,” Dr Charu said. “There may be no underlying cause but there are conditions affecting the uterus and ovaries, namely fibroids, ovarian cysts and endometriosis, which can only be detected on scanning by a gynaecologist.”

If these conditions are detected early, treatment can alleviate symptoms, prevent other complications or possible impact on fertility, said Dr Charu.

MYTH #2: YOU CAN GET UTI OR YEAST INFECTIONS FROM A TOILET SEAT

This one is easy to dispel – urinary tract infections (UTIs) and yeast infections are not transmitted through toilet seats.

Dr Cassandra Cheong, associate consultant at KKH’s department of obstetrics and gynaecology, explained that UTIs can occur when bacteria, typically from the digestive tract, enter the urinary tract. And vaginal yeast infections are caused by an overgrowth of naturally-occurring fungi in warm, moist environments, often triggered by factors like antibiotics use, hormonal changes or poorly-controlled diabetes.

Dr Charu said that women in the reproductive age group can get UTI after intercourse; prevention includes hydrating well and emptying the bladder after sex. Women of menopausal age also suffer from UTI and vaginal oestrogen can be effective in avoiding it.

Having a UTI or yeast infection can affect your sexual health, though. Both can cause discomfort or pain during intercourse, which may lead couples to avoid sexual activity. And while neither condition is sexually transmitted, sexual activity can increase the risk of UTI in women, said Dr Cheong.

MYTH #3: THERE ARE ALWAYS SYMPTOMS IF YOU HAVE A SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED INFECTION

In early stages of the disease, common sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), syphilis and HIV may not produce noticeable symptoms, said Dr Charu.

“Later on, clear or coloured vaginal discharge, abnormal bleeding patterns, burning urination, pelvic pain and, ultimately, infertility due to spread of the infection to the uterus and fallopian tubes, is noted with chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis infections,” she added.

Dr Cheong told CNA Women that most of the cases seen in the hospital’s STI Clinic are detected through screening patients who show no symptoms. However, these patients are “at risk”, such as those with an infected partner or who have multiple sexual partners, or are pregnant teenagers.

“Therefore, it is possible to contract STI from people who appear well and may not know they have an infection,” she added.

MYTH #4: SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS AFFECT ONLY YOUR SEXUAL HEALTH AND FERTILITY

Not true, said Dr Cheong. She pointed out that STIs can affect your entire body. Some may even have long-term implications, which makes early detection and treatment crucial.

“For example, syphilis may cause heart, brain and eye problems, and HIV may cause weakened immunity and an increased risk of certain cancers,” she said.

Dr Charu noted that gonorrhoea can produce serious eye infections that can lead to blindness, as well as spread to the heart, joints and brain.

Chlamydia can also cause serious eye infections, as well as joint inflammation. And untreated chlamydia during pregnancy can cause serious pneumonia in the baby and also infect the baby’s eyes.

MYTH #5: YOUR SEXUAL PROBLEMS ARE “ALL IN YOUR HEAD”

Sometimes, not being able to have sex isn’t because you’re mentally too caught up with life or just not in the mood. It could be a genuine problem, so don’t dismiss it.

Dr Tan explained that female sexual dysfunction can be due to biological, psychological, socio-cultural factors or a combination of them.

“Conservative social upbringing and religious or cultural influences can also shape views on intimacy and sexuality,” said Dr Tan. “These may give rise to anxiety about sexual intimacy, aversion to sexual relations and even female sexual dysfunction.”

She added that female sexual problems can be caused by certain conditions, such as chronic medical conditions, pregnancy, major pelvic or vagina surgeries and past negative sexual experiences.

Dr Charu said that pain during intercourse can occur with an inability to relax the pelvic floor. A pelvic floor physiotherapist and a gynaecologist can guide treatment.

MYTH #6: YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT IF YOUR LIBIDO DOESN’T MATCH YOUR PARTNER’S

If you and your partner have mismatched libidos, Dr Charu’s advice is to see a doctor to properly explore your medical history. The doctor will check for physical causes (vascular and neurological), mental health as well as certain medications, such as antidepressants, which can affect libido.

Low oestrogen and testosterone levels around perimenopause and its accompanying mental changes can impact sexual function too. Effective treatment includes psychosexual counselling and, in some cases, menopause hormone therapy (MHT; formerly called hormone replacement therapy) which can improve mood, libido and sleep quality.

Dr Tan recommended open and honest communication about each partner’s needs and expectations.

“Couples can consult healthcare professionals about underlying factors affecting desire levels, discussing solutions to explore, such as adjusting timing of intimate activities when energy levels are high or when activities or stress levels are low, to discussing the frequency and type of intimacy the couple prefers,” said Dr Tan.

 

Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/women/sexual-health-myths-uti-sti-menopause-low-libido-467371

A surgical robot has successfully removed pig gallbladders in a lab setting without any hands-on help during the actual surgery steps, completing each operation with a 100% success rate. The new system, developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, handled all the critical parts of the procedure by itself, even correcting its own mistakes along the way.

Although a human operator still had to reload surgical clips and switch tools when needed (like a nurse would during a real surgery), the robot made all decisions for the surgical steps on its own, from spotting the right parts of the anatomy to placing surgical clips and making precise cuts. The team says this is the first time a robot has handled an entire surgical procedure, step by step, without direct control. A paper on the achievement was published in Science Robotics.

Teaching Robots to Think Like Surgeons
The secret behind the robot’s success is its two-part artificial intelligence system, which works like an experienced surgeon guiding a medical trainee in the operating room.

The first AI component acts like a lead surgeon: every three seconds, it looks at video from surgical cameras and decides what should happen next, issuing simple commands like “clip the left tube” or “move the right arm higher.” The second AI acts like the surgeon’s hands, turning those instructions into smooth, precise movements 30 times a second.

To train the system, the researchers recorded 17 hours of real gallbladder removal practice on pig organs taken from butcher shops and used for medical training. They captured more than 16,000 examples of the steps involved, including common mistakes and how to fix them, so that the robot could learn how to adjust on its own when something goes wrong.

How the Robot Surgeon Did
When tested, the robot completed all 17 steps needed to remove a gallbladder, including grabbing tissue, placing clips to seal off ducts and arteries, and cutting them. Each procedure took about five minutes on average, not counting time for the human assistant to reload clips and swap tools.

The robot proved it could adapt when things didn’t go exactly as planned. In some tests, the researchers deliberately put it in tricky positions, such as having to grab tissue at an odd angle. The system figured out how to fix the problem by itself. On average, it made about six self-corrections per surgery.

When compared to a simpler version of the AI that didn’t have this layered approach or built-in corrections, the new system was far more reliable. The basic model only succeeded about a third of the time, while the full version got it right every time.

“This work represents a major leap from prior efforts because it tackles some of the fundamental barriers to deploying autonomous surgical robots in the real world,” said lead author Ji Woong “Brian” Kim, a former postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins who’s now with Stanford University, in a statement. “Our work shows that AI models can be made reliable enough for surgical autonomy—something that once felt far-off but is now demonstrably viable.”

Looking Ahead: How Robotics Might Help Patients
While these tests used pig organs in a lab, not live animals or humans, the breakthrough brings us closer to real surgical robots that can take on bigger roles in operating rooms. In the United States alone, surgeons remove over 700,000 gallbladders every year. Smart robots like this could help hospitals handle routine surgeries, especially in places where there aren’t enough trained surgeons.

“Just as surgical residents often master different parts of an operation at different rates, this work illustrates the promise of developing autonomous robotic systems in a similarly modular and progressive manner,” said co-author Jeff Jopling, a Johns Hopkins surgeon.

Importantly, these systems aren’t designed to replace surgeons entirely. Instead, they could take care of straightforward, repetitive steps, freeing up human surgeons to focus on complex parts of an operation or unexpected problems. Because the robot understands simple spoken instructions, surgeons could step in to guide it if needed, just like training a resident.

“This advancement moves us from robots that can execute specific surgical tasks to robots that truly understand surgical procedures,” said medical roboticist Axel Krieger. “This is a critical distinction that brings us significantly closer to clinically viable autonomous surgical systems that can work in the messy, unpredictable reality of actual patient care.”

Of course, plenty of hurdles remain before this kind of system is used on real patients. The robot still needs to be tested inside the body, where it would have to work around bleeding, moving organs, and tight spaces. The cameras it uses today are also too big for standard surgical tools, so they’ll need to be made smaller.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/robot-surgeon-flawlessly-perform-surgery-johns-hopkins/

Scientists at the University of Mississippi have discovered that a slimy sea cucumber might hold the secret to stopping cancer cells from spreading throughout the body. It’s a major breakthrough that could transform how doctors treat some of the most aggressive tumors.

Led by Dr. Vitor Pomin, an associate professor from the school’s Department of BioMolecular Sciences, researchers found that a sugar-like compound extracted from sea cucumbers can effectively shut down an enzyme called Sulf-2, which acts like a cellular troublemaker in cancer patients. When this enzyme goes into overdrive, it helps tumors grow faster, spread to other parts of the body, and resist traditional treatments. Sulf-2 has been linked to breast, lung, pancreatic, and head and neck cancers.

The sea cucumber compound outperformed existing treatments in laboratory tests. Even better, smaller pieces of this compound kept their cancer-fighting abilities while potentially causing fewer side effects, addressing one of the biggest problems in cancer treatment today.

“Research in drug discovery and development of natural products is mostly focused on terrestrial compounds,” Dr. Pomin tells StudyFinds’ Editor-in-Chief Steve Fink. “Our findings that marine-derived compounds, particularly the anticancer sea cucumber compound, indicate that the marine biodiversity may be hiding medicinal compounds, which are currently underexplored due to the lower accessibility to the sea environment and the dominance of research interest on terrestrial sources. The marine environment should be treated as a unique and rich resource of novel and potent drugs.”

Why Sea Cucumbers Matter in Medicine
Sea cucumbers, those blob-like creatures found on ocean floors, naturally produce complex sugar molecules as part of their defense systems. Scientists are increasingly mining these marine organisms for medical compounds that could help humans fight disease.

Researchers tested various ocean-derived compounds against the problematic Sulf-2 enzyme. The extract from Holothuria floridana, a species of sea cucumber, emerged as the clear winner among all tested materials.

“The sea cucumber compound belongs to a class of molecules named glycosaminoglycans. The Sulf-2 natural substrate in our body during cancer progress also belongs to this class of compounds,” explains Dr. Pomin.

The compound works differently than most cancer treatments. Instead of competing directly with the enzyme’s normal functions, it changes how the entire enzyme operates. This type of blocking often produces more stable and predictable effects, making it potentially more useful as a treatment.

How the Cancer Connection Works
Sulf-2 normally acts like a molecular editor, modifying sugar chains on cell surfaces to control how cells communicate with each other. In healthy tissue, this editing process helps regulate cell growth and movement. But cancer hijacks this system, turning Sulf-2 into an accomplice that helps tumors thrive.

The enzyme becomes overactive in many types of cancer, editing cellular messages in ways that promote tumor growth and the spread of cancer to distant parts of the body. Previous attempts to develop Sulf-2 blockers have struggled with effectiveness and harsh side effects.

Computer simulations revealed exactly how the sea cucumber compound works. Its unique structure allows it to latch onto specific regions of the Sulf-2 enzyme and jam its machinery.

“The sea cucumber sugar shows chemical differences and similarities when compared to the regular Sulf-2 substrate,” Dr. Pomin tells StudyFinds. “This makes the marine sugar a competitive inhibitor for the cancer-related enzyme, resulting therefore in a decrease of the cancer progression.”

Smaller Pieces, Better Results
One of the most promising discoveries involved breaking the large sea cucumber molecules into smaller fragments. The research team found that pieces around one-seventh the size of the original compound retained most of their cancer-fighting power.

Smaller drug molecules typically mean better news for patients. They often cause fewer side effects, are easier to manufacture, and can be modified to improve their effectiveness. The team’s experiments showed that medium-sized fragments maintained strength while the tiniest pieces lost their effectiveness.

Laboratory tests confirmed that the sea cucumber compounds could effectively interfere with the enzyme’s normal targets. Blood clotting presented another crucial consideration. Many marine-derived compounds increase bleeding risk, but the smaller sea cucumber fragments showed minimal impact on blood clotting while keeping their anti-cancer properties intact.

Previous studies showed that the sea cucumber compound could reduce cancer cell invasion in laboratory models of head and neck cancer, substantially reducing cancer aggressiveness.

The research, published in Glycobiology, identified specific structural features that make the compound effective. Scientists could use this knowledge to design synthetic versions that might work even better than the natural compound.

Current cancer treatments often fail because tumors develop resistance or because patients can’t tolerate the toxic side effects. The sea cucumber compound’s targeted approach and milder side effect profile suggest it could potentially work alongside existing treatments to improve patient outcomes. Rather than broadly attacking cellular processes like chemotherapy, this marine extract specifically targets the problematic enzyme while potentially leaving healthy cells alone.

“They could be used either as a coadjutant in very aggressive cancer cases or as the first line of treatment in initial and mild cases,” says Dr. Pomin. “The sea cucumber compound is natural and non-toxic. It is part of the Asian cuisine that uses sea cucumbers as an ingredient of their diets. Chemotherapeutic agents are, on the other hand, well-known to be highly cytotoxic and aggressive to patients. The sea can comprise a greener, safer, and promising resource of less toxic anticancer agents.”

The discovery demonstrates that some of medicine’s most powerful weapons against cancer may be hiding in ocean creatures. As researchers continue exploring marine life for new medicines, compounds like this sea cucumber extract could revolutionize cancer treatment by offering more precise and less toxic alternatives to current therapies.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/sea-cucumbers-fighting-aggressive-cancers/

Archaeologists have announced the discovery of an ancient city in Peru’s northern Barranca province.

The 3,500-year-old city, named Peñico, is believed to have served as a key trading hub connecting early Pacific coast communities with those living in the Andes mountains and Amazon basin.

Located some 200km north of Lima, the site lies about 600 metres (1,970 feet) above sea level and is thought to have been founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC – around the same time that early civilisations were flourishing in the Middle East and Asia.

Researchers say the discovery sheds light on what became of the Americas’ oldest civilisation, the Caral.

Drone footage released by researchers shows a circular structure on a hillside terrace at the city’s centre, surrounded by the remains of stone and mud buildings.

Eight years of research at the site unearthed 18 structures, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes.

In buildings at the site, researchers discovered ceremonial objects, clay sculptures of human and animal figures and necklaces made from beads and seashells.

Peñico is situated close to where Caral, recognised as the oldest known civilisation in the Americas, was established 5,000 years ago at around 3,000 BC in the Supe valley of Peru.

Caral features 32 monuments, including large pyramid structures, sophisticated irrigation agriculture and urban settlements. It is believed to have developed in isolation to other comparative early civilisations in India, Egypt, Sumeria and China.

Dr Ruth Shady, the archaeologist who led the recent research into Peñico and the excavation of Caral in the 1990s, said that the discovery was important for understanding what became of the Caral civilisation after it was decimated by climate change.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07dmx38kyeo

Microplastics have permeated the region’s food chain, hitting countries like Indonesia and the Philippines the hardest. The programme Insight looks at the health risks and what is being done to boot plastic from our plates.

grilled, fried or floating in fragrant soup — is a staple on Indonesian dining tables. Its flesh is tender, its flavour delicately sweet.

What has no taste, however, would be the microplastics inside its body.

A study last year found that in nearly 94 per cent of fish sampled from Jakarta Bay, their gills and guts were laced with these toxic fragments, each no larger than five millimetres.

“If the microplastics are absorbed by fish and then consumed by humans, it means they’ll accumulate in humans,” warns Widodo Setiyo Pranowo, principal investigator at Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency. “That’s dangerous.”

Microplastics form when larger plastic waste breaks down into near-invisible particles through natural wear and degradation. Today, these microscopic flakes have infiltrated every corner of our environment, from land to sea to the very air we breathe.

And Indonesians may be the most exposed. A Cornell University study last year found that they consumed more microplastics than any other population — 15g per month per person, or the equivalent of swallowing three credit cards.

Malaysians rank second, at 12g per month, while Filipinos and Vietnamese consume 11g of microplastics.

Southeast Asia appears to be the most affected. Six of the top 10 countries leaching plastic pollutants into the ocean are in the region, a 2021 study found.

“Many countries in Southeast Asia have become very dependent on food that’s wrapped in plastics,” says Deo Florence L Onda, an associate professor at the Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman.

“There are instances (where) the bigger plastics may be scratched, thus producing a lot of these microplastics, which then mix into the foods and the drinks that we’re (consuming).”

But this problem goes beyond packaging. The programme Insight explores why and how microplastics have encroached into our daily lives, the health risks they pose and what can be done to keep them off our plates.

FROM LANDFILL TO TABLE

Last year, a United States-based study detected microplastics across 16 commonly consumed protein sources, such as pork, beef, chicken and seafood.

In the case of seafood, fish often mistake bacteria-coated microplastics for actual food.

“Usually, (small fish) are fried … so we eat the whole body,” points out Mufti Petala Patria, a lecturer in marine biology at the University of Indonesia.

“This means microplastics in the fish’s body, such as in the gills and digestive tract, … will also be consumed.”

Most of these particles originate from ordinary consumer products, including drink bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and plastic bags. PET, for example, breaks down under the sun’s ultraviolet rays and is further fragmented by ocean currents and water acidity.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, about 80 per cent of ocean plastic waste originates from land. Among the biggest contributors are single-use, non-recyclable sachets.

In 2020, Greenpeace reported as many as 855 billion sachets being sold worldwide — half in Southeast Asia alone.

“(Many) people in Indonesia prefer to use single-use plastics, firstly because they’re cheap. Secondly, because they … can be carried anywhere,” says Mohammad Alaika Rahmatullah from advocacy group Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation (Ecoton).

Similarly, the Philippines consumes around 164 million single-use sachets daily, which account for an estimated 52 per cent of its plastic footprint.

A poor waste disposal culture compounds the situation in both countries.

Edi, 54, who wants to be known only by that name and lives beside one of Jakarta’s many small rivers, says: “Residents throw their rubbish in the river because it’s easy. After seeing them, I imitated them because I didn’t want to go far to throw away the rubbish.”

In 2022, an Ecoton team found microplastic contamination in almost all the 68 Indonesian rivers they investigated.

The Philippines, meanwhile, has no regulations requiring companies or water treatment plants to tackle or remove microplastics, says Onda. “We don’t know how efficient the water treatment plants are, primarily because there’s no policy that they need to comply with.”

Urban expansion has also outpaced waste management services.

“Sometimes there are no bins, there are no material recovery facilities in our barangays or villages,” says Marian Frances Ledesma, a zero-waste campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines. “(So) there’s no way for (villagers) to properly dispose of different kinds of waste.”

In Jakarta, rubbish trucks may struggle to access some areas, leading residents there to litter too.

Even collected waste poses risks. “The accumulation of plastic waste in landfills is very dangerous,” says Mufti.

“Because over time, plastic will disintegrate … into small particles and flow into gutters, canals, rivers, the sea or seep into the ground.”

Jakarta’s Bantar Gebang landfill, which holds an estimated 45 million tonnes of waste, is also rapidly reaching capacity.

In the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam, waste imports from developed countries help to buttress their recycling industries. But not all trash is given a second life — and Indonesia, along with Thailand, has banned such imports as of this year.

“Because (the imported waste) is residual, and they’re dumping (it) everywhere, … it’s contributing directly to microplastic pollution,” says Abdul Gofar, a campaign manager for the Indonesian Forum for the Environment.

BAD FOR BRAIN, HEART AND BABIES

For the family of Clarizza Bacungan, 35, who lives and works in Happyland — a Manila slum named after the Bisaya word “hapilan”, meaning garbage dump — scavenging for plastic waste to sell to recyclers can be a risky business.

“They show on television how dangerous it is to play with plastics or if plastics get mixed in the food that children eat,” she says. “I get worried too. You could end up in hospital … if it’s a poisonous substance.”

While scientists have known about the ubiquity of microplastics for some time, they are beginning to understand the health impact now.

Philippine toxicology consultant John Paul Ner, who works at Bataan General Hospital and Medical Centre, says smaller microplastics that enter the bloodstream can be filtered out by the kidneys.

The immune system will also “eat” these microplastics but can only eliminate them up to a point, he warns. What remains may cause harm.

A study published last year in the journal Toxicology found that nanoplastics — comparable in size to DNA strands and viruses — can cross the blood-brain barrier, the cell membranes protecting the brain from harmful substances while allowing nutrients to pass through.

Researchers also suggest a link between microplastics and cognitive decline.

“For example, those with high exposure to microplastics are about 36.25 times more vulnerable to experiencing cognitive disorders … compared to those with little exposure or low microplastic consumption patterns,” cites neurologist Pukovisa Prawiroharjo in the University of Indonesia’s medical faculty.

Animal studies have sounded similar warnings. In 2023, researchers observed that mice exposed to microplastics for just three weeks began showing signs of cognitive decline resembling dementia in humans.

The cardiovascular system is not spared either. A study last year examining arterial plaque in patients with heart disease found traces of microplastics in plaques of more than half the patients.

Those individuals were nearly five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than patients without plastic contamination in their arteries.

“If microplastics … group together, that has the potential to block arteries,” says Pukovisa, “or at least make the blood flow become irregular at some point.”

There is the potential for harm even before birth. “While the placenta has a protective barrier, not all substances can be filtered out,” Ner says. “Very small particles can pass through the placental barrier.

“This means even the baby could be at risk of being exposed to these plastic particles.”

See more

For Bacungan’s five children — numbering among an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Happyland residents — the risk is that certain chemicals leached from microplastics can interfere with child development, as research has suggested.

Around 16,000 chemicals are used in various plastics, of which more than 4,000 chemicals are considered hazardous to humans, highlights Ledesma.

Despite the risks, Bacungan says scavenging remains her family’s only source of livelihood, covering their living expenses such as their children’s pocket money. “This is the only work that we can do to eat,” she adds.

Still, she dreams of a better life for her children, one far away from their settlement that receives more than its fair share of the 10,000 tonnes of waste that Metro Manila discards daily, at the least.

“I hope they finish their studies,” she says. “Once their lives improve, they’ll move away from here.”

SHIFTING MINDSETS, WORKING UPSTREAM

That better life may not be too far off. A growing number of Philippine cities have adopted “Trash to Cashback” programmes, which allow residents to exchange recyclable plastics for points redeemable for food and other essentials.

Launched in 2021, the scheme aims to shrink the mountain of single-use plastics degrading in landfills. It has collected more than 300,000kg of plastic waste as of last year.

Indonesia, too, is scaling up its recycling model. Plastic waste is to be sorted at village-level collection points and later picked up by industry or recycling partners.

“We hope the (adoption) can be fast. And when the guidelines are available, they can be used by 75,000 villages,” says Novrizal Tahar, the director of waste management in Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment.

Still, recycling is no silver bullet.

“Plastic can only be recycled two to three times because of the way it’s made,” Ledesma points out, “(after which) it gets thrown away and ends up in a landfill because it’s no longer fit for recycling.”

To tackle the problem at its root, authorities are turning their focus upstream — rethinking how plastic is produced and consumed in the first place. Indonesia, for example, has pledged to phase out single-use plastics by the end of 2029.

“Around 130 local governments have implemented policies to limit single-use plastic,” Novrizal says.

Behavioural shifts are starting to take hold too. After Jakarta banned single-use plastic bags in shopping centres, convenience stores and markets in 2020, annual plastic bag usage at the household level dropped by 42 per cent within a year.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/southeast-asia-ingesting-microplastic-health-risks-pollution-indonesia-philippines-5221946

 

You’re offered two choices. Option A requires you to wake up at 6 a.m., commute to work, spend eight hours on your feet, and take home just enough money to cover your basic needs. Option B lets you stay home, receive nearly the same amount of money, and have all day to yourself. Which would you choose?

If you picked Option B, you’re not lazy, you’re rational. A new economic study shows that basic economics can make welfare more attractive than employment, potentially undermining one of many countries’ fundamental principles: that work should always pay better than unemployment.

Roberto Iacono, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, has identified what he calls the “welfare versus work paradox” — a theoretical situation where staying on government assistance makes more financial sense than taking a job. His mathematical research reveals that when wages drop toward subsistence levels while welfare benefits remain relatively stable, the traditional incentive to work simply breaks down.

“When both employment and welfare support converge near subsistence, the work incentive principle no longer holds,” Iacono writes in his study published in PLOS ONE.

The study’s theoretical framework comes at a time when many advanced economies, including the United States, are grappling with persistent labor shortages, especially in service industries. Restaurant owners complain they can’t find workers. Retailers struggle to staff their stores. While the conventional wisdom often blames generous unemployment benefits, Iacono’s research suggests the problem could have deeper mathematical roots.

This simultaneous decline in real wages and unemployment benefit levels, both converging toward the subsistence income threshold, poses a challenge to the work incentive principle (employment shall always be preferred to welfare) and exposes a formal paradox.

Why People Might Choose Unemployment Benefits Over Paychecks

Every job requires effort: the energy spent getting ready, commuting, performing tasks, and dealing with workplace stress. Economists call this “disutility,” and it’s a real cost that workers pay.

When wages are high enough, this effort feels worthwhile. A software engineer earning $80,000 annually doesn’t question whether their job is worth the daily grind. But when wages hover just above what someone needs to survive, the calculation changes dramatically.

Iacono’s mathematical model shows that when both wages and welfare benefits approach the “subsistence level” — the bare minimum needed for food, shelter, and clothing — welfare becomes the rational choice. The key insight is that claiming collecting unemployment benefits much less effort than working a full-time job.

In other words, under subsistence-level conditions, the disutility from effort — relatively stronger than the disutility from claiming benefit at subsistence levels — can make work less attractive than welfare, violating the intended hierarchy where work should always be preferable.

In many states, the effective hourly wage for low-income work after accounting for lost benefits, taxes, and work-related expenses can be surprisingly low. Iacono’s research provides the mathematical framework for understanding why these situations create perverse incentives.

The Conditions That Break the System

The study identifies three key conditions that trigger the paradox: wages approaching subsistence levels, welfare benefits also near subsistence levels, and the natural human tendency to prefer leisure over labor when the financial rewards are similar. When all three align, the traditional assumption that work beats welfare falls apart, activating the paradox.

For policymakers, these conditions create a theoretical trap. Cutting welfare benefits to force people into work might seem logical, but if wages remain too low, people simply can’t afford to take jobs that don’t cover their basic needs. Meanwhile, keeping benefits at reasonable levels while wages stagnate creates the exact scenario where welfare becomes more attractive than employment.

The research comes from pure economic logic rather than political ideology. The mathematical model doesn’t engage with debates over personal responsibility or the role of government; rather, it simply shows that people respond to incentives, and under certain conditions, those incentives become misaligned.

The Simple Economic Solution Policymakers Are Missing

Iacono’s research points to a clear policy prescription: “minimum wages must be kept above the subsistence threshold” to maintain the validity of the work incentive principle. Specifically, the wage floor in the labor market (the real minimum wages) must be kept consistently above the subsistence threshold at any point in time.

“Ideally, the gap between the lowest wages in the labor market (or the minimum wages, when present and institutionally designed) and the subsistence level should be sufficiently large to allow for a positive degree of welfare generosity, namely benefit levels allowing a higher standard of living than the subsistence level,” he writes.

Critics might argue that raising minimum wages will lead to job losses, but Iacono’s model suggests that’s missing the point. If wages are so low that welfare becomes more attractive, then those jobs aren’t serving their intended economic function anyway. Better to have fewer jobs that people actually want to take than more jobs that make no economic sense for workers.

The study’s findings challenge both conservative and liberal orthodoxies. Conservatives who believe in work incentives should support higher minimum wages to make those incentives effective. Liberals who support generous welfare benefits should recognize that without adequate wage floors, those benefits can undermine the very economic mobility they’re meant to encourage.

When Economic Incentives Stop Working

The welfare versus work paradox is a clear warning about what happens when economic incentives become misaligned. As real wages continue to stagnate in many advanced economies while the cost of living rises, more workers could find themselves in situations where the rational choice is to avoid work entirely.

Iacono’s model reveals a simple truth: in a market economy, people will make rational choices based on available options. If policymakers want people to choose work over welfare, they need to make sure work actually pays better. The alternative — a growing class of people for whom employment makes no economic sense — threatens the fundamental premise that hard work leads to a better life.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/when-work-pays-less-than-welfare-unemployment-economy-paradox/

To outsiders, parents using “baby talk” may seem like they’ve lost their minds. We spend endless hours having one-sided conversations with tiny humans who can’t even hold up their own heads. But a new international study reveals this seemingly ridiculous behavior might be the secret sauce that separates us from every other species on the planet.

The study, published in Science Advances, shows that human infants receive a staggering 399 times more direct vocal communication than baby bonobos, and 69 times more than baby chimpanzees. This research, which compared vocal interactions across all great ape species, suggests that our uniquely chatty parenting style may have been crucial in the evolution of human language.

Research teams followed infant great apes through dense forests in Central Africa, Indonesia, and Uganda, using directional microphones to capture every vocalization within earshot. For human infants, they analyzed hours of naturalistic recordings from families in their everyday environments.

Researchers examined vocal communication patterns in human infants from communities in Peru, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, and Switzerland. They did this alongside wild populations of all nonhuman great apes: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. They followed infants aged 10 to 60 months, carefully documenting every instance of directed versus background vocal communication.

Researchers defined “directed” communication as vocalizations in which the caller’s head was oriented toward the infant and the call led to some kind of response, like the baby looking up or changing behavior. Background communication included all the chatter that happened around the infant but wasn’t specifically aimed at them.

Sample sizes included 68 human infants across four cultures, 17 chimpanzee infants from Uganda, 8 bonobo infants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 6 gorilla infants from the Central African Republic, and 11 orangutan infants from Indonesia.

Baby Talk Across Species
Human caregivers spent about 95% of their vocal time directly addressing their infants, while great ape mothers directed vocalizations at their babies less than 1% of the time. Even when accounting for the fact that some species are naturally more vocal than others, the difference remained clear.

Orangutan babies received the least direct communication of all species studied. This makes sense since orangutans are largely solitary creatures, with mothers and infants spending most of their time alone in the forest canopy. Chimpanzees showed the highest rates of direct communication among the great apes, though still far below human levels.

Even cultures known for less direct infant interaction showed vastly higher rates of infant-directed communication than great apes. The pattern held across all four human cultures studied, from the Amazon rainforest to the Swiss Alps.

When researchers looked at background vocal communication, conversations happening around infants but not directed at them, the numbers were much more similar across species. Human infants and baby chimpanzees experienced roughly equivalent amounts of this surrounding chatter. Baby bonobos actually heard slightly more background communication than human infants.

Early human ancestors probably relied heavily on overhearing conversations to learn communication skills, much like modern great apes do today. The expansion of direct, infant-focused communication in humans appears to be a more recent evolutionary development.

Direct baby talk has long been considered good for language development, but some cultures rely more heavily on children learning by listening to conversations around them. Yet all human cultures in the study showed higher rates of infant-directed speech compared to any great ape species.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/baby-talk-humans-only-speaking-species/

Deep in the misty highlands of northwestern Peru, where ancient mountains pierce the clouds and few humans dare to tread, scientists have uncovered three entirely new species of frogs. These amphibians have been quietly living their lives in one of Earth’s most remote corners.

The newly discovered amphibians call the Cordillera de Huancabamba home, a rugged mountain range so treacherous that even seasoned researchers describe it as having “steep, exposed” ridges with “loose and muddy” soil where “the weather can be very changeable.” Apparently, it’s also where evolution has been busy cooking up new life forms, according to new research published in Evolutionary Systematics.

These three species were discovered in a region that has barely been explored by scientists since the early 1990s. Despite habitat loss in the area, the international research teams suspect there could be even more undiscovered species lurking in these remote peaks.

A High-Altitude Game of Hide-and-Seek

Finding new species in 2025 might seem unlikely, but scientists are still uncovering new life forms regularly, particularly in remote mountainous regions. The Cordillera de Huancabamba sits at elevations around 2,600 to 2,900 meters above sea level, roughly 8,500 to 9,500 feet up, where the air is thin and conditions can be harsh.

Each frog has adapted to its own specific environment. Pristimantis yonke, the smallest of the three new species, has made itself at home inside bromeliads—spiky, cup-shaped plants that collect water high up in the forest canopy. All specimens of this species were found 1-3 meters (3.3 to 9.8 feet) off the ground, tucked away in these natural water tanks.

Meanwhile, Pristimantis chinguelas prefers life on the rocky, exposed cliffsides, calling from leaves up to 1.8 meters high. Pristimantis nunezcortezi was discovered near rocky streams in secondary forest areas.

Lead researcher Germán Chávez and his team conducted multiple expeditions over several years, often working through both rainy and dry seasons. They walked 5-6 hours per night with headlamps to search different habitats.

DNA Analysis Confirms New Species

The research team used modern genetic analysis to confirm that these were indeed new species, not just variations of existing frogs. If two species differ by more than 3% in their DNA, they’re considered separate species, and some of these frogs had 4-6% differences from their nearest relatives.

The researchers found that many previously discovered species in this region haven’t been seen since they were first described or have only been spotted again after disappearing for many years. The research team estimates that nearly 50% of the amphibian species in this region are endemic, meaning they exist nowhere else on Earth.

The Meaning Behind Their Names

The researchers chose names that honor both the landscape and local culture. Pristimantis chinguelas gets its name from Cerro Chinguelas, the mountain where it was found, and where researchers note “a handful of explorers in the late ’70s started the scientific research in the Cordillera de Huancabamba.”

Pristimantis yonke is named after “yonke” or “yonque,” which the researchers describe as “a traditional drink made from sugar cane distillation and only drunk by local people from northwestern Andes to keep themselves warm during their journeys through the cold highlands, which may include night camps to get to other villages.”

The third species, Pristimantis nunezcortezi, honors Elio Nuñez-Cortez, a Peruvian ornithologist who the researchers say contributed to conservation efforts in the region.

From 2001 to 2023, wildfires, farming, and cattle grazing spread further into the region, destroying almost 12,400 acres of natural habitat. Large wildfires hit the area again in November 2024, though researchers don’t yet know if these affected the newly discovered species’ habitats.

All three new species were classified as “Data Deficient” under conservation guidelines, meaning there simply isn’t enough information yet to determine how threatened they might be. The researchers estimate that Pristimantis chinguelas occupies an area smaller than 4 square miles, while only two Pristimantis nunezcortezi have been found, both at the same location.

The world’s species are fleeting in the face of climate change, but the discovery of new life forms is not yet lost. In remote regions like the Cordillera de Huancabamba, many more species could one day be discovered by scientists brave enough to go searching for them.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/three-new-frog-species-peru/

Your brain makes life-or-death decisions in milliseconds, and scientists just figured out exactly how it chooses between fight, flight, or freeze. New research reveals that two competing neural highways determine whether you’ll face danger head-on or hide under the covers. Understanding this wiring could finally explain why anxiety affects everyone differently.

Scientists at the University of Florida have also figured out how our brains decide whether a smell is pleasant or revolting. The same neural pathways that control fear also determine whether you love the aroma of fresh coffee or can’t stand the lingering scent of microwaved fish.

“Odors are powerful at driving emotions, and it’s long been thought that the sense of smell is just as powerful, if not more powerful, at driving an emotional response as a picture, a song or any other sensory stimulus,” says senior author Dan Wesson from the UF College of Medicine, in a statement.

The Brain’s Fear and Smell Network

Researchers have developed what they’re calling “nanofibrous blankets” that float on contaminated water and use ordinary sunlight to break down pollutants. These lightweight, self-supporting mats could revolutionize water treatment by eliminating the need for expensive ultraviolet lamps while solving one of the biggest headaches in water purification: how to remove tiny particles after they’ve done their job.

A technique called photocatalytic water treatment relies on titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles that need UV light to work, but these particles create their own problem. Once they’ve cleaned the water, you have to fish them out, which is costly and complicated. According to a study published in Advanced Science, scientists at Ohio State University have engineered a solution that sidesteps both issues entirely.

Their breakthrough centers on copper-infused TiO2 nanofibers woven into mat-like structures that can be shaped into various forms. Unlike conventional photocatalysts that require UV light to activate, these mats work under visible light, meaning they can harness natural sunlight for water purification. The mats float on water surfaces and can be easily removed once the cleaning process is complete.

“There hasn’t been an easy way to create something like a blanket that you can lay on water and start creating energy,” says lead author Pelagia-Iren Gouma from Ohio State University, in a statement. “But we are the only ones who have made these structures and the only ones to demonstrate that they actually work.”

Why Is This An Upgrade?

Antarctica wasn’t always a frozen landscape. In fact, it may have once featured lush forests, palm trees, and rivers, according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications.

“This finding is like opening a time capsule,” Professor Stewart Jamieson, who co-authored the study, told The Economic Times.

Groundbreaking study

Researchers began the study in 2017, extracting sediment from the once-thriving ecosystem frozen in time for tens of millions of years beneath the ice, The Jerusalem Post reported. They drilled more than a mile underneath the ice and used satellite imagery to explore what the ancient environment may have looked like some 34 million years ago.

According to Jamieson, the prehistoric landscape of Antarctica remains very much a mystery to researchers.

“The land underneath the East Antarctic ice sheet is less well-known than the surface of Mars,” Jamieson said. “We’re investigating a small part of that landscape with more detail to see what I can tell us about the evolution of the landscape and the evolution of the ice sheet.”

What researchers found

With the help of advanced technology, scientists detected land divided by rivers and valleys roughly 25 miles wide and with depths of nearly 3,900 feet. Geologists believe the landscape underneath the ice located in the eastern part of the continent spans more than 12,000 square miles — roughly the size of Maryland.

What findings suggest

The study indicates that the ancient land developed prior to the first large-scale freeze over of Antarctica, when the supercontinent known as Gondwana began to break apart. The shift in tectonic plates led to deep cracks and created mountainous terrain.

The Economic Times reported that during this prehistoric period, the landscape featured rivers and dense tree cover, and the climate was warm or even tropical.

“It’s difficult to say exactly what this ancient landscape looked like, but depending on how far back you go, the climate may have resembled modern-day Patagonia or even something tropical,” Jamieson said.

Researchers said samples taken from beneath the ice also reveal much more biodiversity in organisms, suggesting a much warmer climate than today.

Ultimate goal

Scientists aim to study the once-hidden landscape even more, including how it was formed, to help them more accurately forecast melting on the continent now.

“It is remarkable that this landscape, hidden in plain sight for many years, can tell us so much about the early and long-term history of the East Antarctic ice sheet,” Professor Neil Ross, a geophysical expert as well as a co-author of the study, told the Daily Mail. “It also helps us understand how it might evolve in response to future climate change.”

Source : https://san.com/cc/researchers-find-ancient-world-of-forests-and-rivers-under-antarcticas-ice/

When our ancestors first gathered in the world’s earliest cities 10,000 years ago, they weren’t alone. Tiny, blood-sucking hitchhikers were already lurking in their dwellings, and new genetic research reveals these bed bugs beat every other pest to urban living by thousands of years.

Scientists analyzing bed bug DNA from the Czech Republic discovered something remarkable: these notorious insects have been tracking human demographic patterns with startling accuracy, evolving alongside us as we shifted from nomadic life to city living. The research paints a picture of an evolutionary partnership that began when humans first started building permanent settlements.

“Bed bugs may represent the first true urban pest insect species,” the researchers conclude in their study, published in Biology Letters, making these creatures pioneers of city living right alongside humanity.

The study’s demographic modeling reveals that bed bugs maintained “a close relationship with human society for at least 50,000 years,” with their population history closely tracking major events in human development. Our relationship with bed bugs, written in their DNA, represents one of the oldest documented examples of urban pest evolution.

Ancient Choices: Why Bed Bugs Picked Humans Over Bats

The research team, led by Virginia Tech entomologists Warren Booth and Lindsay Miles, examined two distinct genetic branches of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius). One group historically lived with bats in caves, while another made the evolutionary leap to human habitations. The bat-associated bed bugs remained relatively stable, but the human-associated variety experienced wild population swings that mirror major chapters in human history.

Researchers collected bed bugs from 19 locations across six sites in the Czech Republic in 2014, focusing on both human-associated and bat-associated populations. They sequenced whole genomes, generating 9.7 million variant sites to trace the insects’ evolutionary journey.

Their genetic detective work revealed dramatic population crashes around 50,000 to 20,000 years ago, possibly during harsh environmental conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum. But around 13,000 years ago — precisely when humans began establishing permanent settlements — bed bug populations started booming.

The timing isn’t coincidental. As humans created concentrated populations and early urban centers, bed bugs seized their evolutionary moment. Early cities became pest paradise: dense human populations, consistent food sources, and plenty of hiding spots in primitive dwellings.

“Initially with both populations, we saw a general decline that is consistent with the Last Glacial Maximum; the bat-associated lineage never bounced back, and it is still decreasing in size,” Miles says in a statement. “The really exciting part is that the human-associated lineage did recover and their effective population increased.”

Evolution’s Perfect Timing: How Cities Shaped Bed Bugs

The genetic evidence tells a fascinating story of co-evolution. Miles points to the early establishment of large human settlements that expanded into cities such as Mesopotamia about 12,000 years ago.

“That makes sense because modern humans moved out of caves about 60,000 years ago,” explains Booth. “There were bed bugs living in the caves with these humans, and when they moved out they took a subset of the population with them so there’s less genetic diversity in that human-associated lineage.”

The study found that human-associated bed bugs underwent significant physical changes as they adapted to indoor living. According to the research, these insects became “smaller, less hairy and have larger extremities compared to their bat-associated counterparts.” These adaptations helped them navigate the indoor environments humans were creating.

As humans increased their population size and continued living in communities and cities expanded, the human-associated lineage of the bed bugs saw an exponential growth in their effective population size.

The research demonstrates that bed bugs didn’t just stumble into cities, rather they evolved specifically for urban life. While their cave-dwelling cousins remained with bats, human bed bugs developed characteristics that made them supremely adapted to life in human settlements.

Why This Ancient History Matters Today

Modern bed bug infestations surging across major cities worldwide represent the latest chapter in this ancient story. The same traits that allowed bed bugs to colonize early human settlements make them perfectly suited for modern urban life.

“What will be interesting is to look at what’s happening in the last 100 to 120 years,” said Booth. “Bed bugs were pretty common in the old world, but once DDT [dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane] was introduced for pest control, populations crashed. They were thought to have been essentially eradicated, but within five years they started reappearing and were resisting the pesticide.”

The research helps explain why bed bugs remain so difficult to eliminate despite advances in pest control. Having co-evolved with humans for millennia, they’ve had ample time to develop resistance strategies and behavioral adaptations.

Booth, Miles, and graduate student Camille Block have already discovered a gene mutation that could contribute to that insecticide resistance in a previous study, and they are looking further into the genomic evolution of the bed bugs and relevance to the pest’s insecticide resistance.

Our relationship with bed bugs, written in their DNA, represents one of the oldest documented examples of urban pest evolution and offers a unique window into understanding how organisms adapt to human-created environments over evolutionary timescales.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/dna-study-reveals-bed-bugs-were-earths-first-true-urban-pests/

A massive star exploded around 13,000 years ago, and research now suggests that the cosmic blast may have plummeted Earth into a sudden ice age while wiping out woolly mammoths, giant sloths, and other massive creatures across North America. The scientist behind the study suggests such events could continue to influence the future of our planet.

Research published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ reveals that at least eight nearby supernovas — the violent deaths of massive stars — unleashed enough high-energy radiation to strip away Earth’s protective ozone layer, trigger global cooling, and cause widespread animal extinctions. The study specifically links the Vela supernova, which exploded just 287 light-years from Earth, to the mysterious Younger Dryas period when temperatures suddenly plummeted for 1,300 years, interrupting the end of the last ice age.

Lead author G. Robert Brakenridge from the University of Colorado at Boulder analyzed 78 known supernova remnants and found a striking pattern: they appear to go hand-in-hand with climate shifts on Earth. “We have abrupt environmental changes in Earth’s history. That’s solid, we see these changes,” Brakenridge explains in a statement. “So, what caused them?”

His calculations show these stellar explosions were powerful enough to damage Earth’s atmosphere and alter the planet’s climate system, meaning our world’s environmental history has been shaped not just by earthbound disasters, but by the deaths of distant stars.

“The events that we know of, here on earth, are at the right time and the right intensity,” says Brakenridge.

When Stellar Giants Die, Earth Feels the Impact

Supernovas rank among the most energetic events in the universe. When a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel, it collapses and explodes with more energy than our sun will produce over its entire 10-billion-year lifetime. These explosions can briefly outshine entire galaxies while sending deadly radiation streaming across vast distances.

Brakenridge examined supernova remnants (the expanding shells of gas and debris left behind by these explosions) within 2,300 light-years of Earth. He calculated how much harmful X-rays and gamma rays each explosion would have delivered to our planet. While 287 light-years may sound impossibly distant (about 1,700 trillion miles), it’s practically next door in cosmic terms.

Eight supernovas were close enough and powerful enough to significantly affect Earth. The Vela explosion stands out as the most dramatic example, occurring when our planet was emerging from the last ice age around 13,000 years ago.

The Vela Supernova: A Cosmic Climate Killer

The timing of the Vela supernova aligns remarkably with several dramatic changes in Earth’s history. Brakenridge’s analysis reveals the explosion would have bombarded our planet with enough radiation to severely damage the ozone layer—the thin atmospheric shield protecting life from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.

Tree ring records show a sudden 35-part-per-million spike in radioactive carbon-14, indicating massive atmospheric radiation increases. Ice cores from both poles reveal an abrupt decrease in methane concentrations. Archaeological sites across North America display mysterious “black mat” deposits marking the end of the Clovis culture, while fossil records document the extinction of mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, and saber-toothed cats.

All these changes coincide with the onset of the Younger Dryas, when global temperatures plummeted and ice sheets began advancing again. When high-energy radiation hits Earth’s atmosphere, it breaks apart nitrogen molecules, creating compounds that destroy ozone. With less atmospheric protection, six times more harmful ultraviolet radiation would reach Earth’s surface, causing DNA damage in plants and animals while triggering massive wildfires.

Large animals faced particular vulnerability because they need more food and reproduce slowly, making rapid adaptation impossible. As Brakenridge notes in the paper: “Snow-blindness (photokeratitis) would be disabling for many herbivore and predator diurnal species.”

A Pattern of Cosmic Catastrophes

Beyond Vela, Brakenridge identified several other potential supernova connections throughout recent Earth history. Tree ring records show unexplained carbon-14 spikes at 9,126, 7,209, 2,764, 2,614, 1,175, and 957 years ago, all corresponding to known nearby supernova remnants of appropriate ages and distances.

The Hoinga supernova, exploding about 15,000 years ago at roughly 350 light-years away, may have caused a single-year 30-part-per-million carbon-14 rise coinciding with another cold period called the Older Dryas. The data reveals a clear dose-response relationship: closer explosions created larger environmental impacts.

Alternative Explanations and Future Threats

Many scientists remain skeptical, pointing to alternative explanations for these environmental changes. The Younger Dryas might result from ocean circulation disruptions caused by massive freshwater floods as ice sheets melted. Carbon-14 spikes could stem from intense solar storms rather than distant supernovas. Megafauna extinctions might be due to human hunting, regular climate change, or asteroid impacts.

Recent evidence supports comet impacts during the Younger Dryas, with researchers finding platinum and rare metals in sediment layers indicating extraterrestrial strikes. However, Brakenridge argues supernova radiation could have disrupted the Oort Cloud (the distant shell of icy objects surrounding our solar system) potentially triggering increased comet bombardment.

“When nearby supernovae occur in the future, the radiation could have a pretty dramatic effect on human society,” says Brakenridge. “We have to find out if indeed they caused environmental changes in the past.”

Currently, several nearby stars could become future supernovas, including Betelgeuse, a red giant about 170 light-years away that may explode within a million years. While unlikely to cause mass extinction, such an event could still measurably affect Earth’s atmosphere and climate.

“As we learn more about our nearby neighboring stars, the capability for prediction is actually there,” Brakenridge adds. “It will take more modeling and observation from astrophysicists to fully understand Earth’s exposure to such events.”

The research fundamentally changes how we view the forces shaping life on Earth. Beyond recognizing asteroid impacts, volcanic eruptions, and climate cycles, we must now consider that stellar explosions thousands of light-years away can trigger ice ages and extinctions. Earth’s environmental story has been written not just by local events, but by the deaths of distant stars, cosmic events that emphasize our planet’s connection to the broader universe.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/vela-supernova-may-have-caused-ice-age-on-earth-could-happen-again/

Forget fingerprints and facial recognition – researchers have discovered that the way you breathe through your nose is so unique, it can identify you with stunning accuracy. A breakthrough study shows that humans have individual “nasal respiratory fingerprints” that remain stable over time and can predict everything from your body weight to your mental health.

Israeli scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science developed a wearable device that can identify people based solely on their breathing patterns with 96.8% accuracy, better than many voice recognition systems. Even more remarkable, these breathing signatures stayed consistent when participants returned for testing nearly two years later.

“We found that we could identify members of a 97-participant cohort at a remarkable 96.8% accuracy from nasal airflow patterns alone,” the researchers wrote in their paper, published in Current Biology. “In other words, humans have individual nasal airflow fingerprints.”

Beyond creating a new form of biometric security, the study reveals how breathing patterns reflect the unique wiring of your brain and can expose intimate details about your physical and mental state.

How Scientists Tracked Your Every Breath

Most people think of breathing as automatic and simple, but it’s actually controlled by an incredibly complex network of brain regions. Because every person’s brain is unique, the researchers reasoned that the breathing patterns it generates should also be unique, like a neural signature expressed through your nostrils.

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science created a small, wearable device they call the “Nasal Holter,” a 22-gram gadget that participants wore for 24 hours straight. The device, about the size of a smartphone, attaches to the back of the neck and connects to the nose via a thin tube with separate sensors for each nostril.

One hundred participants, mostly young adults averaging 26 years old, wore the device while going about their normal daily activities – working, sleeping, exercising, and relaxing. Forty-two of them returned months later to repeat the experiment, allowing researchers to test whether breathing patterns remain stable over time.

How Your Breathing Style Is as Unique as Your Fingerprint

Using computer algorithms, the researchers analyzed 24 different breathing characteristics, including inhale volume, breathing rate, and the natural cycle of airflow switching between nostrils. They could identify individuals during waking hours with over 90% accuracy, and the patterns remained consistent even when participants returned up to two years later.

The study found that “individual identification by nasal airflow fingerprints was on par with or better than voice recognition.”

When researchers examined what these breathing patterns could reveal, they discovered something striking: your nose essentially broadcasts information about your private health and mental state. The breathing patterns could predict participants’ body mass index, levels of anxiety and depression, and even traits associated with autism spectrum conditions.

People with higher anxiety showed shorter inhales during sleep, while those with depression symptoms had different peak airflow patterns during the day. The device could distinguish between sleep and wake states with 100% accuracy using just breathing data. It could also detect the natural nasal cycle, which is the way airflow alternates between nostrils throughout the day, a process most people aren’t aware of.

What This Means for Health and Privacy

Timna Soroka, the study’s lead author, and her colleagues believe these patterns reflect the brain’s control over breathing. Unlike simple lung function tests that measure airway health, long-term breathing patterns reveal how your brain’s respiratory control centers are wired and functioning.

The technology could transform how we monitor health and diagnose diseases. Since breathing patterns reflect brain activity, changes in these patterns might signal neurological conditions, mental health issues, or other medical problems before symptoms become obvious.

However, the research raises privacy concerns. If breathing patterns are this revealing and can be detected by sensitive enough equipment, what happens to privacy in a world of increasingly sophisticated monitoring technology?

Currently, the device requires direct contact with the nostrils, limiting its use for covert surveillance. As sensor technology advances, though, the possibility of remote breathing pattern detection becomes more realistic.

The research has limitations. The study focused on healthy young adults, so it’s unclear how well the findings apply to older adults, children, or people with respiratory conditions. The nasal tubes occasionally slipped during sleep, and some participants found wearing the device for 24 hours uncomfortable. The correlations with mental health measures were based on questionnaire scores rather than clinical diagnoses.

Your breathing pattern is as individual as your fingerprint, but unlike fingerprints, it’s constantly active and potentially more revealing about your internal state. While the technology offers exciting possibilities for health monitoring and medical diagnosis, it also raises new questions about biological privacy in an age of ubiquitous sensing. Today’s fascinating research discovery often becomes tomorrow’s surveillance tool, making it crucial to consider how we’ll regulate and protect the intimate biological data that our bodies are constantly, unconsciously sharing.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/your-breathing-pattern-has-its-own-unique-fingerprint/

Many Americans have shelled out hundreds of dollars for biological age tests promising to reveal whether their bodies are aging faster or slower than their actual years. These methylation-based “aging clocks” have become the gold standard for evaluating anti-aging treatments, from supplements to lifestyle changes. But a controversial new paper argues these widely trusted tests might be fundamentally flawed — and potentially dangerous.

Independent researcher Dr. Josh Mitteldorf contends in a perspective published in the journal Aging that most methylation clocks fail to distinguish between two biologically opposite processes. Some age-related methylation changes reflect the body ramping up self-destructive programs, while others represent protective responses aimed at repairing damage. Current aging clocks treat both as equivalent signals of aging.

Mitteldorf, a theoretical biologist who runs the website AgingAdvice.org, suggests that treatments that make you appear “younger” on a biological age test might actually be shortening your life by shutting down crucial repair mechanisms your body has activated to fight damage.

Two Types of Aging Changes

Mitteldorf’s argument centers on a fundamental question dividing aging researchers: Is aging purely the result of accumulated damage, or does the body actually program itself to decline over time?

Most scientists today believe aging happens because cellular damage builds up over decades. Under this view, any age-related changes in gene expression must be the body’s attempt to combat damage by ramping up repair mechanisms.

Mitteldorf belongs to a minority faction believing aging is at least partially programmed. Just as puberty follows a genetic blueprint, so does aging. Some age-related changes represent the body turning on self-destructive processes like excessive inflammation or reduced repair capacity.

He calls these “Type 1” and “Type 2” changes, respectively. Type 1 changes are harmful: they’re part of a programmed self-destruction sequence. Type 2 changes are protective: they’re repair responses to accumulated damage.

Current methylation clocks indiscriminately combine both types. An intervention that reverses Type 1 changes (good for longevity) will look identical on current tests to one that reverses Type 2 changes (potentially bad for longevity).

The Smoking Gun Example

Mitteldorf points to a troubling example with the popular GrimAge clock, one of the most accurate predictors of death risk. A major component of this test is based on differences between smokers and non-smokers.

Why do smokers have different methylation patterns? “It is a reasonable conjecture that smokers’ bodies are constantly trying to repair their lungs,” Mitteldorf explains. Much of the smoking signature likely represents protective repair mechanisms working overtime.

But the GrimAge clock counts smoking as accelerated aging because smokers die earlier. If an intervention makes someone’s methylation profile look less like a smoker’s, is it because the body has successfully repaired lung damage and dialed down emergency repairs? Or has the intervention simply turned off protective mechanisms while leaving damage intact?

Such an intervention would score as “anti-aging” on the test while potentially shortening lifespan — a dangerous false positive.

Testing Random Genetic Changes

To investigate whether aging-related methylation changes are truly random or directed by biological programs, Mitteldorf attempted to build a “stochastic methylation clock” based on genuine genetic drift.

Using a database of 278 individuals aged 2 to 92, he identified methylation sites that remained partially active throughout life but showed increasing random variation with age. These represented genuine drift rather than directed changes.

Only about 10% of subjects showed genuine random methylation drift above background noise. When Mitteldorf tried to build an aging clock from this truly random drift, it performed poorly, correlating with age at just 0.38—far too weak to be useful.

This evidence, he argues, indicates that most consistent age-related methylation changes aren’t random at all; instead, they’re directed by biological processes. That, in turn, supports the idea that aging involves programmed changes rather than being driven solely by accumulated damage.

“An intervention that sets back the methylation age, as measured by Type 2, is deceiving us,” Mitteldorf writes. Such an intervention “nominally lowers ‘epigenetic age’, but it is likely to actually decrease life expectancy.”

Industry and Research Implications

The methylation clock industry has exploded in recent years, with companies like Elysium Health and TruDiagnostic offering direct-to-consumer tests. These companies, along with supplement makers and longevity clinics, routinely use methylation age as a biomarker to validate their products.

If Mitteldorf’s concerns prove valid, it could undermine confidence in a considerable portion of anti-aging research. Studies showing that certain interventions “reduce biological age” might need reinterpretation—or their results could be misleading if it’s unclear whether they’re affecting helpful or harmful processes.

The problem extends beyond consumer tests to clinical research. Pharmaceutical companies developing longevity drugs rely heavily on methylation clocks as endpoints in trials, since waiting decades for mortality data isn’t practical.

Mitteldorf acknowledges that separating Type 1 from Type 2 changes is extremely difficult with current methods. Most studies simply identify methylation sites that change consistently with age, without determining whether those changes are beneficial or harmful.

For researchers who believe aging is purely damage-driven, the implications are even more troubling. If all consistent methylation changes reflect repair, then any intervention that reduces “methylation age” could be harmful by suppressing protective responses.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/anti-aging-research-are-biological-age-tests-dangerously-misleading/

Getting a cortisone shot for knee arthritis might provide quick pain relief, but new research reveals a troubling association: those steroid injections may be linked to faster joint damage over time. A surprising study found that patients who received corticosteroid injections showed more signs of arthritis progression compared to those who got no treatment at all, or even a different type of injection.

The findings raise important questions about a common medical practice. More than 10% of knee arthritis patients receive these steroid shots, yet the study suggests they may be trading short-term comfort for potential long-term harm. By contrast, patients who received hyaluronic acid injections — a gel-like lubricant for joints — not only avoided signs of worsening arthritis, but actually showed reduced disease progression on MRI scans.

How Researchers Conducted the Investigation

The study, published in Radiology, analyzed data from 210 people participating in the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a large-scale project tracking Americans with knee problems from 2004 to 2015. The average participant was 64 years old, and around 60% were women—characteristics typical of the knee arthritis population.

What set this study apart was its use of detailed MRI scans to assess joint health. Researchers evaluated images from two years before the injection, at the time of injection, and again two years afterward using the Whole-Organ MRI Score (WORMS). This scoring system provides a comprehensive assessment of cartilage, bone marrow, meniscus, ligaments, and joint effusion.

Participants were grouped into three categories: 44 received corticosteroid injections, 26 received hyaluronic acid, and 140 were matched controls who had no injections. The control group was carefully selected using propensity-score matching to ensure they were comparable in age, sex, body mass index, arthritis severity, pain levels, and physical activity.

Clear Differences Emerged Between Treatments

Those who received steroid injections showed significantly more arthritis progression than both the control group and the hyaluronic acid group. The researchers found clear statistical evidence that steroid shots were linked to faster joint deterioration. The damage was especially evident in cartilage—the smooth tissue that cushions the knee joint.

By contrast, hyaluronic acid injections appeared to slow down arthritis progression. Patients in this group actually showed less joint damage after their injection compared to before they received it, suggesting these treatments may help protect the joint structure.

Both types of injections helped with pain relief. Steroid shots provided more dramatic pain reduction — cutting pain scores roughly in half — while hyaluronic acid injections offered more modest but still meaningful pain relief. However, only steroid shots came with the concerning side effect of potentially faster joint deterioration.

MRI images helped visualize the contrast. In a 58-year-old woman who received a steroid injection, follow-up scans showed new full-thickness cartilage lesions and bone marrow damage. In a 57-year-old man who received hyaluronic acid, the same cartilage remained intact and unchanged over four years.

What This Means for Your Healthcare Decisions

These findings don’t mean patients should avoid knee injections altogether. Managing arthritis pain is important for maintaining mobility and quality of life. But the results highlight the need for deeper conversations between patients and healthcare providers about treatment trade-offs.

Current guidelines from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons moderately recommend corticosteroids for short-term pain relief and advise against the routine use of hyaluronic acid. The new study doesn’t overturn those guidelines, but it suggests they may merit reevaluation if future research supports these results.

Importantly, this study cannot prove that steroid injections directly cause faster arthritis progression. It was observational in nature, meaning that unmeasured differences between patients could account for some of the outcomes. Still, the consistent patterns seen on MRI raise important questions that warrant further investigation in randomized controlled trials.

For the millions of Americans living with knee arthritis, this study offers both a note of caution and a reason for hope. Cortisone shots may still help with intense pain episodes, but patients should understand the potential risks to long-term joint health. Meanwhile, hyaluronic acid injections, often overlooked, may offer pain relief without the same structural downsides.

“This study could lead to more judicious use of corticosteroid injections, especially for patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis who are not yet surgical candidates,” said lead author Dr. Upasana Upadhyay Bharadwaj, who was a research fellow in the Department of Radiology at University of California, San Francisco, at the time of the research, in a statement.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/knee-injections-make-arthritis-worse/

Very few people live beyond a century. So, if no one had babies anymore, there would probably be no humans left on Earth within 100 years. But first, the population would shrink as older folks died and no one was being born.

Even if all births were to suddenly cease, this decline would start slowly.

Eventually there would not be enough young people coming of age to do essential work, causing societies throughout the world to quickly fall apart. Some of these breakdowns would be in humanity’s ability to produce food, provide health care and do everything else we all rely on.

Food would become scarce even though there would be fewer people to feed.

As an anthropology professor who has spent his career studying human behavior, biology and cultures, I readily admit that this would not be a pretty picture. Eventually, civilization would crumble. It’s likely that there would not be many people left within 70 or 80 years, rather than 100, due to shortages of food, clean water, prescription drugs and everything else that you can easily buy today and need to survive.

Sudden Change Could Follow A Catastrophe

To be sure, an abrupt halt in births is highly unlikely unless there’s a global catastrophe. Here’s one potential scenario, which writer Kurt Vonnegut explored in his novel “Galapagos”: A highly contagious disease could render all people of reproductive age infertile – meaning that no one would be capable of having babies anymore.

Another possibility might be a nuclear war that no one survives – a topic that’s been explored in many scary movies and books.

A lot of these works are science fiction involving a lot of space travel. Others seek to predict a less fanciful Earth-bound future where people can no longer reproduce easily, causing collective despair and the loss of personal freedom for those who are capable of having babies.

Two of my favorite books along these lines are “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, and “The Children of Men,” by British writer P.D. James. They are dystopian stories, meaning that they take place in an unpleasant future with a great deal of human suffering and disorder. And both have become the basis of television series and movies.

In the 1960s and 1970s, many people also worried that there would be too many people on Earth, which would cause different kinds of catastrophes. Those scenarios also became the focus of dystopian books and movies.

Heading Toward 10 Billion People

To be sure, the number of people in the world is still growing, even though the pace of that growth has slowed down. Experts who study population changes predict that the total will peak at 10 billion in the 2080s, up from 8 billion today and 4 billion in 1974.

The U.S. population currently stands at 342 million. That’s about 200 million more people than were here when I was born in the 1930s. This is a lot of people, but both worldwide and in the U.S. these numbers could gradually fall if more people die than are born.

About 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2024, down from 4.1 million in 2004. Meanwhile, about 3.3 million people died in 2022, up from 2.4 million 20 years earlier.

One thing that will be important as these patterns change is whether there’s a manageable balance between young people and older people. That’s because the young often are the engine of society. They tend to be the ones to implement new ideas and produce everything we use.

Also, many older people need help from younger people with basic activities, like cooking and getting dressed. And a wide range of jobs are more appropriate for people under 65 rather than those who have reached the typical age for retirement.

Declining Birth Rates

In many countries, women are having fewer children throughout their reproductive lives than used to be the case. That reduction is the most stark in several countries, including India and South Korea.

The declines in birth rates occurring today are largely caused by people choosing not to have any children or as many as their parents did. That kind of population decline can be kept manageable through immigration from other countries, but cultural and political concerns often stop that from happening.

At the same time, many men are becoming less able to father children due to fertility problems. If that situation gets much worse, it could contribute to a steep decline in population.

Neanderthals Went Extinct

Our species, Homo sapiens, has been around for at least 200,000 years. That’s a long time, but like all animals on Earth we are at risk of becoming extinct.

Consider what happened to the Neanderthals, a close relative of Homo sapiens. They first appeared at least 400,000 years ago. Our modern human ancestors overlapped for a while with the Neanderthals, who gradually declined to become extinct about 40,000 years ago.

Some scientists have found evidence that modern humans were more successful at reproducing our numbers than the Neanderthal people. This occurred when Homo sapiens became more successful at providing food for their families and also having more babies than the Neanderthals.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/if-humans-stopped-having-babies-how-long-before-we-were-all-gone/

While aging is inevitable, aging well is something we can influence. It’s not just about the number of candles on your birthday cake – it’s whether you’ve got the puff to blow them out, the balance to carry the cake and the memory to remember why you’re celebrating.

As we age, our bodies change. Muscle mass shrinks, bones weaken, reaction times slow. But that doesn’t mean we’re all destined for a future of walking frames and daytime TV.

Aging well isn’t about staying wrinkle-free – it’s about staying independent, mobile, mentally sharp and socially connected. In gerontology, there’s a saying: we want to add life to years, not just years to life. That means focusing on quality – being able to do what you love, move freely, think clearly and enjoy time with others.

There’s no one-size-fits-all definition, but some simple home tests can give you a good idea. No fancy lab required – just a toothbrush, a stopwatch and a sense of humor.

Balance

One fun (and surprisingly useful) way to test your balance is to stand on one leg while brushing your teeth. If you can do this for 30 seconds or more (eyes open), that’s a great sign of lower-body strength, coordination, and postural stability.

A 2022 study found that people who couldn’t balance on one leg for ten seconds had an 84% higher risk of death over a median follow-up of seven years compared than those who could. As such, balance is like a superpower for healthy aging — it reduces falls, supports mobility, and can be improved at any age.

Grip

Grip strength is more than just opening jars. It’s a powerful indicator of overall health, predicting heart health, cognitive function and even mortality risk.

Research shows that for every 5kg decrease in grip strength, the risk of death from all causes rose by 16%.

You can test grip strength using a hand-dynamometer (many gyms or clinics have them), or simply take note of everyday tasks – is opening bottles, carrying groceries, or using tools becoming harder?

Floor-To-Feet Feat

Can you sit on the floor and stand up without using your hands? This test is a true measure of your lower-body strength and flexibility, which are essential for daily activities and reducing the risk of falls. If you can do it, you’re in great shape.

If it’s too tough, try the sit-to-stand test. Using a chair (no arms),see how many sit-to-stand transitions you can do in 30 seconds. This task is a good measure of lower limb function, balance and muscle strength, it can also predict people at risk of falls and cardiovascular issues.

Mental Sharpness

Cognitive function can be measured in all sorts of complex ways, but some basic home tests are surprisingly telling. Try naming as many animals as you can in 30 seconds. Fewer than 12 might indicate concern; more than 18 is a good sign.

Try spelling “world” backwards or recalling a short list of three items after a few minutes. This skill is an important strategy to enhance memory in older adults. Challenge yourself with puzzles, Sudoku, or learning a new skill. These kinds of “verbal fluency” and memory recall tests are simple ways to spot early changes in brain health – but don’t panic if you blank occasionally. Everyone forgets where they left their keys sometimes.

Lifestyle Matters

There’s no magic bullet to aging well – but, if one existed, it would probably be a combination of exercise, diet, sleep and social connections.

Some of the best-studied strategies include:

Daily Movement: Try walking, resistance training, swimming or tai chi keep your muscles and bones strong and support balance and heart health.

Healthy Eating: A Mediterranean-style diet — rich in whole grains, fruit, vegetables, fish, olive oil and nuts – is linked to better brain and heart health.

Sleep: Seven to nine hours of quality sleep support memory, immunity and mood.

Connection: Some research suggests that loneliness is as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Stay engaged, join a club, volunteer, or just pick up the phone to a friend.

If you can balance on one leg while brushing your teeth, carry a bag of potatoes up the stairs, and name 20 animals under pressure, then you’re doing very well. If not (yet), that’s OK, these are skills you can build over time. Aging well means taking a proactive approach to health: making small, consistent choices that lead to better mobility, clearer thinking and richer social connections down the line.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/gauge-how-well-youre-aging-simple-tests/

For nearly 80 years, scholars have debated the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls, relying on expert interpretations of ancient handwriting styles that often don’t agree. Now, a new artificial intelligence system is offering a more objective approach, with results that challenge the long-standing assumptions about when these texts were written. The findings could influence how historians understand the timeline of early Judaism and the context in which some of its most important religious writings emerged.

Researchers at the University of Groningen’s Qumran Institute developed an AI program called “Enoch” that combines radiocarbon dating with computer-based handwriting analysis to estimate the age of ancient manuscripts. When the system was applied to 135 previously undated fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, it consistently produced earlier dates than traditional paleographic methods. The program suggests that some scrolls may be decades older than scholars once believed.

The study, published in PLOS One, suggests that some religious texts and the movements behind them could have emerged earlier than previously thought. For example, scrolls that had been estimated to date to around 50 BCE may have actually been written as early as 150 BCE, offering new insights into the evolution of religious communities during a pivotal time in ancient Judaea.

How Scientists Trained AI to Read Ancient Handwriting

Study authors sought to improve the accuracy of manuscript dating — arguably one of archaeology’s most persistent challenges, especially when texts lack explicit historical references.

Traditional paleography — the study of ancient handwriting — can be highly subjective. Experts often arrive at different conclusions about the same manuscript, based on how they interpret shifts in letter shapes and writing styles over time.

To address this, the team developed the first AI system trained to learn from both physical evidence (radiocarbon dates) and visual handwriting patterns. They named the program “Enoch” after an ancient Jewish figure associated with wisdom and knowledge.

The researchers began by radiocarbon dating 30 manuscript samples using advanced chemical treatments that removed contaminants. Of those, 24 yielded reliable dates, which were then used to train the AI.

The system analyzed thousands of features in the handwriting, from the curvature of letters to stroke angles. These details are often invisible to the human eye but detectable by machine learning algorithms. The AI learned to associate specific handwriting features with distinct time periods using advanced statistical methods including Bayesian ridge regression.

What Did Enoch Reveal About The Dead Sea Scrolls?

When Enoch analyzed 135 previously undated scroll fragments, its predictions aligned with expert paleographic assessments 79% of the time. It’s a match rate that researchers describe as “highly unlikely to have occurred by chance alone.”

Importantly, Enoch often predicted earlier dates than traditional methods. One key example involves manuscript 4Q114, which contains text from the biblical Book of Daniel. Radiocarbon dating of this scroll yielded a range of 230-160 BCE, while scholars have traditionally dated the text based on historical content to around the 160s BCE. This demonstrates how the combined approach of radiocarbon dating and AI analysis can provide more precise age estimates.

Another significant finding concerns scrolls associated with the religious group behind the Dead Sea Scrolls. Manuscripts related to community regulations and religious practices, which had previously been dated to the first century BCE based on paleographic analysis, received earlier dates from Enoch’s AI predictions, suggesting the group’s literary activity may have begun in the second century BCE.

The AI system also revealed that two distinct handwriting styles, Hasmonaean and Herodian, likely coexisted for longer than experts once believed. This challenges the idea that one style replaced the other in a straightforward chronological sequence.

Why These Ancient Texts Still Matter

Discovered in the mid-20th century, the Dead Sea Scrolls are among the oldest surviving copies of the Hebrew Bible and provide critical context for the development of Judaism and early Christianity.

If some of these manuscripts were written decades earlier than previously believed, it could reshape scholarly understanding of how religious thought and textual traditions evolved during a crucial historical period. The results suggest that sophisticated literary and theological activity may have been flourishing in Judaea earlier than scholars realized.

The study also highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in tackling historical questions. By combining physical data with high-resolution visual analysis, AI is helping researchers uncover patterns that are beyond human perception.

While Enoch doesn’t always agree with human experts, diverging in about 21% of cases, the authors argue that those disagreements highlight areas worthy of further investigation, rather than errors.

Looking ahead, the team plans to refine Enoch as more radiocarbon data and improved manuscript imaging become available. They’ve already tested the approach on medieval texts with known dates and achieved similar levels of accuracy, raising the possibility that AI could help redate other historical document collections around the world.

Artificial intelligence is opening a new chapter in manuscript studies, offering fresh perspectives on texts that shaped the religious and cultural foundations of the modern world.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/ai-rewrites-history-of-dead-sea-scrolls/

Some of the most complex cognitive functions are possible because different sides of your brain control them. Chief among them is speech perception, the ability to interpret language. In people, the speech perception process is typically dominated by the left hemisphere.

Your brain breaks apart fleeting streams of acoustic information into parallel channels – linguistic, emotional and musical – and acts as a biological multicore processor. Although scientists have recognized this division of cognitive labor for over 160 years, the mechanisms underpinning it remain poorly understood.

Researchers know that distinct subgroups of neurons must be tuned to different frequencies and timing of sound. In recent decades, studies on animal models, especially in rodents, have confirmed that splitting sound processing across the brain is not uniquely human, opening the door to more closely dissecting how this occurs.

Yet a central puzzle persists: What makes near-identical regions in opposite hemispheres of the brain process different types of information?

Answering that question promises broader insight into how experience sculpts neural circuits during critical periods of early development, and why that process is disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Timing Is Everything

Sensory processing of sounds begins in the cochlea, a part of the inner ear where sound frequencies are converted into electricity and forwarded to the auditory cortex of the brain. Researchers believe that the division of labor across brain hemispheres required to recognize sound patterns begins in this region.

For more than a decade, my work as a neuroscientist has focused on the auditory cortex. My lab has shown that mice process sound differently in the left and right hemispheres of their brains, and we have worked to tease apart the underlying circuitry.

For example, we’ve found the left side of the brain has more focused, specialized connections that may help detect key features of speech, such as distinguishing one word from another. Meanwhile, the right side is more broadly connected, suited for processing melodies and the intonation of speech.

We tackled the question of how these left-right differences in hearing develop in our latest work, and our results underscore the adage that timing is everything.

We tracked how neural circuits in the left and right auditory cortex develop from early life to adulthood. To do this, we recorded electrical signals in mouse brains to observe how the auditory cortex matures and to see how sound experiences shape its structure.

Surprisingly, we found that the right hemisphere consistently outpaced the left in development, showing more rapid growth and refinement. This suggests there are critical windows of development – brief periods when the brain is especially adaptive and sensitive to environmental sound – specific to each hemisphere that occur at different times.

To test the consequences of this asynchrony, we exposed young mice to specific tones during these sensitive periods. In adulthood, we found that where sound is processed in their brains was permanently skewed. Animals that heard tones during the right hemisphere’s earlier critical window had an overrepresentation of those frequencies mapped in the right auditory cortex.

Adding yet another layer of complexity, we found that these critical windows vary by sex. The right hemisphere critical window opens earlier in female mice, and the left hemisphere window opens just days later. In contrast, male mice had a very sensitive right hemisphere critical window, but no detectable window on the left. This points to the elusive role sex may play in brain plasticity.

Our findings provide a new way to understand how different hemispheres of the brain process sound and why this might vary for different people. They also provide evidence that parallel areas of the brain are not interchangeable: the brain can encode the same sound in radically different ways, depending on when it occurs and which hemisphere is primed to receive it.

Speech And Neurodevelopment

The division of labor between brain hemispheres is a hallmark of many human cognitive functions, especially language. This is often disrupted in neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.

Reduced language information encoding in the left hemisphere is a strong indication of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. And a shift from left- to right-hemisphere language processing is characteristic of autism, where language development is often impaired.

Strikingly, the right hemisphere of people with autism seems to respond earlier to sound than the left hemisphere, echoing the accelerated right-side maturation we saw in our study on mice. Our findings suggest that this early dominance of the right hemisphere in encoding sound information might amplify its control of auditory processing, deepening the imbalance between hemispheres.

These insights deepen our understanding of how language-related areas in the brain typically develop and can help scientists design earlier and more targeted treatments to support early speech, especially for children with neurodevelopmental language disorders.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/your-left-and-right-brain-hear-language-differently-%e2%88%92-heres-how/

When patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome walk into Dr. Erin Mauney’s office, they’ve usually tried everything. Years of medications, diets, and treatments have failed them. So when she tells them she’s studying psilocybin — the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms—to treat their gut problems, their reactions range from surprise to desperate hope.

Mauney, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Tufts University, is running the first study ever to test psychedelics on digestive disorders. Her research targets people whose irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) hasn’t responded to conventional medicine — a group that “may be 60%+ of patients by some studies,” according to Mauney.

The connection between psilocybin mushrooms and stomach problems might seem bizarre, but Mauney’s approach tackles something doctors have long overlooked: how psychological stress literally reshapes our gut function. Her patients often carry histories of childhood trauma that seem to manifest as physical symptoms decades later.

“I became very interested in the applicability of this emerging (or perhaps more apt to say, re-emerging) field of psychedelic-assisted medicine to patients who seem to be at war with their bodies,” Mauney explained in a recent interview published in the journal Psychedelics.

IBS causes unpredictable bouts of pain, cramping, diarrhea, and constipation that can derail careers and relationships. While the condition isn’t life-threatening, it can be socially isolating and emotionally devastating. Traditional treatments focus on managing symptoms rather than addressing root causes.

Mauney’s study examines something called interoception, which is how well people can sense and interpret signals from inside their bodies. Many IBS patients either become hyperaware of normal gut sensations, turning minor discomfort into severe pain, or completely disconnect from their bodily signals. Psilocybin appears to help reset this internal communication system.

Her research gives participants two doses of psilocybin alongside therapy sessions. Brain imaging using fMRI tracks changes in how patients perceive bodily sensations, while detailed interviews capture their reflections on the treatment.

Mauney’s path to psychedelic research began during the pandemic when she read Michael Pollan’s book “How to Change Your Mind.” As someone treating children and families dealing with mysterious symptoms, she started connecting childhood experiences to adult illness.

“During my medical training, I became aware of how common trauma, especially early life trauma, unfortunately is in the human experience,” she noted. “I think overall this is an area that medicine, particularly gastroenterology and obesity medicine, really fails to understand and address meaningfully.”

Her observation reflects growing scientific evidence that childhood experiences can affect adult health. Traditional medicine often treats physical symptoms separately from psychological causes.

While formal results haven’t yet been published, Mauney says sharing early observations with colleagues has been “very fun” — and appears to spark curiosity among other scientists. Rather than focusing solely on symptom relief, the study explores whether psychedelics can shift how patients relate to their bodily sensations in deeper, more meaningful ways.

Mauney draws from psychology literature, particularly the work of pediatrician-psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, who explored how early relationships affect healing. Her interdisciplinary background allows her to see connections that purely medical approaches might miss.

Significant obstacles remain. Psilocybin is still federally illegal outside research contexts. Questions about optimal dosing, patient selection, and long-term effects need answers before treatments could become widely available.

But for patients who’ve exhausted conventional options, Mauney’s work offers hope. “This study brings a new option for patients who have not been helped by any existing approaches to IBS,” she said.

Rather than treating physical symptoms in isolation, Mauney’s approach recognizes that healing sometimes requires addressing the psychological experiences that may contribute to illness. For patients living with chronic digestive problems that conventional medicine struggles to solve, that holistic perspective could make all the difference.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/could-magic-mushrooms-help-ibs-psilocybin/

 

For millions of women, combined hormonal contraceptives are a part of their daily life – providing a convenient and effective option for preventing pregnancy and managing their menstrual cycle.

But new findings are sounding the alarm on a serious, and often overlooked, risk: stroke.

For many, the effects of this hormonal shift are more than frustrating – they can be life altering. Symptoms like brain fog, hot flushes, night sweats, headaches, insomnia, fatigue, joint pain, low libido, anxiety, depression and even bone loss from osteoporosis are all common.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has helped many women manage these symptoms – but one key hormone is often overlooked in both treatment and conversation: testosterone.

Testosterone is typically viewed as a “male hormone,” but it plays a crucial role in women’s health too. In fact, women have higher levels of testosterone than either estrogen or progesterone for most of their adult lives. And like the other sex hormones, testosterone also declines with age – with consequences that are only now being fully explored.

The Testosterone Gap

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now widely used to replace estrogen and progesterone during and after menopause. These treatments – available as tablets, patches, gels and implants – are regulated, evidence-based and increasingly accessible through the NHS.

But when it comes to testosterone, the situation is entirely different.

Currently, there are no testosterone products licensed for use by women in the UK or Europe. The only exception is in Australia, where a testosterone cream specifically designed for women is available. Europe once had its own option – a transdermal patch called Intrinsa, designed and approved by regulators based on clinical evidence to treat low libido in women with surgically induced menopause. But the manufacturer withdrew product in 2012, citing “commercial considerations” in their letter to the European Medicines Agency, the agency in charge of the evaluation and supervision of pharmaceutical products in Europe.

Since then, women across Europe have been left without an approved option.

In the absence of licensed treatments, some clinicians – mainly in private practice – are prescribing testosterone “off label,” often using products developed for men. These are typically gels or creams with dosages several times higher than most women need. While doctors may advise on how to adjust the dose, this kind of improvisation comes with risks: inaccurate dosing, inconsistent absorption and a lack of long-term safety data.

Some women report significant improvements – not just in libido, but also in brain fog, mood, joint pain and energy levels. However, the only proven clinical benefit of testosterone in women is in improving sexual desire for those with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) following surgical menopause.

Even so, interest is growing – fueled by patient demand, celebrity use, social media buzz and a growing sense that testosterone may be a missing piece in midlife women’s care.

While there is increasing consensus that testosterone can play a role in supporting women’s health, the current situation presents two serious problems:

Safety and regulation: without licensed products, standardized dosing guidelines, or long-term safety data, off-label use puts both patients and clinicians in uncertain territory.

Access and inequality: testosterone therapy is rarely available through the NHS and is often only accessible through private clinics, creating a two-tier system. Those who can pay hundreds of pounds for consultations and prescriptions can access care, while others are left behind.

Innovation

There are signs of change. For example, I founded Medherant, a University of Warwick spin-out company that is currently developing a testosterone patch designed specifically for women. It’s in clinical trials and, if approved, could become the first licensed testosterone product for women in the UK in over a decade. It’s a much-needed step – and one that could pave the way for further innovation and broader access.

But the urgency remains. Millions of women are currently going without effective, evidence-based care. In the meantime, off-label prescribing should used with care and use based on the best available science – not hype or anecdote – and delivered through transparent, regulated healthcare channels.

Women deserve more than workarounds. They deserve treatments that are developed for their bodies, rigorously tested, approved by regulators and accessible to all – not just the few who can afford private care.

When half the population is affected, this isn’t a niche issue. It’s a priority.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/why-we-need-testosterone-products-designed-for-women/

More and more people over the age of 50 are taking up physical exercise. Medical associations resoundingly agree that this is a good thing. Physical exercise is not only key to disease prevention, it is also a recommended part of treatment for many illnesses.

However, starting to move at this stage of life requires some care. This is especially true for those who have not previously been physically active, or for people who are overweight or obese.

It has been proven that starting to exercise with routines that are too demanding can lead to significant muscular and skeletal injuries, especially if combined with an inadequate diet. This risk is even greater after the age of 50, as the loss of muscle and bone mass is more pronounced due to natural aging processes.

Before starting any new exercise program, it is a good idea to carry out a complete analysis, especially to assess the need for micronutrient supplements.

Protein Is Key

In addition to micronutrients, the body also needs carbohydrates, fats and proteins – known collectively as macronutrients. Proteins provide the body with the essential amino acids needed to maintain and develop muscle mass, and to prevent sarcopenia: age-related muscle injury, osteoporosis, and loss of muscle mass and strength (formerly referred to as frailty).

Protein requirements vary according to an individual’s clinical situation. In people over 50 years of age who are moderately physically active, protein requirements range from 1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.

However, it is not advisable to increase protein intake without a corresponding increase in physical exercise. Too much protein can actually have harmful effects, especially on bone health, as it has been observed to increase calcium excretion in the urine (calciuria) due to decreased tubular calcium reabsorption.

Animal And Vegetable Proteins

Protein sources should combine those of vegetable origin – soy, beans, seeds, peanuts, lentils, and so on – with those of animal origin, such as eggs, dairy products, chicken and fish.

While the ideal is to have balance of both, it has been shown that following a vegetarian diet is compatible with high-performance sports, so long as there is suitable medical and nutritional monitoring.

In addition to what you eat, it also matters when you do it. Spreading protein intake throughout the day is more beneficial than concentrating it in a single meal. You should also eat protein 30 minutes before or after exercise, as its absorption and availability in the body will be better.

Essential Micronutrients: Magnesium, Calcium, Vitamin D

Some micronutrients – by which we mean vitamins and minerals – play a key role in physical exercise at this age. These include magnesium, calcium and vitamin D.

Magnesium aids muscle recovery and bone formation, and can be found in foods such as wheat bran, cheese, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds.

Calcium is essential for maintaining adequate bone mineralization and preventing loss of bone mineral density (osteopenia) associated with calcium deficiencies in the blood.

Dairy products are known to be beneficial for bone health, both for their bioavailable calcium, and the vitamin D content in their whole milk. Certain plant-based foods, such as tahini (sesame paste), almonds, flaxseed, soya and hazelnuts, are also decent sources of calcium, but their phytate and oxalate content can hinder its absorption.

Lastly, oily fish (tuna, sardines, salmon, and so on) and egg yolks are considered complementary sources of vitamin D in dietary plans focused on people over 50 years of age who do physical exercise.

It is also vitally important to maintain proper hydration before, during and after exercise. Both dehydration and over hydration can affect performance, and increase the risk of muscle injury.

Does The Type Of Exercise Matter?

So far we have seen how nutrition influences athletic performance and ultimately the risk of injury. But there is another part of the puzzle: the exercise you do.

There is actually no clear consensus on this, and there is ongoing debate about which type of exercise is the most appropriate according to age, gender or body composition. The question is whether it is better to prioritize strength exercises, alternate with cardio sessions, or do both on different days.

Despite the different theories on the subject, one thing is clear: regular exercise, adapted to the abilities of each individual and with good medical and nutritional monitoring, reduces the risk of multiple diseases and improves quality of life.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/how-diet-can-help-prevent-muscle-injuries-in-over-50s/

That cup of coffee you had during dinner with friends didn’t just keep you tossing and turning — it fundamentally altered how your brain operated during whatever sleep you managed to get. New research reveals that caffeine doesn’t simply block sleep; it transforms the sleeping brain into a more complex, hyperactive state that resembles being closer to peak mental performance.

Even more surprising: this coffee-induced brain makeover hits young adults much harder than middle-aged people, showing that your relationship with caffeine changes dramatically as you get older.

Scientists from the University of Montreal analyzed the brain waves of 40 healthy people during sleep after they consumed either 200 milligrams of caffeine (roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee) or a placebo pill. Participants spent two nights in a sleep laboratory, consuming either 200mg of caffeine or a placebo pill in a double-blind study. Brain activity was recorded using multi-channel EEG throughout the night, and the team applied multiple analytical approaches to identify patterns that distinguished caffeinated from non-caffeinated sleep.

They discovered that caffeine pushes the brain toward what’s called a “critical regime” — a state where neural networks operate at maximum efficiency and complexity.

Brain complexity and criticality are tied to optimal cognitive performance, enhanced information processing, and greater mental flexibility. When your brain operates in this critical zone, it’s essentially firing on all cylinders, processing information more efficiently and maintaining better communication between different brain regions.

Coffee Doesn’t Just Disturb Sleep—It Completely Rewires It

Most people assume caffeine simply prevents good sleep by keeping you awake longer or making sleep lighter. The study, published in Communications Biology, reveals something more fascinating: caffeine actually changes the fundamental nature of whatever sleep you do get, making your brain work overtime even during rest periods.

During non-REM sleep (the deep, restorative phase that typically shows low brain activity) caffeinated participants showed dramatically increased brain entropy and complexity. Their sleeping brains exhibited patterns more similar to wakefulness, with heightened information processing and neural communication that normally wouldn’t occur during this crucial recovery phase.

This effect was much stronger in younger adults aged 20-27 compared to middle-aged participants aged 41-58, particularly during REM sleep. Young people’s brains showed significant increases in multiple measures of complexity and criticality when caffeinated, while older adults showed much weaker responses.

Young Brains React Far More Dramatically to Caffeine

The age-related differences likely stem from changes in adenosine receptors, which are the brain’s “sleepiness switches” that caffeine blocks. As people age, they naturally lose adenosine A1 receptors, which means caffeine has fewer targets to affect.

With more receptors available in younger people, caffeine can exert a stronger influence on brain dynamics. This finding has practical implications for caffeine consumption across age groups. While middle-aged adults might feel they can handle that after-dinner espresso better than they used to, young adults are experiencing more dramatic changes to their sleep brain activity. These are changes that could affect the restorative functions of sleep.

Understanding the ‘Critical’ Brain State

To grasp what researchers mean by “critical” brain dynamics, consider neural networks like a perfectly tuned orchestra. Too little activity, and the brain operates sluggishly and inefficiently. Too much activity creates chaos. But right at the critical point, the brain achieves optimal performance with maximum information processing.

Caffeine appears to push sleeping brains toward this critical state, particularly during non-REM sleep. The researchers measured this using several sophisticated techniques that look at how repetitive or varied brain signals are and examine long-range patterns in brain activity.

All measures pointed to the same conclusion: caffeine makes sleeping brains more complex, more variable, and more similar to highly engaged waking brains. Machine learning algorithms could distinguish between caffeinated and non-caffeinated sleep with up to 75% accuracy based solely on these brain complexity measures.

Previous caffeine research focused mainly on obvious effects, such as how long it takes to fall asleep, how much you toss and turn, or changes in specific brain wave frequencies. This study took a deeper dive, using cutting-edge analysis techniques to examine how caffeine affects the fundamental dynamics of neural networks.

What This Means for Your Health

While operating in a critical brain state sounds beneficial (and can be during wakefulness) the implications for sleep are more complicated. Sleep serves crucial functions for memory consolidation, cellular repair, and toxin clearance from the brain. If caffeine is making sleeping brains work more like waking brains, it might interfere with these restorative processes.

The study also found that caffeine’s effects were much more pronounced during non-REM sleep compared to REM sleep. Non-REM sleep is particularly important for memory consolidation and brain restoration, so disruptions to this phase could have significant consequences for cognitive function and health.

For coffee lovers, the research serves as a wake-up call that their favorite beverage’s effects extend far beyond simple wakefulness — it’s literally rewiring how their brains operate throughout the night, with younger people experiencing the most dramatic changes to their sleep brain activity.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/caffeine-brain-waves-sleep-coffee/

My telescope, set up for astrophotography in my light-polluted San Diego backyard, was pointed at a galaxy unfathomably far from Earth. My wife, Cristina, walked up just as the first space photo streamed to my tablet. It sparkled on the screen in front of us.

“That’s the Pinwheel galaxy,” I said. The name is derived from its shape – albeit this pinwheel contains about a trillion stars.

The light from the Pinwheel traveled for 25 million years across the universe – about 150 quintillion miles – to get to my telescope. My wife wondered: “Doesn’t light get tired during such a long journey?”

Her curiosity triggered a thought-provoking conversation about light. Ultimately, why doesn’t light wear out and lose energy over time?

Let’s Talk About Light

I am an astrophysicist, and one of the first things I learned in my studies is how light often behaves in ways that defy our intuitions.

Light is electromagnetic radiation: basically, an electric wave and a magnetic wave coupled together and traveling through space-time. It has no mass. That point is critical because the mass of an object, whether a speck of dust or a spaceship, limits the top speed it can travel through space.

But because light is massless, it’s able to reach the maximum speed limit in a vacuum – about 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second, or almost 6 trillion miles per year (9.6 trillion kilometers). Nothing traveling through space is faster. To put that into perspective: In the time it takes you to blink your eyes, a particle of light travels around the circumference of the Earth more than twice.

As incredibly fast as that is, space is incredibly spread out. Light from the Sun, which is 93 million miles (about 150 million kilometers) from Earth, takes just over eight minutes to reach us. In other words, the sunlight you see is eight minutes old.

Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to us after the Sun, is 26 trillion miles away (about 41 trillion kilometers). So by the time you see it in the night sky, its light is just over four years old. Or, as astronomers say, it’s four light years away.

With those enormous distances in mind, consider Cristina’s question: How can light travel across the universe and not slowly lose energy?

Actually, some light does lose energy. This happens when it bounces off something, such as interstellar dust, and is scattered about.

But most light just goes and goes, without colliding with anything. This is almost always the case because space is mostly empty – nothingness. So there’s nothing in the way.

When light travels unimpeded, it loses no energy. It can maintain that 186,000-mile-per-second speed forever.

It’s About Time

Here’s another concept: Picture yourself as an astronaut on board the International Space Station. You’re orbiting at 17,000 miles (about 27,000 kilometers) per hour. Compared with someone on Earth, your wristwatch will tick 0.01 seconds slower over one year.

That’s an example of time dilation – time moving at different speeds under different conditions. If you’re moving really fast, or close to a large gravitational field, your clock will tick more slowly than someone moving slower than you, or who is further from a large gravitational field. To say it succinctly, time is relative.

Now consider that light is inextricably connected to time. Picture sitting on a photon, a fundamental particle of light; here, you’d experience maximum time dilation. Everyone on Earth would clock you at the speed of light, but from your reference frame, time would completely stop.

That’s because the “clocks” measuring time are in two different places going vastly different speeds: the photon moving at the speed of light, and the comparatively slowpoke speed of Earth going around the Sun.

What’s more, when you’re traveling at or close to the speed of light, the distance between where you are and where you’re going gets shorter. That is, space itself becomes more compact in the direction of motion – so the faster you can go, the shorter your journey has to be. In other words, for the photon, space gets squished.

Which brings us back to my picture of the Pinwheel galaxy. From the photon’s perspective, a star within the galaxy emitted it, and then a single pixel in my backyard camera absorbed it, at exactly the same time. Because space is squished, to the photon the journey was infinitely fast and infinitely short, a tiny fraction of a second.

But from our perspective on Earth, the photon left the galaxy 25 million years ago and traveled 25 million light years across space until it landed on my tablet in my backyard.

And there, on a cool spring night, its stunning image inspired a delightful conversation between a nerdy scientist and his curious wife.

Source : https://studyfinds.org/do-photons-wear-out-how-light-travels-without-losing-energy/