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Income sufficiency emerges as key factor in early brain development

Decades of research show that early psychosocial stress, including chronic exposure to adversity, can shape how a child's brain develops, with effects that last well beyond childhood. But families rarely experience just one source of stress at a time.

5 Jan 2026

Common blood signals explain why chronic diseases cluster as we age

This population-based study shows that shared and pattern-specific blood biomarkers reflect biological vulnerability underlying multimorbidity and the pace at which chronic diseases accumulate in older adults. Metabolic and systemic stress markers such as GDF15, HbA1c, cystatin C, and insulin consistently tracked higher disease burden and faster accumulation, with findings replicated across cohorts.

5 Jan 2026

Maintaining a healthy weight may help avoid low back pain

Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent condition associated with disability, work loss and economic burden to healthcare. Significant risk factors include poor sleep, physical and psychological stress, inactivity, advanced age and smoking.

5 Jan 2026

Inhalable nanotherapy can activate the immune system against checkpoint-resistant melanoma

Immune checkpoint molecules play a crucial role in keeping the immune system in balance and preventing an attack on the body's own cells.

5 Jan 2026

Injectable paste from human skin cells may improve breast reconstruction

Removing part or all of the breast during breast cancer treatment is a potential outcome for some people.

5 Jan 2026

Calculator offers accurate scoring of multilingual language ability

More than half of the world's population speaks more than one language-but there is no consistent method for defining "bilingual" or "multilingual." This makes it difficult to accurately assess proficiency across multiple languages and to describe language backgrounds accurately.

5 Jan 2026

Researchers identify hundreds of genes essential for the development of brain cells

An international research team identified hundreds of genes essential for the development of brain cells, including one gene linked to a severe neurodevelopmental disorder not previously described.

5 Jan 2026

Two bacterial shutdown modes explain antibiotic persistence and relapse

New study reveals that bacteria can survive antibiotic treatment through two fundamentally different "shutdown modes," not just the classic idea of dormancy.

4 Jan 2026

Self-sabotage may reflect the brain’s need for control and safety

Self-harming and self-sabotaging behaviors, from skin picking to ghosting people, all stem from evolutionary survival mechanisms, according to a compelling new psychological analysis.

4 Jan 2026

Weaker and fragmented circadian rhythms linked to higher dementia risk

Circadian rhythms that are weaker and more fragmented are linked to an increased risk of dementia, according to a new study published on December 29, 2025, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Jan 2026

Irregular collagen in uterine scars linked to placenta accreta development

Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) used to be a rare pregnancy condition, but it now affects roughly 14,000 pregnancies annually, posing a major cause of maternal death.

2 Jan 2026

New method can help better assess precision genome editing technology

Scientists and physicians can better assess precision genome editing technology using a new method made public today by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Significant amounts of time and resources spent improving CRISPR gene editing technology focus on identifying small off-target sites that pose a safety risk, which is also technically challenging.

2 Jan 2026

Study uncovers a possible biomarker linked to MS disease progression

A new University of Toronto-led study has discovered a possible biomarker linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression that could help identify patients most likely to benefit from new drugs.

2 Jan 2026

Elevated bacteria levels in tumors weaken immune response, studies show

Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered that bacteria inside cancerous tumors may be key to understanding why immunotherapy works for some patients but not others.

2 Jan 2026

First human 'lung-on-chip' model developed using stem cells from a single donor

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and AlveoliX have developed the first human 'lung-on-chip' model using stem cells taken from only one person.

2 Jan 2026

Study uncovers how aggressive breast cancer cells escape immune defenses

With a new study in the journal Science Bulletin, researchers at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University have discovered a new way that aggressive breast cancer cells escape the immune defenses.

1 Jan 2026

Soft wireless bioelectronic implant targets the splenic nerve to reduce inflammation

For millions suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), managing flare-ups often involves powerful drugs with significant side effects.

1 Jan 2026

Label-free polarized light reveals subtle red blood cell deformations

Red blood cells are essential for oxygen transport and immune function in the human body. When these cells become abnormally shaped, they can indicate serious health conditions, including diabetes, malaria, hereditary blood disorders, and vascular diseases.

1 Jan 2026

Small shifts in blood sodium may influence human brain excitability

This exploratory study in healthy young adults found that plasma sodium levels within the normal clinical range are significantly associated with resting motor threshold, an indirect measure of corticospinal excitability. Lower sodium concentrations were linked to lower thresholds, suggesting subtle physiological variation in electrolytes may relate to interindividual differences in brain excitability.

1 Jan 2026

Artificial intelligence unlocks new frontiers in RNA drug design

In the realm of modern medicine, RNA-based therapies have emerged as a promising avenue, with significant advancements in metabolic diseases, oncology, and preventive vaccines. A recent article published in Engineering titled "The Future of AI-Driven RNA Drug Development" by Yilin Yan, Tianyu Wu, Honglin Li, Yang Tang, and Feng Qian, explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can revolutionize RNA drug development, addressing current limitations and offering new opportunities for innovation.

31 Dec 2025