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RFK Jr. says healthy pregnant women don’t need covid boosters. What the science says.

You're pregnant, healthy, and hearing mixed messages: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is not a scientist or doctor, says you don't need the covid vaccine, but experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Protection still put you in a high-risk group of people who ought to receive boosters.

2 Jun 2025

US funding freeze halts malaria prevention and genomic research

The “catastrophic” freeze on US funding for malaria has halted prevention programmes across Africa and also threatens to stall advances in genomic research, says Jane Carlton, director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute.

1 Jun 2025

Universal CAR T cell therapy shows promise for aggressive T cell cancers

A new type of immunotherapy that targets aggressive blood cancers shows promising results alongside manageable side effects, according to the results of an international phase 1/2 clinical trial led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

31 May 2025

WHO calls on governments to ban flavors in all nicotine products

On World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) today launches a new publication and calls on governments to urgently ban all flavors in tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes, pouches, hookahs and e-cigarettes to protect youth from addiction and disease.

30 May 2025

WHO urges global ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine products

On World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) today launches a new publication and calls on governments to urgently ban all flavours in tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes, pouches, hookahs and e-cigarettes, to protect youth from addiction and disease.

30 May 2025

New plant-derived therapy shows promise for cancer pain relief

RTX is a non-addictive pain therapy derived from a cactus-like plant.

29 May 2025

Salk researchers create detailed genetic atlas of cannabis to date

Cannabis has been a globally important crop for millennia. While best known today as marijuana for its psychoactive cannabinoid THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), historically, cannabis has been a cornerstone of human civilization, providing seed oil, textiles, and food for more than 10,000 years.

29 May 2025

Breakthrough study finds genes behind calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease

In a first-of-its-kind genome-wide association study (GWAS) researchers have discovered two genes, RNF144B and ENPP1, that cause calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease in Americans of European and African descent.

28 May 2025

Perfumes and lotions interfere with the body’s pollution defense

Fragrances and lotions don't just change the way people smell, they actively alter the indoor air chemistry around the wearer, disrupting a critical natural process the body uses to protect itself from pollution, according to an international research team that includes scientists from Penn State.

27 May 2025

Scientists discover natural compounds that tame chili pepper heat

If you've ever regretted ordering a spicy meal, take note: A new study identifying molecules that suppress the heat of chili peppers hints at the possibility of adapting these compounds into an "anti-spice" condiment for food that's too fiery to eat.

22 May 2025

Gut bacteria and diet found to affect cancer treatment outcomes

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has uncovered a surprising link between diet, intestinal microbes and the efficacy of cancer therapy.

22 May 2025

This news might ruin your appetite — and summer

It's a marvel of food technology: ice cream that resists melting.

20 May 2025

Zebrafish study reveals hidden dangers of environmental toxins from tires

Emerging contaminants from rubber tires N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) and its oxidation product 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ)-are raising new red flags for aquatic ecosystems.

19 May 2025

Public health impact of synthetic chemicals in food is underestimated

Scientists highlight the evidence of increasing public health impacts from exposure to synthetic chemicals in food.

16 May 2025

Astrocytes found to drive brain rewiring during attention states

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have upended decades-old dogma of how connections between brain cells are rearranged during states of heightened vigilance or attention.

15 May 2025

Eating only wild foods reshapes your gut microbiome in just weeks, study shows

A new study shows that an eight-week wild-food-only diet in a modern adult leads to dramatic, partially lasting changes in the gut microbiome’s composition and function. While no “ancestral” microbes reappeared, the shift increased fiber-degrading species and reduced dairy-associated bacteria, highlighting the powerful role of diet.

14 May 2025

Lipid accumulation levels reveal hidden osteoporosis risk

Researchers investigate the use of lipid accumulation products as a predictor of osteoporosis.

14 May 2025

CAR-T cell therapy linked to brain fog in cancer patients

After treatment with CAR-T cells - immune cells engineered to attack cancer - patients sometimes tell their doctors they feel like they have "brain fog," or forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating.

12 May 2025

Breakthrough discovery offers hope for treating neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers have discovered how to block cells dying, in a finding that could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

12 May 2025

Study reveals phthalate exposure harms early sexual development in children

Maternal exposure to phthalates during pregnancy is linked to shorter anogenital distance in 3-year-old boys, a marker of impaired sexual development. Girls showed similar outcomes from their own postnatal exposure, highlighting the lasting hormonal risks of environmental pollutants.

10 May 2025