How does a tiny cluster of cells become an embryo with a head, trunk, and tail? And how do thousands of genes coordinate this development? A new imaging method makes it possible to visualize the activity of thousands of genes simultaneously throughout the entire zebrafish embryo. Using this technology, a research team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has created an atlas of all genes and cells involved in turning a cluster of cells into an embryo. The interplay between genes and cells during the development of a fertilized egg into an embryo is highly complex. Previous methods captured gene activity only in 2D slices, making whole-embryo visualization impossible and ...

The study is published online in Science. It is led by Eva González-Suárez, researcher at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre.   The team has unexpectedly discovered that cells from the brain defence system play a role in the sexual maturation process. The link between them is RANK, a protein involved in mammary development.   The research has been carried out in animal models, but it has also found genetic mutations associated with a rare syndrome related to infertility in humans. The kick off signal for puberty begins in the brain. Specifically, in the hypothalamus, where ...

For the first time, scientists have observed how tiny metal "thorns" called dendrites sprout inside lithium-ion batteries, which can cause the batteries to short-circuit. Their findings, published Mar. 12 in the journal Science, shed light on previously unknown mechanical properties of lithium dendrites as they grow. Scientists have long studied lithium dendrites, but did not fully understand how these structures behave inside batteries. Dendrites form at the nanoscale; their growth is challenging to observe in the closed system of a working battery, but has been linked to battery decline and failure. The new study, an international ...

A recent study suggests that bacteria thrive more readily on untreated than treated wood surfaces. The finding has implications for hygiene in both homes and public spaces. A University of Helsinki study investigated bacterial adhesion, survival and transmission on untreated and treated wood surfaces under both laboratory and field conditions. The laboratory work focused on Staphylococcus epidermidis, a bacterium that forms part of the skin’s normal microbiota; and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ...

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – March 12, 2026) – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital today announced the appointment of Carsten Bönnemann, MD, as a faculty member to lead and chair the hospital’s newly created Department of Genomic and Translational Neuroscience.    Bönnemann, who specializes in pediatric neuromuscular and neurogenetic disorders, comes to St. Jude from the National Institutes of Health, where he served as a physician-researcher and chief of the Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of ...

To understand how professional networks contribute to persistent gender disparities in corporate leadership, researchers analyzed data from more than 19,000 corporate employees over 20 years. Publishing March 12 in the Cell Press journal Patterns, their results show that educational, employment, and social networks matter for both men and women, but women rely on more complex social networks to reach director-level positions than men. Women with professional ...

Mass General Brigham study results signal a call to do further research into the connection between vitamin D supplementation and long COVID In a large, randomized trial, researchers at Mass General Brigham have found that high-dose vitamin D3 did not reduce COVID-19 infection severity, but may impact long COVID outcomes. Results of the study are published in The Journal of Nutrition. “There’s been tremendous interest in whether vitamin D supplements can be of benefit in COVID, and this is one of the largest and most rigorous randomized trials on the subject,” said senior author JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH, ...

A new study led by UCLA researchers suggests that a personalized counseling program can significantly help women who have survived cervical precancer or cervical cancer to quit smoking — and does so at a cost that researchers say represents good value for healthcare systems. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, show that the specialized program, called Motivation and Problem-Solving (MAPS), which combines standard nicotine replacement therapy with up to six individualized counseling sessions over a year, helped twice as many women quit smoking compared to women who had standard smoking cessation support. “Smoking is a major risk factor for cancer recurrence and ...

About The Study: In this cohort study, adverse childhood experience (ACE) exposure was associated with an increased risk of treatment-resistant depression even after accounting for unmeasured familial confounding. The findings highlight the importance of preventing ACEs and incorporating ACE history into clinical assessment to identify individuals with major depressive disorder who may be at elevated risk for treatment resistance.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Ying Xiong, PhD, MMedSc, email ying.xiong@ki.se. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this ...

About The Study: This study estimated the increase in 12-month psilocybin use in Oregon and Colorado associated with decriminalization.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Joshua C. Black, PhD, email joshua.black@rmpds.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2026.1952) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, ...

A new, national analysis published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal suggests the future growth of aesthetic surgery may lie far from traditional luxury markets. UC Davis Health researchers found that Southern, Midwestern and rural regions of the United States are growing as high-demand areas, despite limited access to board-certified plastic surgeons. The study, conducted by researchers at UC Davis Medical Center, analyzed Google search behavior alongside workforce data across 210 U.S. Designated Market Areas. Researchers found that consumer demand is rising nationwide but remains unevenly matched with surgeon distribution. This imbalance has revealed multiple “plastic surgery deserts” ...

A University of Virginia School of Medicine researcher has received $3.4 million from the National Institutes of Health to increase the availability of weight-management programs that offer beneficial personalized feedback.   Rebecca Krukowski, PhD, and her colleagues are aiming to support people who track or “self-monitor” their diet, exercise and weight in weight-management programs. The researchers will create a semi-automated feedback system to find the “sweet spot” of combining human expertise and support with automated feedback to help participants stay on ...

(WASHINGTON — Mar. 12, 2026) — Hematology-oncology trained physicians who treat sickle cell disease reported higher rates of burnout (60%) than their counterparts who do not provide sickle cell care (43%) despite no differences in grit and resilience between the two groups. The data were published in the American Society of Hematology’s journal, Blood Advances.    “This is the first and only data on burnout, grit, ...

The Amazon rainforest is famous for storing massive amounts of carbon in its trees and soils, helping regulate the global climate. Yet a paper published today in New Phytologist shows that one of South America’s largest carbon-storing ecosystems exists in an often-overlooked grassy savanna: the Cerrado in Brazil.  The study was led by Larissa Verona, a technician working with senior scientist Amy Zanne at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and a former graduate student at Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Brazil, where she carried out the work. The study is the first in-depth assessment of carbon stocks in the Cerrado’s groundwater-fed wetlands, known ...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) belong to a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases with overlapping symptoms, characterized by muscle wasting, paralysis, dementia, and other serious impairments. There are currently no effective treatments. Many patients have a common hallmark: A protein called TDP-43 clumps together in the neurons of the brain to form tiny lumps. Researchers at DZNE and Ulm University Hospital, together with international experts, have now discovered ...

WASHINGTON—A mouse study found that a father’s nicotine exposure can affect the offspring’s ability to process sugar and may contribute to diabetes risk, according to new research published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. An estimated 40.1 million people in the United States have diabetes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Having diabetes puts people at risk of developing other conditions like heart disease, kidney disease and nerve damage. Since diabetes affects more than 12 percent of Americans and is a chronic disease, the costs of treatment are high. Tobacco ...

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [March 12, 2026] — New research in the March 2026 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network suggests that exercise may help people with cancer stay mentally sharp and better able to handle daily tasks, work, and social activities through chemotherapy treatment delivered on an every two-week cycle. This first-of-its-kind, nationwide, multicenter, phase III trial randomized patients to receive an exercise prescription, Exercise for Cancer Patients (EXCAP©®), which included individually-tailored walking and simple resistance band exercises, along with their usual chemotherapy treatment. By ...

Across the animal kingdom, sound is more than communication – it’s a signal of survival and success. From birds and primates to insects, fish and amphibians, animals broadcast acoustic “advertisements” to defend territory, attract mates and reveal their physical condition. Because these calls can reflect traits such as body size, strength or health, they play a powerful role in sexual selection and help shape how species compete and reproduce. Parasites can influence these mating signals. Infections ...

Traditional medicine (TM), defined by the WHO as the knowledge and practices based on indigenous theories, is used by over 80% of the global population, particularly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Modern medicine (MM), grounded in the biomedical model, excels in acute care but often lacks holistic perspectives. Importantly, many modern drugs—such as artemisinin and aspirin—originate from traditional knowledge. Integrating TM and MM aims to combine the strengths of both systems to deliver holistic, ...

Background and objectives Amoebiasis, or amoebic dysentery, is a gastrointestinal disorder caused by the parasite Entamoeba histolytica. The disease is endemic in parts of Africa, Asia, North and South America, leading to several deaths annually. Reported adverse effects associated with the current first-line treatment for amoebiasis, coupled with the evolution of resistance to it, call for the need to search for plant-based alternatives. This study systematically reviews medicinal plants with activity against Entamoeba histolytica. Methods The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) ...

In areas where freshwater is scarce, farmers often turn to treated wastewater to irrigate crops. And many regulators and consumers worry about exposing food to compounds routinely found in wastewater, including many psychoactive medications that treat mental disorders.   But new research from Johns Hopkins University has found that certain crops—tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce—store those chemicals in their leaves. This may be good news for tomato and carrot lovers who eat the fruit and roots of those vegetables, respectively.  The research, published today in Environmental Science ...

OSA is a common sleep disorder characterized by oxygen desaturation due to repeated airway collapse during sleep. This leads to oxygen desaturation or awakening from sleep. It is often linked to metabolic problems, cardiovascular disease, and a lower quality of life. OSA and insomnia symptoms often co-occur, a condition known as comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea or COMISA. This can complicate usual treatments like continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which is often recommended for moderate to ...

Fukuoka, Japan—Making a living brain transparent and watching its neurons fire without disturbing their function—sounds like science fiction, doesn't it? Yet the solution may already exist within our own bodies. In a paper published in Nature Methods on March 12, a research team led by Kyushu University introduces a new reagent called SeeDB-Live. It uses albumin—a common protein in blood serum—to clear tissue while preserving cellular function. The technique allows scientists to see deeper, brighter structures in both brain slices in a dish and living mice, reaching neural activity that was previously out of sight. “This ...

A Kobe University study shows that small aquatic beetles survive catfish attacks by resisting ingestion inside the catfish’s mouth and being spat out alive. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of size-dependent predator-prey relationships in aquatic insects and fish. Once prey is captured by a predator, it’s easy for us to think of it as a death sentence. But in certain predator-prey relationships, the fight is far from over. For example, Kobe University ecologist SUGIURA Shinji revealed in a previous study that a small aquatic beetle, Regimbartia attenuata, can survive frog predation by escaping alive through the frog’s vent. He explains, “Whether ...

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new way to alter complex drug molecules using light rather than toxic chemicals – a discovery that could accelerate and improve how medicines are designed and made.  Published today (Thursday 12 March) in Nature Synthesis, the study introduces what the team calls an “anti-Friedel–Crafts” reaction. A classic Friedel–Crafts reaction uses strong chemicals or metal catalysts under harsh experimental conditions. This means the reaction can only happen in the early stages of drug manufacturing, and is followed by many additional chemical steps to produce ...