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New funding backs pioneering research to make brain cancer treatment more effective

Adelaide researchers are challenging decades-old assumptions about brain cancer treatment in a bid to make radiation therapy more effective against tumors, while reducing damage to healthy tissue.

27 Aug 2026

Children bear the greatest burden of climate-driven heat exposure

New research by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) shows that globally up to 560 million children aged 0 to 9 years old (43% of all children in this age group) are living through at least one additional month (30 or more days) of heat stress per year due to human-induced climate change.

26 Aug 2026

Breast milk fats may reflect more than the fats a mother eats

A cross-sectional study of 109 breastfeeding women in the Netherlands found that maternal intakes of omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs and trans fats were associated with corresponding fatty acid proportions in human milk. The researchers also identified links involving dietary fiber, diet quality and several micronutrients, although whether these relationships reflect direct biological effects or broader dietary patterns remains uncertain.

26 Aug 2026

Hospital intervention reduces stillbirths and newborn deaths in Africa

A combination of training, quality improvement and leadership support in hospitals across four countries in sub-Saharan Africa is linked to fewer stillbirths and deaths among newborns during the first 24 hours of life.

26 Aug 2026

Internalized racial oppression may undermine culturally affirming parenting

Black parents who experienced higher levels of appropriated racial oppression - defined as shaping one's behavior and self-concept around dominant cultural norms of whiteness - were less likely to transmit positive, culturally protective messages that affirmed racial pride and self-worth to their adolescent children, a recent study found.

25 Aug 2026

Exposure to drought during pregnancy associated with higher risk of preterm birth

Climate change is making droughts more frequent, prolonged, and intense in many regions of the world, increasing the need to understand their effects on health.

25 Aug 2026

An 11-year study found the same social media pattern again and again

Across 11 annual U.S. surveys involving about 183,000 adults, higher social media use was consistently associated with self-reported depression, with social media ranking among the strongest predictors in machine-learning models. SHAP analyses suggested that social media use became a stronger positive signal for depression at around 150 minutes per day, although the authors stress that this is not an established clinical threshold and requires longitudinal and experimental testing.

24 Aug 2026

New statistical framework untangles genetic and environmental autism risk

A powerful new research tool from a University of Virginia School of Medicine scientist and colleagues is set to advance our understanding of how genetics and environment contribute to autism risk.

24 Aug 2026

Researchers followed children for a decade to see whether screen time really mattered

A large Scottish birth cohort found that screen use showed limited and inconsistent associations with children’s emotional, behavioral, and social development from ages 5 to 15. Very high gaming in adolescence stood out, while several other associations weakened after adjustment, sensitivity analyses, or correction for multiple testing.

24 Aug 2026

A childhood shaped by sugar rationing was linked to mental health more than 50 years later

UK Biobank researchers examined whether sugar rationing during pregnancy and the first two years of life was associated with adult sweet-food preferences, sugar intake, brain structure, anxiety, and depression.

23 Aug 2026

Study reveals free-to-play video games mimic gambling spending patterns

Digital media, including videogames, are a central part of leisure activities for many adolescents and adults.

21 Aug 2026

Psychological factors determine maternal readiness to care for newborns

The first days after childbirth are a time of profound change – not only physically, but emotionally as well. Although the rooming-in model, in which mothers and newborns stay together around the clock, is standard practice in maternity wards, not every woman feels ready to care for her baby independently from the very first hours after delivery.

20 Aug 2026

Brain organoid studies on the ISS move closer to new treatments

Research using human brain organoids onboard the International Space Station International Space Station (ISS) helped lead to the clinical trial of a potential therapy for Rett syndrome, a debilitating neurological disorder in children.

20 Aug 2026

Parental loss doubles children's risk of mental health disorders

A new, large-scale Curtin University study has found children who experience parental loss are twice as likely to develop a mental health disorder, compared to those living with both parents.

19 Aug 2026

New genetic risk score uncovers hidden type 1 diabetes cases

Incorporating a genetic risk score into standard testing for a genetic form of diabetes which affects young people could identify hidden type 1 diabetes in around one in five patients with a negative genetic test.

19 Aug 2026

Paternal valproate use not linked to offspring neurodevelopmental risks

Use of the antiseizure drug valproate by fathers before conception is not associated with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in their children, according to a new study published August 19, 2026, in Neurology®, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Aug 2026

A decades-long study raises questions about sugary drinks and stomach cancer

A large prospective U.S. study followed more than 111,000 adults to examine whether sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverage intake was associated with gastric cancer incidence. Researchers identified 278 gastric cancer cases over 3.2 million person-years and found that associations differed according to beverage type and level of consumption.

19 Aug 2026

TikTok food videos prompt adolescent cravings and desire to eat

A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), published by Elsevier, found that adolescents reported TikTok food content cued their desire to eat or try foods, while acknowledging that parents could play a protective role by helping them disengage from the platform and fostering critical conversations about food, bodies, influencers, and online health information.

19 Aug 2026

Red blood cells inspire next-generation therapeutic nanocarriers

Red blood cells serve as the foundation for nanocarriers that show promise in a new study as effective and efficient vehicles for gene therapy, tumor targeting and other medical treatments.

19 Aug 2026

Re:Cognition Health launches first dedicated Alzheimer's disease-modifying treatment clinic in Ireland

Re:Cognition Health, the UK's largest independent provider of Alzheimer's disease-modifying treatments, announces the opening of its first Irish clinic in Dublin, marking a major milestone in dementia care for Ireland.

19 Aug 2026