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Daily social connections may improve long-term health and cognition

Calling a friend after a long day. Showing up to a neighbor's dinner when you'd rather stay home. Lingering a little longer in a conversation that didn't need to last.

3 Aug 2026

Study reveals steep financial burden of New Mexico measles outbreak

A cost analysis of the 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico found that the outbreak carried an estimated societal cost of $5.4 million, or more than $53,000 per case.

3 Aug 2026

Current NICE criteria miss most younger women at breast cancer risk

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) criteria used to decide who should be referred by GPs for further breast cancer risk assessment and specialist care misses up to 95% of women under 50 who will go on to develop the disease in the next 10 years, new research by researchers at the University of Cambridge and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, has found.

3 Aug 2026

Two British birth cohorts find no added health burden from a coastal childhood

Researchers analyzing two British birth cohorts found no association between coastal residence in adolescence and midlife multimorbidity, while an unadjusted association in the 1958 cohort weakened after accounting for neighborhood deprivation.

3 Aug 2026

Perilla oil may curb platelet reactivity and inflammatory signaling in smokers

An eight-week randomized trial found that daily perilla oil increased plasma and red-cell ALA, plasma EPA, and platelet closure time in healthy smokers. Perilla oil also reduced TNF-α and TBX21 gene expression, but it did not improve broader coagulation, lipid, endothelial, or postprandial markers.

3 Aug 2026

A 10-country survey finds an unexpected air pollution awareness gap

Researchers surveyed 10,618 adults across 1,372 localities in the world’s 10 most populous countries and matched their responses with average 2019-2021 PM2.5 concentrations. Higher PM2.5 exposure was associated with lower air-quality knowledge but greater concern and more frequent protective behaviors, with patterns differing across demographic groups.

2 Aug 2026

AI-powered blood test detects liver cancer across distinct populations

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center validated an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered blood test that accurately detected liver cancer in people from two geographically and biologically distinct populations and also uncovered the underlying biological signals that make the test effective.

31 Jul 2026

Digital marketing threatens breastfeeding rates in the Americas

Ahead of World Breastfeeding Week (1-7 August), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is calling on countries across the Americas to strengthen protections for families against the growing digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes and other products that may undermine breastfeeding.

31 Jul 2026

Researchers propose new framework to define clinical obesity

A new approach to defining obesity could help physicians better determine which patients need more intensive treatment by focusing on the effects of excess adiposity on organs and tissues rather than relying primarily on whether a person meets a set of metabolic risk thresholds.

31 Jul 2026

Hydrogen-powered shipping could deliver $284 billion in annual health benefits

Researchers modeled how replacing conventional global shipping fuels with hydrogen could change PM2.5 and ozone pollution, premature mortality, and monetized health benefits. Under complete transition, the model estimated 129,458 fewer premature deaths and US$284 billion in annual monetized health benefits, although some regions experienced increased pollution from hydrogen production or altered ozone chemistry.

31 Jul 2026

Coastal residents more likely to have worse midlife health

People who live by the coast in midlife are more likely to have worse health, finds a new study in England and Wales led by UCL researchers.

30 Jul 2026

Program introduces Florida students to virology and pandemic preparedness

Thirty outstanding high school students from 18 communities across Florida arrived in Tampa last week for the Global Virus Network (GVN) Global Guardians for Pandemic Preparedness Program, curious about viruses and considering careers in science.

30 Jul 2026

Pork supply chains may be shaping the global spread of drug-resistant Salmonella

Researchers linked 129,136 global human and swine Salmonella genomes with sampling from a Guangdong pork supply chain to examine how downstream stages relate to antimicrobial resistance. The study suggests slaughterhouse and retail interfaces may concentrate S. 4,[5],12:i:- ST34, resistant strains, and mobile resistance elements, supporting broader One Health surveillance beyond farms.

30 Jul 2026

Study reveals widening inequality in leisure-time physical activity

A ten-year study of residents of the city of São Paulo, Brazil, revealed that leisure-time physical activity is highly unequal and that the gap between social strata is widening.

30 Jul 2026

Biotherapeutic metabolite repairs gut damage caused by HIV infection

Researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine have identified a naturally occurring metabolite that repairs gut damage caused by HIV infection and significantly improves the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the nonhuman primate model of HIV/AIDS.

30 Jul 2026