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Short bursts of exercise may improve fitness and blood sugar in sedentary adults

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 studies involving 994 sedentary or inactive adults found that brief “exercise snacks” were associated with improvements in VO₂peak, blood glucose, and triglycerides.

6 Oct 2026

New project explores mitochondrial evolution across diverse life forms

A research consortium has generated the broadest look yet at the proteins that make up mitochondria, capturing the organelle's diversity across multiple branches on the tree of complex life.

1 Oct 2026

Scientists discover new cell type that may help regulate blood vessel growth in the heart

Researchers have discovered a new cell type that may help regulate blood vessel growth in the heart during development and in response to injury, according to a study from Weill Cornell Medicine.

1 Oct 2026

Oxford study identifies top technology priorities for respiratory care

Inhalers that show when they are running out. Oxygen equipment light enough to take out of the house. Help telling whether breathlessness is anxiety or the start of a flare-up.

1 Oct 2026

Researchers found a curious mitochondrial pattern in people who moved more

Researchers found that greater self-reported activity, walking, and accelerometer-measured light activity were associated with higher mitochondrial DNA copy number in 256 healthy middle-aged adults. The cross-sectional findings cannot establish causation, and the very low amount of vigorous activity means they do not show that light movement is more beneficial than higher-intensity exercise.

29 Sep 2026

Targeting specific nuclear receptor could help preserve aging muscle function

Scientists in the Gerhart-Hines Group pinpoint a molecular cause of muscle aging, and a possible fix. By investigating how muscles adapt to age and disease-related decline, the scientists discovered the involvement of a druggable nuclear receptor, ERRγ, that could be targeted to preserve muscle function.

29 Sep 2026

Could the Mediterranean diet protect the brain through the gut?

A narrative review finds that the Mediterranean diet may support brain health through gut microbiome, immune, metabolic, and barrier-related pathways, but direct human evidence that microbiome remodeling mediates neuroprotection remains limited. The proposed mechanisms involve microbial metabolites, reduced inflammatory signaling, stronger intestinal and blood-brain barrier function, and possible effects on processes linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

27 Sep 2026

Beetroot juice may make swimming feel easier without making swimmers faster

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies, with nine contributing data from 120 swimmers, found no significant improvement in swimming time-trial performance or post-exercise blood lactate with beetroot juice or dietary nitrate supplementation. Supplementation produced a small reduction in perceived exertion, but the effect varied across studies, and the certainty of evidence for swimming performance was low.

24 Sep 2026

Dietary changes can prevent Hirschsprung disease symptoms

A multi-institutional study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) discovered for the first time that dietary interventions might prevent inflammatory symptoms associated with Hirschsprung disease, a bowel motility disorder.

23 Sep 2026

Voluntary exercise reduces stress-linked bladder pain and urinary frequency

Chronic stress may contribute to the pain and urinary symptoms experienced by people with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) by triggering changes in the bladder and nervous system, according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

23 Sep 2026

Salt-purified seaweed compound suppresses inflammatory and allergic reactions

Food allergies affect an estimated 3%–4% of the global population, yet no definitive cure is currently available.

22 Sep 2026

Polystyrene nanoplastics may threaten reproductive health and offspring development

Plastic pollution is increasingly being recognized as more than an environmental problem. Tiny plastic particles can enter living organisms, circulate through biological systems, and potentially reach reproductive tissues.

21 Sep 2026

Chronic DNA damage response may contribute to biological aging

A new review was published in Volume 18 of Aging on August 31, 2026, titled "The guardian paradox: DNA damage response overactivation as an integrative driver of aging – a tumor suppressor–negative regulator framework."

21 Sep 2026

Core muscle activity rapidly regulates blood flow in the brain

Engaging core muscles - through movement, exercise, or even coughing - may be a key regulator of blood flow in the brain.

21 Sep 2026

Transplanted human cortical organoids filled most of a mouse cortex. Then they began to connect

Researchers created xenocortical mice by transplanting human cortical organoids into animals genetically depleted of much of their native cortex, allowing the human tissue to occupy most of the available cortical space and form anatomical connections throughout the host nervous system. The grafts developed diverse cortical cell types, including L5-ET and VEN-like neurons, generated organized neural activity, and produced measurable cellular and behavioral responses to hypoxic injury.

18 Sep 2026

New MRI measure maps blood flow and cellular organization

Researchers from the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have developed a new, noninvasive way to examine how blood flow and cellular organization align across the layers of the living human brain.

17 Sep 2026

Study uncovers how interferon-alpha treats rare blood cancers

The biologic drug interferon-alpha can benefit patients with blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms by forcing mutant blood stem cells to become shorter-lived white blood cells, according to a study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

15 Sep 2026

Menopause may not drive rising pulse pressure and midlife aortic stiffness in women

Contradicting conventional wisdom, menopause may not be the driving force behind an increase in aortic stiffness in women after midlife, according to new, independent research published today in Hypertension, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Heart Association journal.

15 Sep 2026

Your voice could add something aging blood tests and scans miss

Researchers found that a standardized 30-second voice recording could predict chronological age with mean absolute errors of 3.95 years in females and 4.41 years in males. The resulting Voice Age measure also captured physiological information partly distinct from molecular, imaging, sleep, and lifestyle-based aging clocks, supporting its potential as a functional aging biomarker.

15 Sep 2026

Early studies hint that ketones may affect pathways linked to PTSD

An integrative review found that ketogenic therapy may influence metabolic, inflammatory, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitter pathways implicated in PTSD, with animal studies and small human studies reporting early signs of symptom improvement. Human evidence remains limited to very small cohorts, case reports, and pilot studies, and controlled trials have yet to establish clinical efficacy.

11 Sep 2026