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Top stories featured on ScienceDaily's Health & Medicine, Mind & Brain, and Living Well sections.

Researchers have enabled a man who is paralyzed to control a robotic arm through a device that relays signals from his brain to a computer. He was able to grasp, move and drop objects just by imagining himself performing the actions.
Posted: March 6, 2025, 8:31 pm
Just a few days of eating a diet high in saturated fat could be enough to cause memory problems and related brain inflammation in older adults, a new study in rats suggests.
Posted: March 6, 2025, 8:30 pm
Researchers have discovered genes linked to obesity in both Labradors and humans. They say the effects can be over-ridden with a strict diet and exercise regime.
Posted: March 6, 2025, 8:29 pm
A study has demonstrated how neurons in the human brain generate memories and establish narratives. Contrary to previous beliefs, individual neurons represent the concepts we learn, regardless of the context in which we encounter them. This allows humans, unlike other animals, to establish higher and more abstract relationships, which lays the foundation of human intelligence.
Posted: March 6, 2025, 5:32 pm
New research is studying female professional footballers to find out if if it is possible to predict just how much lactate a person will produce during exercise based on the physical attributes of finger length and height.
Posted: March 6, 2025, 5:12 pm
Researchers have created washable and durable magnetic field sensing electronic textiles -- thought to be the first of their kind -- which they say paves the way to transform use in clothing. This technology will allow users to interact with everyday textiles or specialized clothing by simply pointing their finger above a sensor.
Posted: March 6, 2025, 5:10 pm
People who take over-the-counter pain relievers after a concussion may recover faster than those who do not take pain relievers, according to a preliminary study.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 10:22 pm
Antimalarial drug resistance is a pressing issue in combating the spread of malaria worldwide. In a new study, researchers discovered a key process where malarial parasites take up a human blood cell enzyme, which could provide a new approach for antimalarial treatment.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 9:46 pm
Oxytocin, a hormone already known for its role in childbirth, milk release, and mother-infant bonding, may have a newfound purpose in mammalian reproduction. In times of maternal stress, the hormone can delay an embryo's development for days to weeks after conception, a new study in rodents shows. According to the authors, the findings about so-called 'diapause' may offer new insights into pregnancy and fertility issues faced by humans.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 9:44 pm
Injuries to the articular cartilage in different joints, including the knee, are painful and limit mobility. Therefore, researchers are developing cartilage implants using cells from the patient's nasal septum. A recent study shows that giving these cartilage implants more time to mature significantly improved clinical efficacy, even in patients with complex cartilage injuries. This suggests that the method could also be suitable for the treatment of degenerated cartilage in osteoarthritis.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 9:44 pm
A team has found two antibodies that can work together to neutralize the virus that causes COVID-19 in all its current known variations in a laboratory environment. More research is needed, but the approach shows promise in developing treatments to keep pace with evolving viruses.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 9:43 pm
Engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 9:43 pm
The body's internal clock doesn't just dictate when we sleep -- it also determines how quickly our muscles heal. A new study in mice suggests that muscle injuries heal faster when they occur during the body's natural waking hours.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 9:43 pm
Some people living with chronic stress have a higher risk of stroke, according to a new study. The study looked at younger adults and found an association between stress and stroke, with no known cause, in female participants, but not male participants. This study does not prove that stress causes stroke; it only shows an association.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 9:43 pm
Experts see peer recognition as important to student success in physics, and a new study gives college-level physics instructors insight into how students perceive the message from their classmates that 'you're good at physics.' Even when women receive similar amounts of recognition from peers as men for excelling in physics classes, they perceive significantly less peer recognition, the researchers found.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 6:52 pm
For the first time, researchers have been able to observe how the pupils react during sleep over a period of several hours. A look under the eyelids showed them that more happens in the brain during sleep than was previously assumed.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 6:51 pm
Group arts interventions, such as painting, dance, or music, significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in older adults, offering a powerful alternative to traditional treatments. The benefits are universal, with consistent results across different art forms, intervention types, and countries. Group arts interventions were particularly beneficial for care home residents relative to older adults who lived in the community. The findings support the inclusion of group arts interventions in social prescribing initiatives and healthcare guidelines, providing an accessible, cost-effective, and enjoyable way to improve mental well-being in later life.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 6:51 pm
Scientists have uncovered the mechanism behind how aspirin could reduce the metastasis of some cancers by stimulating the immune system. The scientists say that discovering the mechanism will support ongoing clinical trials, and could lead to the targeted use of aspirin to prevent the spread of susceptible types of cancer, and to the development of more effective drugs to prevent cancer metastasis.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 6:48 pm
Researchers have developed a compound that relieves pain in mice but doesn't affect the brain, thereby avoiding mind-altering side effects and abuse potential. The custom-designed molecule, derived from cannabis, may provide an alternative to opioids for treating chronic pain.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 6:48 pm
The neurotransmitter glutamate is essential for regulating everything from mood to memory, but it can also encourage a toxic buildup of protein, which can contribute to Alzheimer's and related diseases. Scientists now describe a new approach for counteracting these devastating and often fatal neurodegenerative effects. Researchers made their discovery by studying lab mice as well as human brain 'organoids,' which are rudimentary brain-like structures grown in the lab.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 6:46 pm
A groundbreaking study shows that creativity plays an essential role in academic success, suggesting that students who think outside the box are more likely to excel in literacy and numeracy assessments.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 4:51 am
Psychosocial stress during pregnancy could lead to higher blood pressure during the first year postpartum according to new research.
Posted: March 5, 2025, 1:38 am
Scientists examined the bitterness intensity of five medicines and two bitter modifiers in 338 adults of European descent and recent US and Canadian immigrants from Asia, South Asia, and Africa. Bitterness ratings differed by ancestry for two of the five drugs and the effectiveness of some modifiers. They also found genetic variants that explain some population differences in reaction to bitter tastes.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 9:44 pm
Researchers used a double-pronged approach to reduce tumor growth in tissue samples of prostate cancer.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 7:35 pm
A vivid new image is taking shape in the world of cell biology: Imagine bacteria adhering to the surface of a cell, perhaps at the site of an injury or wound. In response, a white blood cell arrives at the scene. This cell encircles the pathogen with its membrane, forming a tight, constricting ring. With remarkable force, the white blood cell yanks the pathogen off the wound's surface. The white blood cell then engulfs the pathogen in a process called phagocytosis, in which it 'eats' the foreign invader to neutralize it.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 7:33 pm
A team unveils a versatile large language model to enhance perioperative care.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 7:33 pm
New research has uncovered that anxiety and apathy -- two common but distinct emotional states -- lead to fundamentally different patterns in how people learn and make decisions.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 7:33 pm
A new discovery suggests a potential new approach to improving fitness in older adults.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 4:43 pm
A research team has uncovered the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of pain and itch in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). This study provides new insights into how the brain distinguishes between these two distinct sensory experiences.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 4:40 pm
Everyday smartwatches are extremely accurate in detecting viral infection long before symptoms appear -- now, research shows how they could help stop a pandemic before it even begins.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 4:40 pm
A new study has unveiled a precise picture of how an ion channel found in most mammalian cells regulates its own function with a 'ball-and-chain' channel-plugging mechanism. The findings boost the understanding of ion channel biology and could lead to new drugs that target these channels to treat disorders such as epilepsy and hypertension.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 4:40 pm
Results from a phase 1/2 clinical trial of a novel stem cell treatment for cornea injuries found 14 patients treated and tracked for 18 months had a more than 90% success rate at restoring the cornea's surface and improvements in vision. The procedure, called CALEC (cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cells) involves taking stem cells from a healthy eye, expanding it into a graft over several weeks, then transplanting it into a patient's damaged eye. The groundbreaking procedure was developed to help people with injuries like chemical burns that lead to irreversible limbal stem cell deficiency, and the researchers hope the new findings warrant additional trials.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 4:40 pm
Nearly 40% of adult Americans say they've experienced some type of sport-related mistreatment in their lives, a new study shows. Mistreatment ranged from psychological and emotional to physical and sexual. But most people who reported mistreatment experienced more than one kind, the research found.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 4:38 pm
Children who frequently miss school because of abdominal complaints are far more likely to be suffering from chronic disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome than diseases that can be detected with medical tests, new research has found.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 4:38 pm
Researchers have discovered a novel approach to protecting insulin-producing beta cells from the damaging effects of glucolipotoxicity - a harmful condition linked to the progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D). These findings could lead to promising treatments targeting beta cell dysfunction.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 4:38 pm
Most obese patients grow resistant to satiety signals from the hormone leptin. A new study shows that leptin sensitivity can be restored in mice, leading to weight loss.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 4:36 pm
Scientists have uncovered new genetic clues that explain why some prostate cancers remain slow-growing while others become life-threatening.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 3:01 am
Having one traumatic experience is bad enough. If you've constantly experienced stress since before birth, you may be in for an especially tough time. Our emotions may be influenced by infections experienced in the mother's womb. This can result from two-hit stress, where an infection during pregnancy is followed by social stress during postpartum development. A team of researchers recently set out to understand the mechanisms behind which two-hit stress contributes to brain dysfunction and mental disorders.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 3:01 am
Hundreds of thousands die each year with millions more suffering due to lack of access to medical oxygen.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 3:00 am
Researchers have developed an innovative tool that enhances surgeons' ability to detect and remove cancer cells during cryosurgery, a procedure that uses extreme cold to destroy tumors. This breakthrough technology involves a specialized nanoscale material that illuminates cancer cells under freezing conditions, making them easier to distinguish from healthy tissue and improving surgical precision.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 12:15 am
DNA repair proteins act like the body's editors, constantly finding and reversing damage to our genetic code. Researchers have long struggled to understand how cancer cells hijack one of these proteins -- called polymerase theta (Pol-theta) -- for their own survival. But scientists have now captured the first detailed images of Pol-theta in action, revealing the molecular processes responsible for a range of cancers.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 12:15 am
A new study sheds light on ventilator-induced lung injury, a complication that gained increased attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a surge in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The study suggests that repeated collapse and reopening of tiny alveoli -- air sacs in the lungs essential for breathing -- during mechanical ventilation may cause microscopic tissue damage, playing a key role in ventilator-related injuries that contribute to thousands of deaths annually.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 12:13 am
A research team has uncovered how a naturally occurring biological mechanism found in mammals is able to prevent sperm cells from interacting with an egg, preventing fertilization. The discovery, identified in rodent models, offers a new path for scientific research to help people grappling with infertility issues, while also opening a new line of study for developing contraceptive therapies.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 12:12 am
Obesity rates are set to skyrocket, with one in six children and adolescents worldwide forecast to be obese by 2050, according to a new study. But with significant increases predicted within the next five years, the researchers stress urgent action now could turn the tide on the public health crisis.
Posted: March 4, 2025, 12:12 am
Glaucoma is called the 'silent thief of sight' as many don't notice until significant, irreversible vision loss has already occurred. A revolutionary early screening tool using AI may stop this thief dead in its tracks.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:19 pm
Psoriasis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases, affecting around 250,000 people in Austria. While previous treatment approaches have mainly focused on inhibiting pro-inflammatory immune cells, a study shows that it is possible to restore the function of certain anti-inflammatory immune cells in a targeted manner. The results pave the way for the development of a therapy that not only works more precisely but is also associated with fewer side effects.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:18 pm
Research has shown that tattoo ink does not just remain where it is injected. Particles from the ink can migrate to the lymph nodes, where they accumulate.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:18 pm
A 'chasm of misunderstanding and miscommunication' is often experienced between clinicians and patients, leading to autoimmune diseases such as lupus and vasculitis being wrongly diagnosed as psychiatric or psychosomatic conditions, with a profound and lasting impact on patients, researchers have found. A study involving over 3,000 participants -- both patients and clinicians -- found that these misdiagnoses (sometimes termed 'in your head' by patients) were often associated with long term impacts on patients' physical health and wellbeing and damaged trust in healthcare services.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:18 pm
Gut microbes that were thought to feed exclusively on dietary fiber also get fed sugar from our guts, from which they produce short-chain fatty acids that are crucial to many body functions. The discovery of this symbiotic relationship also points the way to developing novel therapeutics.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:17 pm
First study to reveal the brain encodes pitch accents separately from the sounds that make up words. Heschl's gyrus region of the brain, an earlier stage of auditory processing, plays a much larger role than previously thought. Findings could transform speech therapy, AI-driven voice recognition and our understanding of what makes human communication unique.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:17 pm
Overnight bursts of brain waves seen in normal sleep can help doctors predict which unresponsive patients hospitalized with acute severe brain injuries will awaken and eventually recover.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:17 pm
A team of scientists has developed a method to illuminate the dynamic behavior of nanoparticles, which are foundational components in the creation of pharmaceuticals, electronics, and industrial and energy-conversion materials.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:17 pm
A decade of studies from labs around the world provide a growing evidence base that increasing the power of the brain's gamma rhythms could help fight Alzheimer's, and perhaps other, neurological diseases.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:16 pm
In our polarized society, a new study offers hope for the future: Even young children can learn to discuss and argue about meaningful problems in a respectful and productive way. Researchers found success in a social studies curriculum for fourth graders based on teaching what they called 'civic competencies.'
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:16 pm
New research reveals that a mother's diet during pregnancy -- characterized by a Western dietary pattern high in fat and sugar and low in fresh ingredients -- may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism in children. Researchers see potential for targeted dietary interventions during pregnancy to reduce this risk.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:16 pm
Distressing news and traumatic stories can cause stress and anxiety -- not only in humans, but these stories can also affect AI language models, such as ChatGPT. Researchers have now shown that these models, like humans, respond to therapy: an elevated 'anxiety level' in GPT-4 can be 'calmed down' using mindfulness-based relaxation techniques.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:16 pm
Researchers have shown how a low carbohydrate diet can worsen the DNA-damaging effects of some gut microbes to cause colorectal cancer. The study compared the effects of three different diets in combination with specific gut bacteria on colorectal cancer development in mice.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:13 pm
As highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza continues to spread in the U.S., posing serious threats to dairy and poultry farms, both farmers and public health experts need better ways to monitor for infections, in real time, to mitigate and respond to outbreaks. Newly devised virus trackers can monitor for airborne particles of H5N1.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:13 pm
Dental implants used to replace single teeth continue to function well after several decades, according to a new study. After nearly forty years, all examined implants were still in place and fully functional.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:13 pm
A synthetic microbiome therapy, tested in mice, holds promise as a new treatment for C. difficile, a notoriously difficult-to-treat bacterial infection, according to a team of researchers. The targeted treatment was as effective as human fecal transplants in mice against C. difficile infection with fewer safety concerns, protect against severe symptoms and decrease recurrent infections.
Posted: March 3, 2025, 7:12 pm