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Study reveals evolutionary advantage of human heel-first walking style

The average person takes thousands of steps each day, instinctively walking heel-to-toe. Although they hardly register them, those consistent heel-first strides are more unique to humans than previously thought and allowed early hominins to walk farther more efficiently, but at the cost of higher impact forces on bones and joints, according to a new study led by a researcher at Penn State.

7 Sep 2026

Elusive stem cells offer clues to treat lumbar spinal stenosis

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Hospital for Special Surgery have discovered the stem cells—unspecialized cells that can develop into specific cell types—that give rise to the body's tendons and ligaments, the tissues connecting muscles and bones.

7 Sep 2026

Extreme long-distance running triggers major surge in body's cannabis-like molecules

A marathon, 100 kilometers or even 230 kilometers in one go: Anyone running such distances puts enormous strain on their body.

4 Sep 2026

Daily steps may match aerobic training for asthma control

For people with moderate to severe asthma, increasing the number of daily steps may be as effective as structured aerobic training sessions for managing the disease.

2 Sep 2026

New research visualizes how aerobic exercise alters brain activity patterns

Researchers at AIST, in collaboration with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the United States, examined changes in brain activity during cognitive tasks before and after acute aerobic exercise in young and older healthy adults.

2 Sep 2026

Bridging science and family story to understand schizophrenia origins

Twin studies have placed the heritability of schizophrenia at roughly eighty percent for decades. Concordance between identical twins, who share the entire genome, does not reach fifty percent. Both figures are well established, and they do not fit together comfortably.

2 Sep 2026

Stay sharp after menopause: How aerobic exercise can improve key thinking skills

Regular aerobic exercise – the kind that gets your heart pumping – can improve important thinking skills called executive functions, and the benefits appear especially strong for women after menopause, according to Rutgers researchers.

2 Sep 2026

MS patients' quality of life associated with walking performance and functional capacity

A study by the University of Eastern Finland found that quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is strongly associated with their walking performance and functional capacity.

1 Sep 2026

Aerobic exercise boosts executive function in postmenopausal women

31 Aug 2026

New stroke guideline mandates personalized and early rehabilitation

A stroke can change life in an instant, affecting everything from walking and speaking to memory, mood and the ability to perform everyday tasks.

27 Aug 2026

Why erratic step counts may matter more than your daily total

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26 Aug 2026

Why living to 100 may depend on far more than diet and exercise

A critical narrative review found that healthy diets, regular physical activity, strong social ties, and psychological well-being can support healthier aging and reduce premature mortality, but none has been shown to reliably determine who reaches 100. The authors argue that exceptional longevity arises from complex interactions among biological resilience, genetics, social and environmental conditions, lifelong exposures, and chance rather than any universal lifestyle formula.

25 Aug 2026

Physical activity declines significantly with age despite good initial health

A recent study from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, shows that physical activity declines substantially with age, even among older adults who are in good physical condition.

25 Aug 2026

Harvard engineers develop smartphone app to aid navigation for people with blindness

For people with blindness or who have low vision, moving around independently is a daily challenge. Harvard researchers have developed a new tool that could help such people navigate more quickly and safely, using nothing but a device they likely already have – a smartphone.

24 Aug 2026

New study makes progress in understanding the mechanisms behind severity of HFpEF

Approximately 3 million people in the United States are living with a condition called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF.

24 Aug 2026

Dry cleaner proximity associated with increased Parkinson's disease risk

People living near dry cleaners may have a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease according to a new nationwide study led by researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

19 Aug 2026

Leisure-time exercise linked to lower dementia risk

For years, scientists have known that regular physical activity can help lower the risk of dementia. But new USC research suggests that it's not only the amount but also the activity's context - for work or for leisure - that makes a difference.

18 Aug 2026

New lightweight knee exoskeleton helps older adults walk more easily

The knee is a key weight-bearing and stabilizing joint in daily locomotion, supporting body weight, maintaining balance, and enabling flexible movement during level walking, ramp ascent and descent, and stair ascent and descent.

18 Aug 2026

Opening the black box of biological aging clocks

What do "epigenetic clocks" actually measure? These lab tests have become popular tools for studying biological aging, or how the body's cellular function changes at a faster or slower rate than expected.

14 Aug 2026

In a famous Blue Zone, daily movement was tied to fewer memory complaints

Older adults in Sardinian Blue Zone communities who took more daily steps, spent less time sedentary, perceived their physical health more positively, and had greater confidence in their memory reported fewer memory complaints. Sleep efficiency was not significantly associated with memory complaints, and the cross-sectional study cannot establish cause and effect.

13 Aug 2026