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Traditional Japanese Igusa mats boost focus and reduce anxiety

Publishing in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers at Kyushu University found that using mats made from Japanese Igusa, or rush grass, was associated with increased activity in regions of the brain related to concentration and engagement.

8 Sep 2026

New drug forces aggressive leukemia cells to die from stress

Pushing the accelerator and the brake at the same time is rarely a good idea. But researchers at the University of Gothenburg are using this approach to treat leukemia.

8 Sep 2026

Vitamin A derivative prevents immune cell exhaustion in brain tumors

Immune cells can become exhausted after prolonged exposure to cancer, gradually losing their ability to attack tumor cells.

8 Sep 2026

Severe asthma inflammation linked to structural changes in the brain

People living with a severe form of asthma show subtle differences in the structure of their brains compared with people whose asthma is well controlled, according to new research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

8 Sep 2026

Genome sequencing reveals clues about asymptomatic strep throat carriers

Streptococcal sore throat - strep throat for short - is one of the nastier maladies of childhood, causing fever, swollen tonsils, and the namesake sore throat.

8 Sep 2026

Ultrasonic vocalizations in rats linked to pleasurable food consumption

Understanding how the brain processes rewarding experiences could help researchers better understand behaviors such as overeating, as well as conditions such as anhedonia-the inability to experience pleasure, which is a common symptom of depression.

8 Sep 2026

Two collagen receptors cooperate to enhance cranial bone regeneration

Bone repair depends on skeletal progenitor cells (SPCs) moving to injured areas and developing into bone-forming cells, but how these cells respond to their surroundings remains unclear.

8 Sep 2026

Healthy midlife choices add both years and quality to life

In a 50-year follow-up study, men with a low cardiovascular risk in their 40s retained their functional capacity, happiness and quality of life better than others as they aged.

8 Sep 2026

Leicester's cardiovascular research hub shines spotlight on life-saving innovations

The latest medical innovations in cardiovascular research have been showcased by the British Heat Foundation Leicester Centre of Research Excellence.

8 Sep 2026

Could scorpion venom inspire new treatments for liver disease?

Scorpion venom peptides show promising anti-inflammatory, antiviral, analgesic, and immunomodulatory effects, with experimental evidence suggesting that some candidates could target pathways involved in chronic liver disease and viral hepatitis. The review highlights Kv1.3-blocking peptides and antiviral compounds as potential therapeutic leads, while emphasizing that limited hepatic efficacy data, poor pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, and manufacturing challenges must be overcome before clinical translation.

8 Sep 2026

Why do older adults often feel better emotionally? Mindfulness may be part of the answer

In a cross-sectional U.S. sample of 129 adults, older age was associated with greater positive and lower negative emotional well-being, alongside greater dispositional mindfulness and lower neuroticism. Lower neuroticism statistically accounted for age differences in both positive and negative well-being, while mindfulness statistically accounted for differences in negative well-being only, although the study cannot establish causality.

8 Sep 2026

Could one amino acid help explain why men tend to live shorter lives?

A UK Biobank cohort and Mendelian randomization study involving 272,475 participants linked higher circulating tyrosine with greater all-cause mortality and genetically predicted higher tyrosine with shorter lifespan. After accounting for phenylalanine, the relationship with shorter lifespan was clearest in men, while findings in women were less consistent, suggesting a potential sex-specific role for tyrosine in longevity.

7 Sep 2026

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

LSD deconstruction reveals promising new drug candidates

University of California, Davis researchers have stripped down LSD to the base features responsible for its hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects.

7 Sep 2026

Vaping rises among youth despite declining smoking rates

Three large studies together show that, although the number of people who smoke is declining, people are taking up smoking at a younger age and vaping has increased, particularly among children and younger people.

7 Sep 2026

GLP-1 treatment linked to 40% fewer asthma attacks

The diabetes and weight loss injection semaglutide can reduce asthma attacks by up to 40 per cent according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

7 Sep 2026

Scientists discover new mechanism for bacterial fosfomycin resistance

Bacteria can survive antibiotics in several ways, including by pumping the drugs out of their cells before they can take effect.

7 Sep 2026

Teenagers from disadvantaged families show greater eating disorder risk

Teenagers who come from households with a lower income and lower level of education are more likely to have an eating disorder, finds a new study co-led by UCL researchers.

7 Sep 2026

The vaginal microbiome may be an overlooked reservoir of antibiotic resistance

Researchers analyzed 1,957 vaginal metagenomic samples from 1,547 pregnant women and found that bacterial community structure was strongly associated with the diversity and distribution of clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes. Lactobacillus crispatus-dominated communities carried comparatively few acquired resistance genes, while L. iners-dominated and anaerobe-rich communities showed greater resistance diversity, with PPROM associated with broader predicted resistance profiles among ARG-positive samples.

7 Sep 2026

GLP-1 drugs looked promising for depression. The evidence tells a more complicated story

A systematic review of 43 studies found highly heterogeneous results for GLP-1 receptor agonists across animal models and human research assessing depression-, anxiety-, and stress-related outcomes. No study directly tested these drugs as a treatment for PTSD, and the available evidence does not currently support their use for depression or PTSD, although people with metabolic dysfunction may warrant further investigation.

7 Sep 2026