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Medicine

Though the study describes only a correlational relationship, the findings reinforce the idea that sleep is important for human health. 

Not Getting Enough Sleep? You Might Be Shortening Your Life Span

In the United States, insufficient sleep strongly correlates with life expectancy, even more than diet, exercise or social connections do, a new study suggests

Researchers investigated the associations between preservatives and the risk of developing cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Eating Large Amounts of Certain Preservatives Might Increase Your Risk of Developing Cancer and Type 2 Diabetes

Two studies tracked more than 100,000 participants over 14 years to reveal the trends. But they can’t confirm a direct link between eating these preservatives and developing disease, especially because some of the additives were eaten in foods that contain known carcinogens

Research suggests that elephants use certain plants for medicinal purposes.

When Some Elephants Raid Farms, They Might Not Be After a Snack. They Could Be Looking for Medicinal Plants

A recent study suggests that the large mammals may seek out parts of bananas and papayas when they’re suffering from gut parasites, sparking a cross-species exchange of pharmaceutical knowledge

ChatGPT Health is a new function designed to provide users with personalized medical insights based on medical records and health data uploaded by users. 

OpenAI Says ChatGPT Health Can Understand Users’ Medical Data and Provide Personalized Answers to Their Questions

The new feature can give tailored responses based on medical records and wellness app data, according to ChatGPT’s maker. But some experts are concerned about privacy and worry that people may over-trust the chatbot

Humans have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since November 2000.

NASA to Bring ISS Crew Home Early Because of an Astronaut’s Health Issue, Marking the First Medical Evacuation of the Spacecraft

The unnamed crew member is in stable condition after an undisclosed incident on Wednesday, but the agency is bringing them back to Earth for medical testing

The Teal Wand is the only self-collection device for HPV testing approved by the Food and Drug Administration for at-home use.

Many Americans Will Soon Have Access to At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Tests at No Cost

U.S. guidance announced on Monday recommends self-collection of samples to test for HPV, the virus that often causes cervical cancer. Private insurers must cover the costs of the swab kits by 2027

Many public health experts, immunologists and pediatricians criticized the revised childhood vaccine schedule, arguing that the changes will likely lead to more disease outbreaks.

U.S. Overhauls Immunization Schedule for Kids, Removing Recommendations for Vaccines Against the Flu, RSV and More

Announced on Monday, the revised schedule drops the number of recommended immunizations from 17 to 11. The CDC suggests that only “high-risk” kids should get many of the vaccines that are no longer endorsed

The U.S. military will no longer shoot live goats and pigs to help combat medics learn to treat battlefield injuries.

U.S. Military Ends Practice of Shooting Live Animals to Train Medics to Treat Battlefield Wounds

The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act bans the use of live animals in live-fire training exercises and prohibits “painful” research on domestic cats and dogs

Stimulants prescribed for ADHD target the parts of the brain related to wakefulness and reward, shown in yellow and orange, according to a new study.

How Do These ADHD Medications Work in the Brain? The Mechanisms Are Different Than Once Thought, a Study Suggests

Adderall, Ritalin and other stimulants prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder seem to work on brain areas involved with wakefulness and reward, rather than attention

Estrogen may cause certain colon cells, shown in green in this microscope image, to release a hormone called peptide YY. This, in turn, causes a different type of colon cell, colored magenta, to pump out the chemical messenger serotonin, which activates pain-sensing nerve fibers.

Women Are More Likely to Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This Newfound Gut Pain Pathway Might Explain Why

The hormone estrogen—which female animals typically have more of than males—triggers a molecular cascade in the gut that leads to pain signals, a study in mice suggests

New research suggests that swearing boosts physical performance by reducing inhibitions.

Need a Quick Boost in Physical Strength? Try Blurting Out Some Curse Words, a Study Suggests

When repeating four-letter words, participants held a challenging physical task for longer than when they said neutral words. Cursing seemed to help them feel more focused, more confident and less distracted

Nanoflowers, which look white, can help healthy cells, colored yellow, deliver mitochondria, colored red, to nearby cells. 

A New Way to Boost the Powerhouses of the Cell Might Combat Aging and Degenerative Diseases, Lab Study Suggests

Creating mini mitochondria factories helped recharge damaged cells in a dish, providing proof-of-concept work that could pave the way to new regenerative medicine therapies

Illustration of a T lymphocyte white blood cell, depicted in blue, attacking a cancer cell, shown in red

Scientists Engineered Cancer-Fighting Cells Inside Patients’ Bodies—and Two Early Trials Show Promise

Two recent studies show the novel therapy works in people with multiple myeloma, but researchers are trying to minimize side effects

A rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) in Hluhluwe, South Africa, performs a threat display. These snakes tend to live on the edges of human communities.

The High-Stakes Quest to Make Snakebites Survivable Took Leaps Forward This Year, With Promising New Avenues to Safer Antivenoms

A wave of fresh science is challenging a century-old treatment and offering hope to the people snakebites harm most—often far from hospitals and help

Excess weight can harm a cat's quality of life and exacerbate health conditions.

Can GLP-1s Help Fat Cats Lose Weight? The First Clinical Trial Testing the Drugs for Weight Loss in Felines Has Begun

San Francisco-based pharmaceutical company OKAVA is investigating an implant that slowly releases a GLP-1 medication for up to six months

The Black Death may have killed more than half of Europe's population within just a few years.

A Volcanic Eruption in 1345 May Have Triggered a Chain of Events That Brought the Black Death to Europe

Ash from the explosion may have led to crop failure and famine in southern Europe, leading some Italian cities to import grain—which possibly carried fleas infected with the bubonic plague

A microscope image of HIV particles, in red, replicating from an infected cell, in blue.

A New Trial Put Immune System-Boosting Therapies to the Test to Fight HIV, Raising Hopes for Keeping the Virus at Bay

In the small study, seven out of ten participants maintained low levels of HIV for several months after receiving the experimental treatment and stopping their usual daily medications

The World Health Organization conditionally recommends the use of GLP-1 drugs, including tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound, for obesity treatment. 

Here’s What the World Health Organization Had to Say About GLP-1s in its First-Ever Guideline on the Drugs

The health agency supports the long-term use of the medications in combination with a healthy diet and exercise, and calls for equitable access to the drugs

A digital illustration of an HIV-infected T cell. Once infected, the immune cell is hijacked by the virus to produce and release many new viral particles before dying. As more T cells are destroyed, the immune system is progressively weakened.

New Trials Hint That ‘Functional Cure’ for HIV May Be Within Reach, Helping Some Patients Achieve Lasting Remission

People infected with HIV must take antiretroviral drugs for life. But engineered antibodies appeared to suppress the virus for certain participants in recent trials in Africa and Europe

Students learn anatomy from an Asclepius AI Table, which merges interactive elements and artificial intelligence.

Medical Students Are Learning Anatomy From Digital Cadavers. Can Technology Ever Replace Real Human Bodies?

From interactive diagrams to A.I. assistants, virtual tools are beginning to supplant physical dissections in some classrooms

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