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A decade of discovery in the science of healthy aging and human longevity

It's notable when a scientific study reaches the decade mark, but when the topic is the healthy aging of people who have lived 10 times as long, it just means there's still a lot more to learn.

5 May 2025

Breakthrough brain training shows promise for Long COVID recovery

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have identified what is believed to be the first intervention found in a randomized controlled trial to show large and very large improvements in multiple symptoms associated with Long COVID, and to result in people debilitated by those symptoms returning to work.

5 May 2025

New rifamycin drugs fight antibiotic-resistant lung infections more effectively

Researchers have developed next-generation rifamycin analogs that effectively kill both replicating and nonreplicating Mycobacterium abscessus while minimizing drug-drug interactions. Lead candidates UMN-120 and UMN-121 showed superior efficacy to current treatments in mouse models and retained potency against M. tuberculosis.

5 May 2025

Growing up poor leaves lasting health scars, researchers find

A large cross-national study across 29 high-income countries found that childhood poverty significantly increases the risk of frailty in older age. The association persists even after accounting for education, wealth, and other life-course factors.

5 May 2025

Scientists use AI to build mutation-proof antibodies for SARS-CoV-2

Researchers used AI models to design antibodies that neutralize over 1,300 SARS-CoV-2 strains, including Delta and Omicron. The models demonstrated faster, cheaper, and more adaptable therapeutic development compared to traditional methods.

5 May 2025

Want to eat slower? Pick meals that need chopsticks, not hands

A new study from Japan reveals that eating meals like bento boxes—rather than pizza—can slow down eating and boost chewing, regardless of whether vegetables come first or last. It's not the order, but the kind of food, that matters.

5 May 2025

TM6SF2 gut-specific knockout aggravates liver lipid accumulation in MASLD mice

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is the most common form of chronic liver disease worldwide. This study aimed to explore the role of TM6SF2 in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced MASLD through the gut-liver axis.

5 May 2025

Happiness can be shaped by external circumstances or internal states

What is the secret to happiness? Does happiness come from within, or is it shaped by external influences such as our jobs, health, relationships and material circumstances? A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour shows that happiness can come from either within or from external influences, from both, or neither – and which is true differs across people.

5 May 2025

New biomarkers and therapeutic targets identified for abdominal aortic aneurysm

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. This article aimed to identify molecular candidates to serve as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

5 May 2025

Boosting glucose metabolism in glial cells reduces neurodegeneration in fruit flies

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that impaired glucose metabolism in glial cells, a type of cell in our nervous system, plays a key role in the degeneration caused by Alzheimer's disease.

5 May 2025

Body mass index linked to knee structural changes in 33-year-olds

Mild structural changes visible in knee MRI scans are already common among adults in their thirties - even in those without knee pain or other symptoms.

5 May 2025

Where and why men die younger: global data breaks it down

A global study published in PLOS Medicine examined sex-disaggregated data on hypertension, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS across 204 countries. It revealed significant but context-dependent differences in disease burden, care access, and outcomes between males and females.

4 May 2025

Why having 2.1 kids isn't enough to prevent extinction

A new PLoS ONE study shows that to avoid extinction, small populations may need fertility rates well above the standard 2.1—especially under demographic randomness. A female-biased sex ratio reduces this threshold, offering a potential evolutionary advantage under stress.

4 May 2025

Can your diet affect fertility? Gut-linked dietary score reveals surprising risk pattern

A cross-sectional study of over 3,000 U.S. women found a non-linear link between a gut microbiota-based dietary index (DI-GM) and infertility. Risk decreased with healthier diets but unexpectedly rose beyond a certain threshold score.

4 May 2025

Black coffee improves insulin sensitivity in women, study finds

Two daily cups of coffee, especially black, are linked to lower insulin resistance and fasting insulin levels in Korean women, suggesting coffee may improve glucose metabolism. The effect was not observed with coffee containing sugar or cream.

4 May 2025

Phthalates in plastics linked to over 350,000 heart deaths worldwide

A global modeling study in eBioMedicine links phthalate exposure from plastics, especially DEHP metabolites, to over 356,000 cardiovascular deaths in 2018. Exposure was highest in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, disproportionately affecting lower-income countries.

4 May 2025

New research maps neural overlap in insomnia, depression, and anxiety

New research from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience maps the similarities and differences between the three most common brain disorders.

3 May 2025

New gene editing tool enables precise control of mitochondrial mutation load

Mitochondrial diseases affect approximately 1 in 5,000 people worldwide, causing debilitating symptoms ranging from muscle weakness to stroke-like episodes.

3 May 2025

RNA editing enzyme found to trigger neuroinflammation in Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder in which the α-synuclein protein abnormally aggregates within brain cells, causing neuronal damage.

3 May 2025

New three-part antivenom cocktail protects against the world’s deadliest snakes

Scientists developed a groundbreaking antivenom cocktail using antibodies from a hyperimmune human donor and a small-molecule inhibitor that protected mice from deadly bites of 19 diverse snakes. This approach could lead to a universal antivenom for the world’s most dangerous snakes, overcoming the limitations of current species-specific treatments.

2 May 2025