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Why living to 100 may depend on far more than diet and exercise

A critical narrative review found that healthy diets, regular physical activity, strong social ties, and psychological well-being can support healthier aging and reduce premature mortality, but none has been shown to reliably determine who reaches 100. The authors argue that exceptional longevity arises from complex interactions among biological resilience, genetics, social and environmental conditions, lifelong exposures, and chance rather than any universal lifestyle formula.

25 Aug 2026

Sugar tax could prevent millions of cases of tooth decay in Australia

Millions of cases of tooth decay could be prevented if Australia introduced a 20 per cent tax on sugar, new Griffith University research has found.

25 Aug 2026

Protecting the thymus may improve lung cancer treatment outcomes

Building on recent discoveries about the adult thymus, Mass General Brigham investigators used artificial intelligence to show that incidental radiation exposure to the thymus may influence outcomes in patients with lung cancer.

25 Aug 2026

New artificial lung mimics breathing and alveolar movement

Almost everyone has blown a soap bubble through a straw at least once. Inspired by this thin soap bubble film, an "artificial lung that breathes" like a real lung has been developed.

25 Aug 2026

FDA endorses alpha-synuclein biomarker for Parkinson’s clinical trials

Critical Path Institute® (C-Path) today announced the publication of "Regulatory endorsement for the application of alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (αSyn-SAA) as a susceptibility and risk biomarker for clinical trials targeting synucleinopathies" in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, marking a significant milestone for its Critical Path for Parkinson's consortium.

25 Aug 2026

Scientists found a distinct gut microbiome pattern in people with symptomatic diverticular disease

A multicenter Japanese study found that symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) was associated with reduced gut microbial diversity, increased abundance of the Ruminococcus gnavus group, and depletion of Coprococcus and other butyrate-producing bacteria. Predictive microbiome analysis also identified enrichment of pathways linked to exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and the cell cycle, although the observational design means these associations cannot establish causality.

25 Aug 2026

Study links thymus radiation to worse lung cancer outcomes

Until recently, the thymus was thought to be of little use beyond puberty, but new research has shown that radiation to the organ is associated with worse outcomes in patients being treated for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

25 Aug 2026

A year after women lost weight, researchers saw which health gains lasted and which faded

Diet-induced weight loss significantly reduced predicted 10-year risks of major adverse cardiovascular events and type 2 diabetes in healthy premenopausal women with overweight, regardless of whether aerobic or resistance exercise was added. Some of these gains diminished as weight was partially regained over the following year, although greater exercise adherence was associated with less rebound in predicted diabetes risk.

25 Aug 2026

Internalized racial oppression may undermine culturally affirming parenting

Black parents who experienced higher levels of appropriated racial oppression - defined as shaping one's behavior and self-concept around dominant cultural norms of whiteness - were less likely to transmit positive, culturally protective messages that affirmed racial pride and self-worth to their adolescent children, a recent study found.

25 Aug 2026

New UCSF center aims to improve eating disorder care

People with eating disorders wait an average of more than two-and-a-half years between the onset of symptoms and the start of treatment.

25 Aug 2026

Tissue-mimicking scaffold may enable more durable rotator cuff repairs

Researchers have developed a "scaffold" that mimics natural tissue and could lead to more durable rotator cuff repairs, including for large injuries and cases involving bone and tissue degeneration that are often the most difficult to fix.

25 Aug 2026

Study reveals how the brain balances competing goals

How do we decide what to do when faced with choices? And how does the brain adapt those decisions as the world around us changes? A new study published in Nature by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital offers surprising insights by revealing how the human brain continuously balances competing goals in real time.

25 Aug 2026

Researchers traced lifelong obesity resistance in mice back to an early microbial encounter

Natural wild-derived microbiota protected mice against diet-induced obesity across sexes, genetic backgrounds, and age by increasing energy expenditure and promoting a thermogenic program in brown adipose tissue. The effect depended on the immune system’s initial encounter with the microbiota and required CCR2-associated myeloid activity, revealing a long-lasting microbiota-immune-brown fat pathway.

25 Aug 2026

Ancient proteins revived to inspire new antimicrobial treatments

University of Oregon biologists have resurrected prehistoric proteins up to 160 million years old that carry natural antimicrobial properties.

25 Aug 2026

Global snakebite burden may be far higher than previously estimated

Venomous snake bites can cause illness, disability and death in tropical and subtropical regions. A study published on August 25th in PLOS Medicine by Dileepa Ediriweera and Anuradhani Kasturuiratne at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK, and the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, and colleagues suggests that the incidence of snake envenoming and snakebite mortality is much higher than previously estimated.

25 Aug 2026

Emergency diagnoses of medical conditions predict worse patient survival

Patients diagnosed with conditions after an emergency hospital admission or an emergency room visit face a higher risk of death than those diagnosed in non-emergency settings, according to a large population-based study by Emma Whitfield and colleagues from University College London, UK, published August 25th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.

25 Aug 2026

Diabetes study reveals differing health risks for men and women

In the years following type 2 diabetes diagnosis, women are more likely to develop mental health conditions, while men are more likely to develop cardiovascular and renal complications, according to a study published August 25th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Fabiola Eto from Queen Mary University of London, UK, and colleagues.

25 Aug 2026

Anti-immigrant policies linked to rising HIV cases among Hispanic populations

Following the Trump administration's 2018 announcement of changes to the public charge rule that would penalize immigrants for using public benefit programs, antisanctuary counties in the US saw a 16.8-percent increase in HIV cases among Hispanic populations, compared to baseline counties.

25 Aug 2026

Scientists discover how neutrophils travel to infection sites without damaging healthy tissue

UMass Chan Medical School scientist Beth McCormick, PhD, and her team collaborated with researchers at the University of Bath to discover how neutrophils, the body's most abundant type of white blood cells, travel to infection sites without damaging healthy tissue.

25 Aug 2026

NIH grants support research on whether PFAS exposure increases risk of liver and endometrial cancers

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center have received two grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling $7.5 million to study whether exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the synthetic compounds known as "forever chemicals," increases the risk of liver cancer and endometrial cancer.

25 Aug 2026