New research warns that popular deep learning systems trained for cancer pathology may be relying on hidden shortcuts rather than genuine biological signals. Artificial intelligence tools are increasingly being developed to predict cancer biology directly from microscope images, promising faster diagnoses, and cheaper testing. But new research from the University of Warwick, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, suggests that many of these systems may be using visual shortcuts rather than true biology — raising concerns that some AI pathology tools are currently too unreliable for real-world patient ...

Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have developed the first bandage-like microneedle patch that can sample the body’s immune responses painlessly from the skin. The device detects inflammatory signals within minutes and collects specialized immune cells within hours without the need for blood draws or surgical biopsies. Already, the patch is helping researchers and clinicians study immune responses in aging and skin autoimmunity, including vitiligo and psoriasis. In the future, it could make it easier to track how people respond to vaccines, infections, and cancer therapies by complementing ...

A tooth cavity and bleeding gums is a common scenario among Danish children – and one that researchers now connect to health problems long after the last baby tooth has left the mouth. Children who have multiple tooth cavities or suffer from severe gingivitis show a markedly higher incidence of stroke, heart attack and coronary artery disease as adults. That’s the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. The researchers analysed data from 568,000 children born in the 1960s and 70s from the Danish Health ...

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4:00 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2026 Highlights: For people with chronic migraine, starting GLP-1 drugs for conditions like diabetes may be associated with fewer emergency department visits. A preliminary study has found that people who started GLP-1 drugs were approximately 10% less likely than those who started topiramate to visit the emergency department over the following year. They were also about 14% less likely to be hospitalized for any reason during the year. This observational study does not prove that the drugs lower the need for emergency care for people with migraine. It only ...

Approximately 60,000 Danes live with chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Some experience limited discomfort, while others go through a debilitating disease course involving surgery and a stoma. Add to this the fear of leaving home due to urgent toilet needs. One of the major challenges with the disease is that doctors cannot predict what kind of progression the individual is facing. Therefore, many of those affected are either over- or under-treated, and the opportunity to intervene in time, before the intestine is completely destroyed, is missed. Now, a new Danish study from the DNRF Center of Excellence PREDICT at Aalborg ...

Manchester City footballer Erling Haaland recently sparked a heated debate when he revealed that he drinks raw milk as part of a whole-food diet intended to maintain peak physical condition. The revelation drew criticism from health experts who warned that anyone emulating the professional footballer could be leaving themselves vulnerable to harmful bacteria that are normally destroyed by pasteurisation. US Secretary of Health and Social Services Robert F Kennedy Jr. is another high-profile advocate of raw milk who believes ...

Peer reviewed – experimental study - humans Research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) may finally explain why we still reach for the biscuit tin, even when we’re full. A new study reveals that the human brain continues to respond to tempting food cues even after we’ve eaten enough. In a world of endless adverts and snack cues on every corner, the team say their findings shed light on why so many of us struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Lead researcher Dr Thomas Sambrook, from UEA’s School of Psychology, said: “Obesity has become a major worldwide health crisis. But rising obesity isn’t simply about willpower ...

Boston - Patients with a common form of kidney cancer called clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) who have a high risk of recurrence after surgery showed significantly improved disease-free survival when treated with an oral combination regimen that includes belzutifan, a HIF-2α inhibitor, given with standard immune therapy pembrolizumab. These findings, from the phase 3 LITESPARK-022 study, are presented today by Dr. Toni Choueiri of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU) in San Francisco, California, from Feb. 26-28. Previous Dana-Farber research led by Dr. Choueiri ...

In recent decades, the excessive consumption of fossil fuels has significantly exacerbated environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect. Consequently, the development of efficient carbon dioxide capture and utilization technologies is particularly urgent. The electrochemical CO2reduction reaction (eCO2RR) has emerged as a highly promising strategy for converting CO2 into high-value chemicals. Alkali metal ions in the electrolyte play a pivotal role in this process, including enhancing catalytic activity and regulating product selectivity. However, the ...

Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have devised a rotating tabletop device to study wireless charging in electric vehicles. Testing on real tracks takes up vast areas at significant cost. The team not only built a prototype but used simulations to demonstrate safety and similar charging to a linear track. They successfully reproduced movement at 40 kilometers per hour, promising accelerated global research into next-gen charging for EVs.   Electric vehicles (EVs) are a cornerstone of global sustainability initiatives. Combined with renewable ...

Today, more than half of older Americans receive their Medicare coverage through private Medicare Advantage plans. In 2020, that program made a sweeping policy shift, allowing those plans to offer supplemental benefits beyond traditional medical care, including groceries, meal deliveries, utilities, transportation, pest control, and air filters.  Now, with an approximately $3 million R01 grant from the National Institute on Aging, George Mason University health economist Jeah Jung will lead a national study to evaluate whether those ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. and IRVINE, Calif. — Amplified Sciences, a diagnostics life sciences company revolutionizing early disease detection, today announced that its clinical laboratory has been awarded accreditation by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).   CEO and co-founder Diana Caldwell said the gold standard recognition follows the company laboratory’s 2025 federal CLIA certification.   “It marks a critical milestone in the commercial scaling of PanCystPro™, ...

SEATTLE — Feb. 26, 2026 — Fred Hutch Cancer Center announced 12 recipients of the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, which honors the exceptional achievements of graduate students in the biological sciences. Representing research institutions across the United States, this year’s award recipients explored a range of scientific topics including tumor metabolism, sensory reception and DNA replication. “These awardees stood out for their scientific originality, rigor and dedication to asking important scientific questions. They reflect the strength and promise of the next generation of scientific leaders,” said Jihong Bai, PhD, a professor in Fred ...

Restoring ecosystems after mining is one of the toughest environmental challenges, particularly when soils are rebuilt from crushed rock with little organic matter or microbial life. A new study shows that something as simple as adding native forest litter could jump-start soil recovery and help restore the biological engine that drives nutrient cycling. Researchers investigating rehabilitated land near a former uranium mine in northern Australia found that introducing leaf litter from nearby native Eucalyptus woodlands rapidly reshaped soil microbial communities and improved their functional potential. The findings ...

A new field study from northwestern China reveals that climate-driven changes in temperature and moisture could significantly reshape nitrous oxide emissions from soils in arid mountain ecosystems, with important implications for future climate feedbacks. Nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas that traps nearly 300 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a century. Although drylands cover roughly 40 percent of the Earth’s land surface, their contribution to global nitrous oxide emissions has been poorly understood. The new research helps fill this gap by examining how soil emissions vary across elevation and land-use types in the Xinjiang region of China. Researchers ...

A growing body of research suggests that combining biochar with other soil amendments such as compost, manure, or fertilizers may improve soil health more effectively than using biochar alone. A new review synthesizing field studies from around the world shows that this co-application approach can enhance soil structure, nutrient availability, and microbial activity, offering a promising strategy for sustainable land management. Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced by heating biomass in low-oxygen conditions. It has gained attention ...

New research by engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder aims to get to the bottom of why, as the saying goes, you get a “skip in your step” when you’re happy.  The study highlights the central role that dopamine, a brain chemical associated with reward, seems to play in making people move faster when they want something. The findings could one day help scientists understand and even diagnose a range of human medical conditions, including Parkinson’s disease and depression.  “Anecdotally, we just feel that this is true,” said senior author Alaa Ahmed, professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder. ...

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 27, 2026 — Scientists at the University of California, Irvine’s School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences have discovered how muscle stem cells “flip a switch” to rebuild damaged muscle – a finding that could help address muscle loss linked to aging, injury and widely used weight-loss medications. The study, published this week in Nature Metabolism, shows that muscle recovery is not just about protein or exercise. It depends on timing and how muscle cells use fuel. Researchers learned that immediately after ...

HOUSTON – (Feb. 27, 2026) – Gene therapy has been successfully used to treat a number of diseases, including immune deficiencies, hereditary blindness, hemophilia and, recently, Huntington’s disease, a fatal neurological disorder. An advance reported in the journal Neuron adds to the technique’s growing track record of evidence supporting the view that it could unlock powerful, personalized therapies: Rice University bioengineer Jerzy Szablowski and collaborators in Vincent Costa’s lab at Emory University found that released markers of activity (RMAs) ⎯ engineered proteins designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and persist in the blood for ...

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is unusually quiet for a megathrust fault. Spanning more than 600 miles from Canada to California, the fault marks the convergence of the Juan de Fuca and North American plates. While other subduction zones produce sporadic rumblings as the plates scrape past each other, Cascadia shows very little seismic activity, fueling assumptions that the plates are locked together by friction.  The subduction zone — miles offshore and deep underwater — is difficult to observe. Most data collection ...

Wildfires in the northern boreal forests of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Russia may be more damaging to the climate than previously thought, a new UC Berkeley-led study suggests. That’s because these fires don’t just burn through trees; they can also penetrate deep into the carbon-rich layers of soil underneath many boreal forests, releasing carbon that has been accumulating for hundreds or even thousands of years. These carbon-rich soils, also known as peat, are primarily found in the far north, where the cold, wet climate prevents vegetation from fully decomposing ...

Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers reported positive results from the trial, known as RETAIN-2, demonstrating that a response-adapted bladder-preservation approach involving neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy can be considered in select patients. The ctDNA blood test predicts metastatic risk, but not local recurrence, after bladder-sparing cancer treatment. Researchers said ctDNA could be used to help select patients likely to benefit from a bladder-sparing treatment approach. A combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy allowed some patients to preserve ...

The National Academy of Inventors has selected Kennesaw State University Associate Professor of Information Technology Vijay Anand as a 2026 NAI Senior Member, in recognition of his innovative work in the cybersecurity field. NAI Senior Members are distinguished faculty, scientists, and administrators who have demonstrated success in patents, licensing, and commercialization. They develop technologies that have made, or have the potential to make, meaningful impacts on society. “Kennesaw State is proud of Dr. Anand’s selection to the NAI class of 2026 Senior Members,” Executive Vice President for Research Karin Scarpinato said. “This recognition ...

New research from the University of St Andrews published today (27 February) in Current Biology, has shown that the role of age in male humpback whale reproduction has changed as populations recover from centuries of exploitation.    Whaling drove many large whale populations to the brink of extinction. But its legacy runs deeper than a drastic decline in numbers. Decades after commercial whaling ended, its impacts continue to shape whale populations, influencing not just how many whales there are, but which males get to reproduce.    The study assessed nearly two decades of data ...

When the immune system detects a harmful or foreign agent it triggers an inflammatory response small proteins called chemokines direct immune cells to the site of the injury or infection, resulting in the invader being inactivated. More commonly known as a parasite, ticks are able to attach and draw blood off us, or our pets, without triggering an immune reaction, because they produce proteins called evasins, which attach to these chemokines preventing them from warning the immune system that it is under attack. These chemokines can also “turn bad” overstimulating the immune system ...