Chemists at UCL and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have demonstrated how RNA (ribonucleic acid) might have replicated itself on early Earth – a key process in the origin of life. Scientists believe that, in the earliest life forms, genetic material would have been carried and replicated by strands of RNA, before DNA and proteins later emerged and took over. Yet getting strands of RNA to replicate in the lab in a simple way – i.e., that plausibly could have occurred at the outset of life – has proved challenging. RNA strands zip up into a double helix that blocks their replication. Like velcro, these are ...

The combination of Rapamycin and Trametinib extends the lifespan of mice by around 30% and works better than either of the drugs alone. The therapy reduces chronic inflammation and delays cancer development New mechanisms: The combination influences gene expression differently than the individual drugs, without additional side effects. The researchers were able to show that Trametinib alone extends the lifespan of mice by 5-10%, while Rapamycin alone increases lifespan by 15-20%. Together, the drugs have a combinatorial effect that extends the life of the mice by around 30%. The ...

Close to five million smuggled seahorses worth an estimated CAD$29 million were seized by authorities over a 10-year span, according to a new study that warns the scale of the trade is far larger than current data suggest. Published today in Conservation Biology, the study analyzed online seizure records from 2010 to 2021 and found smuggling incidents in 62 countries, with dried seahorses, widely used in traditional medicine, most commonly intercepted at airports in passenger baggage or shipped in sea cargo. “The nearly 300 seizures we analyzed were based only on online records and voluntary disclosures ...

Good indoor air quality is a basic prerequisite for human health and is crucial for the ability to concentrate at work, or while studying. A nationwide study by Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has now shown that most Austrian schools do not comply with national and European guidelines on ventilation. In the past school year, the guideline value for the daily average CO2 concentration of 1000 ppm was exceeded in 75 per cent of the classrooms examined. In winter, the rate even rose to 88 per cent. In individual cases, the average ...

Many parents know that infants love to be sung to; however, there is limited prior research to show the long-term effects on parental singing. In a new study, researchers explored whether using a music enrichment intervention program to encourage parents to sing more frequently to their babies could improve the health of both infants and caregivers (as with skin-to-contact). This research was featured in a new Child Development article with authors from Yale University (United States), the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands), the University of Auckland (New Zealand), McGill University (Canada), Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell (United States) ...

Plants mastered the art of harvesting sunlight billions of years ago, using elegant rings of pigments in their leaves. Now, researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have taken a major step toward mimicking that leafy architecture with human-made molecules that self-assemble into stacked rings where charge and energy can circulate freely — just like in photosynthesis. Their design paves the way for new approaches to light capture, energy transport and next-generation electronics. In photosynthetic organisms, pigment molecules form ...

Ever since a few enterprising bed bugs hopped off a bat and attached themselves to a Neanderthal walking out of a cave 60,000 years ago, bed bugs have enjoyed a thriving relationship with their human hosts.  Not so for the unadventurous bed bugs that stayed with the bats — their populations have continued to decline since the Last Glacial Maximum, also known as the ice age, which was about 20,000 years ago. A team led by two Virginia Tech researchers recently compared the whole genome sequence of these two genetically distinct lineages of bed bugs. Published in Biology Letters on ...

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, global interest in antiviral therapies has increased significantly. Recently, with the growing attention to peptide-based drugs such as Wegovy, demand for effective peptide therapeutics derived from natural substances is rapidly rising. In particular, peptide metabolites—which are generated when natural proteins break down in the body—are emerging as promising candidates for multifunctional drug development. A research team from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Oh Sang-Rok), led by Dr. Hyung-Seop ...

Philadelphia, May 28, 2025 – In a first-of-its-kind genome-wide association study (GWAS) researchers have discovered two genes, RNF144B and ENPP1, that cause calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease in Americans of European and African descent. This crystalline arthritis is caused by calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystal deposition in joints. The findings of this novel study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, published by Elsevier, open up promising new avenues for targeted prevention and treatment of CPPD disease, which are currently lacking. Characterized by the deposition of CPP crystals in articular ...

Long COVID—symptoms that linger long after initial viral infection—can affect people of every age, including children. But the lasting symptoms in an infant, toddler, or pre-school-aged child may be different than symptoms in adults and older children. A new study conducted by researchers at Mass General Brigham and their colleagues as part of the federally funded RECOVER initiative examined the most common long COVID symptoms in young children, finding that infants and toddlers (younger than 2 years old) were more likely to experience trouble sleeping, fussiness, poor appetite, ...

Dr Shanmugavadivel said: “For the first time, we understand the current landscape of childhood cancer diagnosis in the UK. We can celebrate that ethnicity, sex and socioeconomic status have no impact on time to diagnosis, but there is an urgent need to focus efforts on young people and tumour types such as bone tumours that are still experiencing lengthy intervals. Earliest possible diagnosis is key as time is crucial. Untreated, tumours grow bigger and can spread around the body, requiring more extensive surgery and more ...

Mental disorders, cardiovascular diseases, smoking, and road injuries among the top causes of death and disability for millions in the ASEAN region More than 80 million people in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have mental disorders, a 70% increase from 1990, burdening children, the elderly, and women the most. 37 million people in the region suffer from cardiovascular disease and 1.7 million die from it, making it one of the fastest growing non-communicable diseases and the leading cause of death. The number of smokers has increased in every ASEAN country and by 63% to 137 million regionally, ...

Approximately one in three pediatric mental health Emergency Department (ED) visits resulting in admission or transfer exceeded 12 hours, and over one in eight exceeded 24 hours, according to estimates based on nationally representative data from 2018 to 2022. Seven in 10 of all kids staying in the ED over 12 hours were there for suicidal thoughts or attempt, and over half for aggressive behaviors. Findings were published in the Journal of American College of Emergency Physicians. “Our study underscores significant issues with access to mental health care for children and adolescents, who often face prolonged ED stays ...

Background and Goal: This study aimed to identify geographic disparities of the primary care workforce in Virginia and factors associated with primary care physician (PCP) access.  Study Approach: Researchers used the 2019 Virginia All-Payers Claims Database to identify PCPs and the number of patients seen by each physician. They then measured how many PCPs each census tract could reach within a 30‑minute drive, flagging tracts with too few as having poor access. Researchers then assessed associations between PCP access and predisposing (age, race), ...

Background and Goal: For more than two decades, support from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) for primary care research was dispersed across multiple centers, making it difficult to view the work as a unified effort. In 2022, the National Center for Excellence in Primary Care Research (NCEPCR) was funded to act as the home for primary care research at AHRQ. This special report aims to increase awareness of AHRQ’s NCEPCR among primary care clinicians, researchers, and partners.  Key Insights: NCEPCR aims to strengthen the nation’s primary care system by sponsoring research to generate ...

Background and Goal: This study explored older adults’ perspectives on proactive deprescribing, identified barriers and enablers, and developed a typology of patient attitudes to inform patient-centered deprescribing interventions. Study Approach: In this qualitative study, researchers conducted semi structured interviews with 20 patients in Japan aged 65 years or older who were receiving 5 or more oral medications.  Main Results: Enablers Negative valuation of medication: patients noted pill burden, possible harm and past success in stopping drugs. Proactive decision making preference: a few patients wanted an active role ...

Background and Theory overview: Promoting adherence to medical recommendations remains one of the oldest yet most persistent challenges of modern clinical practice. Traditional models treat nonadherence as an intrinsic patient behavior, which can undermine patients’ autonomy as well as blame them for poor health outcomes. The authors draw on sociological labeling theory to show that “nonadherent” is not a neutral clinical finding but a social judgment made by clinicians.  What Is New: The authors name and model “adherence labeling” as the process by which clinicians produce “nonadherence” data rather than diagnose a patient trait. ...

Background and Goal: While remote or electronic visits (eVisits) can increase access to health care for certain groups of patients, their use can increase staff workload and patient demand. Artificial intelligence (AI) may mitigate these outcomes. This study explored the views of staff and patients in primary care to inform the development of artificial intelligence (AI) features for eVisits. Study Approach: Researchers conducted interviews and focus groups with 16 primary care staff and 37 patients from 14 ...

Background and Goal: This study examined authorship inequities for research that was conducted in low- and middle-income countries and published in family medicine journals based in high-income countries. Study Approach: Researchers analyzed journals listed on the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) Global family doctor website that focused on low-income countries, lower-middle-income countries, and upper-middle-income countries. They selected journals with editorial offices in high-income-countries. Inclusion criteria included research conducted ...

Editorial  To Improve Screenings With Technology, Focus on People First Background: This issue of Annals of Family Medicine includes four original studies that illustrate valuable concepts to consider when incorporating technology in screening to improve early detection and management of disease.   Editorial Stance: These studies highlight the importance of centering any digital health intervention on the patient’s specific clinical needs. The authors emphasize that digital tools work best when they work with, rather than replace, clinicians. Additionally, the authors stress that we must ...

Background and Goal: This study examined long‑term shifts toward focused practice among family physicians in Ontario, Canada, as well as changes in the number of comprehensive family physicians relative to population growth. Study Approach: Researchers linked multiple Ontario health‑administrative data sets to track practice patterns for every general practitioner or family physician from fiscal years 1993/94 through 2021/22. Analyses were stratified by physician sex and years in practice.  Main Results: The proportion of family physicians working in focused roles rose to 19.2% ...

Mental‑health disorders and suicide rates have risen steadily over the past 20 years, with rural areas seeing the sharpest increases. To broaden access to mental‑health resources for adults, physicians placed a little free library containing 10–15 books on anxiety, depression, post‑traumatic stress disorder, and related conditions near the entrance of a rural primary care clinic in Minnesota. A flyer with a QR code directs visitors to a community‑run webpage with additional resources. Patients who take a book are asked to complete a short survey capturing demographics, referral ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Fragrances and lotions don't just change the way people smell, they actively alter the indoor air chemistry around the wearer, disrupting a critical natural process the body uses to protect itself from pollution, according to an international research team that includes scientists from Penn State. The new study, published in the journal Science Advances, revealed that personal care products like perfumes and even unscented lotions alter the chemical composition of the “human oxidation field,” a natural protective air shield around a person’s breathing zone ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- The human brain contains about 86 billion neurons. These cells fire electrical signals that help the brain store memories and send information and commands throughout the brain and the nervous system. The brain also contains billions of astrocytes — star-shaped cells with many long extensions that allow them to interact with millions of neurons. Although they have long been thought to be mainly supportive cells, recent studies have suggested that astrocytes may play a role in memory storage ...

Employees’ early work experiences in an organization can significantly affect their socialization. Much of the research on this topic has documented how certain organization-wide practices succeed or fail in making newcomers so-called good citizens, but little is known about how different early experiences lead to varied socialization outcomes. In a new study, researchers examined the impact of early project team assignments on newcomers’ career kickoffs. They found that those assigned to more complex projects during this phase had better outcomes later in their careers. The study, ...