Medical Science News

RSS

Music activates brain networks for imagination and meaning

In a new paper appearing Aug. 18 in Nature Communications, Princeton University researchers show how music produces distinct patterns in the regions of the brain associated with imagination and meaning, similar to those prompted by spoken narratives.

18 Aug 2026

Key molecule released during exercise strengthens muscles

Scientists have discovered that a key molecule released during exercise strengthens muscles, improves exercise performance and could be a therapeutic treatment for muscle damage caused by type 2 diabetes.

18 Aug 2026

Five-week training program helps college students regulate their emotions

A five-week training intervention taught college students to better regulate their emotions in response to negative events, a new study finds.

18 Aug 2026

Nanoplatelets, a potential drug delivery vehicle for targeted cancer therapy

Short-lived radioactive isotopes, or radioisotopes, can image tumors or inflict high levels of cellular damage to them.

18 Aug 2026

A New York skincare survey found mercury where consumers might not expect it

Targeted surveillance of 197 skin-lightening and skincare products purchased in New York City from 2009 to 2022 found detectable mercury in 29%, with 18% exceeding the FDA’s 1 ppm limit and concentrations reaching 27,000 ppm. All mercury-positive products were manufactured abroad, mercury was rarely disclosed on labels, and the findings highlight regulatory, health-equity, and environmental justice concerns.

18 Aug 2026

Deep-learning tissue clocks reveal how organs age and leave disease-linked signals in blood

Deep learning applied to more than 25,000 histopathology slides revealed tissue-specific structural signatures of biological aging that tracked telomere attrition, pathology, comorbidity, and molecular changes more closely than chronological age alone.

18 Aug 2026

A four-week spice experiment challenges expectations about post-meal benefits

Culinary doses of herbs and spices did not significantly alter postprandial endothelial function, glycemia, or lipemia after four weeks of corresponding spice-containing diets in adults at cardiometabolic risk. The findings suggest that acute spice-related effects may be less apparent with longer-term exposure, although the study may have been underpowered to detect modest benefits.

17 Aug 2026

AI can recreate food convincingly, but there is one thing it still struggles to trigger

AI-generated food images matched real food images in perceived healthiness and estimated calorie content but were rated as less realistic and elicited lower willingness to eat. A subset of hyperrealistic AI images received stronger appetitive ratings, suggesting that perceived realism may shape how synthetic food imagery is evaluated.

17 Aug 2026

Engineered red blood cell vesicles improve gene therapy delivery

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.

17 Aug 2026

Researchers uncover hidden function of known tuberculosis bacterium gene

The complete genome for the tuberculosis bacterium was sequenced and published in 1998. Since then, scientists have deciphered about two-thirds of TB's genes. Or have they?

17 Aug 2026

Computational pipeline uncovers subtype specific targets for cervical cancer

A new study presents a multi-layered strategy for identifying cell-surface targets that could help guide more precise antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development for cervical cancer, with different targets showing distinct potential across tumor subtypes.

17 Aug 2026

Japanese research team named a Milestone 2 Awardee of the XPRIZE Healthspan competition

A research team led by Professor Keisuke Goda of the SiRIUS Institute of Medical Research and Graduate School of Medicine at Tohoku University, together with the Department of Chemistry at the University of Tokyo, has been named a Milestone 2 Awardee of the XPRIZE Healthspan competition - one of the world's largest health research competitions.

17 Aug 2026

Understanding how maternal age impacts offspring health across different species

In humans and many other animals, a mother's age can affect the physical and behavioral characteristics of the next generation.

17 Aug 2026

Engineered immune cells help eliminate severe bacterial infections effectively

Severe bacterial infections remain a major global health challenge because antibiotics alone often fail when the host immune system becomes dysfunctional.

17 Aug 2026

Polydatin reduces ulcerative colitis by regulating intestinal immune cells

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease in which recurrent intestinal inflammation can be difficult to control over the long term.

17 Aug 2026

New study shows attention actively shapes the body's inflammation

We usually think of bodily sensations as information the brain receives. What if the way we attend to those sensations can feed back and change the biological response itself?

17 Aug 2026

New genetic mutations linked to malaria drug resistance discovered

Researchers searching for genetic clues to the growing problem of malaria drug resistance identified new mutations associated with the parasite's decreased susceptibility to current treatment.

17 Aug 2026

Immune signaling pathway protects newborn heart cells from injury

Researchers at the University Hospital of Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have identified a previously unknown signaling pathway in the immune system that helps newborn heart cells survive and regenerate after injury.

17 Aug 2026

Why keto appears to lower blood pressure for some people but not others

A narrative review finds that ketogenic diets may modestly lower blood pressure through weight loss, reduced visceral fat, improved insulin sensitivity, fluid and electrolyte shifts, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, effects vary across studies, long-term cardiovascular evidence remains limited, and diet quality, hydration, electrolyte balance, and medication monitoring are important.

17 Aug 2026

Cocoa looks promising for mood, but the brain benefits come with a catch

A review of clinical and preclinical studies suggests cocoa polyphenols may support mood, neuroplasticity, cerebral blood flow, and gut-brain signaling through pathways involving BDNF/CREB, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

17 Aug 2026