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Study warns of rising teen dependency on AI companions

It's estimated that more than half of all of U.S. teens are regularly using companion chatbots powered by large language models and generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

13 Apr 2026

New method boosts AI-driven protein engineering with massive data

Protein engineering is a field primed for artificial intelligence research. Each protein is made up of amino acids; to optimize a protein function, researchers modify proteins by switching out one of 20 different amino acids for another.

13 Apr 2026

Generative AI falls short in diagnostic reasoning despite accuracy

Despite increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, a new study led by Mass General Brigham researchers from the MESH Incubator shows that generative AI models continue to fall short at their clinical reasoning capabilities.

13 Apr 2026

Categorization is fundamental and predictive across all brain processing

Challenging the classic view, two cognitive scientists argue in a new review that categorization is not a late, specialized stage of sensory processing.

13 Apr 2026

Alzheimer's risk gene APOE4 impacts bone health in females

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, along with collaborators at UC San Francisco, have discovered that APOE4, the most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, causes bone quality deficits specifically in female mice, through a mechanism that is invisible to standard imaging and can emerge as early as midlife.

13 Apr 2026

Prenatal opioid exposure shows minimal effect on later academic performance

Every 25 minutes in the United States, a baby is diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition that occurs in newborns who have been exposed to opioids in the womb and develop withdrawal after birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

13 Apr 2026

Supportive neighborhoods linked to slower cognitive decline in older immigrants

Older Chinese immigrants living in neighborhoods with greater access to community amenities, services and supportive infrastructure experienced slower cognitive decline over time, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

13 Apr 2026

Postpartum Medicaid expansion improved coverage but showed limited care changes

The federal policy requiring states to keep Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic extended postpartum Medicaid coverage nationwide and sharply increased the number of individuals remaining insured after childbirth, according to a Rutgers Health researcher.

13 Apr 2026

Prostate cancer patients recover faster with TULSA than robotic surgery

A new randomized clinical trial found that men with localized, intermediate‑risk prostate cancer recovered faster and experienced less short‑term impact on their daily lives when treated with MRI‑guided, transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) compared with robotic prostate surgery.

13 Apr 2026

Vaping may raise cognitive impairment risk in young adults, study finds

A cross-sectional study of 232 young adults in Bangkok found that e-cigarette users were more likely than non-smokers to screen as at risk for cognitive impairment on the MoCA, while no significant differences were seen for ADHD symptom tendency or emotional intelligence. The authors say the findings raise neurocognitive concerns but do not prove causation, and they call for longitudinal research to clarify whether vaping contributes to later cognitive decline.

13 Apr 2026

Beetroot supplement raises nitric oxide markers in triathletes after one week

A randomized cross-over pilot study in 10 amateur male triathletes found that a beetroot-based multi-ingredient nitrate supplement increased nitric oxide-related and redox biomarkers over 7 days without evidence of lipid oxidative damage. The supplement was generally well tolerated, but the study did not measure whether these biochemical changes improved performance or recovery.

13 Apr 2026

Study shows why an apple a day may work differently for different people

A 12-week single-blind trial in 38 Japanese adults found that daily Fuji apple intake did not significantly change overall host metabolic markers, but responses differed by baseline gut enterotype. Participants in the Bacteroidaceae-dominant enterotype showed significant increases in fecal short-chain fatty acids after apple consumption, suggesting that gut microbiota structure may shape functional dietary responses.

13 Apr 2026

Parents’ intake of sugar substitutes may influence offspring gut biology, study finds

A mouse study in Frontiers in Nutrition found that parental sucralose and stevia intake altered gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids, and gene expression across generations, with sucralose showing the stronger and more persistent effects. The changes were transmitted to offspring not directly exposed to the sweeteners, although several effects were attenuated by the F2 generation.

13 Apr 2026

Scientists use whole exome sequencing to discover a new rare genetic disease

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and an international team of collaborators used a genetic sequencing technique called whole exome sequencing to discover a new rare genetic disease.

13 Apr 2026

Targeted therapy treats mixed histiocytosis following multiple skull relapses

Mixed histiocytosis (Langerhans cell histiocytosis [LCH] / Erdheim-Chester disease [ECD]) developing after treatment for initial skull LCH is not well recognized.

13 Apr 2026

Targeting super-enhancer mechanisms offers new strategies for cancer therapy

Super-enhancers (SEs) are large clusters of transcriptional regulatory elements that drive oncogene expression, maintain malignancy, and create "transcriptional addiction" in cancer.

13 Apr 2026

Eardrum perforations and cholesteatoma linked to higher odds of dementia

A new study published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official peer-reviewed publication of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), finds that two common and treatable causes of conductive hearing loss-eardrum perforations and cholesteatoma, a type of abnormal skin growth in the middle ear-are associated with higher odds of dementia.

13 Apr 2026

Competition between brain circuits is key to intelligent behavior

The brain does not only cooperate; it also competes. So determines an international study by the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Pompeu Fabra University and the Montreal Neurological Institute in Canada, published in Nature Neuroscience.

13 Apr 2026

Environmental enrichment found to weaken stress-triggered fentanyl relapse

Combating the opioid crisis relies on identifying new prevention strategies for problematic fentanyl use. In a collaboration between Washington State University and Washington University in St. Louis, researchers led by Jose Moron tested whether enriching a rat's environment can reduce fentanyl use and relapse.

13 Apr 2026

Hepatologists effectively deliver palliative care to patients with liver disease

Advanced liver disease (ALD) occurs when significant scarring causes the liver to lose function. Patients with ALD often have serious health challenges but have limited access to palliative care that could improve their quality of life.

13 Apr 2026