Chronic inflammation is both a driver and suppressor of cancer depending on context. Key players—NF-κB, IL-6, STAT3, TAMs, MDSCs, and Tregs—orchestrate a tumor-permissive microenvironment. Immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors, has revolutionized treatment, but responses remain heterogeneous. This review examines mechanisms of inflammation-driven cancer, translational efforts targeting inflammatory pathways, and clinical strategies integrating immunotherapy with anti-inflammatory agents and biomarkers. Emerging technologies—AI, microbiome modulation, single-cell omics, and gene editing—promise to refine precision therapy and overcome resistance. Introduction Since ...

Background and objectives Amaranth is conventionally consumed as a significant source of nutrients and bioactive compounds and is a potential alternate crop. The present study aimed to validate the folklore and ethnomedicinal claims regarding the utilization of foliar tissues of the pseudocereal Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. for their pharmacological propensities, primarily focusing on bioactive polyphenolic compounds and associated anti-degenerative properties, in view of the scarce evidence available on the same. Methods Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array assay of nineteen significant bioactive polyphenolic ...

Loneliness has a critical impact on the mental health of citizens, particularly among the elderly. Robots capable of perceiving and responding to human emotions can serve as heart-warming companions to help lift the spirits. A research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has discovered that the combined power of music and empathetic speech in robots with artificial intelligence (AI) could foster a stronger bond between humans and machines. These findings underscore the importance of a multimodal approach in ...

Gravity feels reliable — stable and consistent enough to count on. But reality is far stranger than our intuition. In truth, the strength of gravity varies over the Earth’s surface. And it is weakest beneath the frozen continent of Antarctica  after accounting for Earth’s rotation A new study reveals how achingly slow rock movements deep under the Earth’s surface over tens of millions of years led to today’s Antarctic gravity hole. The study highlights that the timing of changes in the Antarctic gravity low overlaps with major changes in Antarctica’s climate, and future research could reveal how the shifting gravity might have encouraged ...

To find new ways to shield hair from heat, sunlight and air pollution, researchers in Brazil are turning to vegan-friendly ingredients for shampoos and conditioners. Published in ACS Omega, early tests show that a fruit-algae combination added to haircare products coats strands with a protective film. Although the botanical film makes hair slightly less elastic, it improves shine and makes locks easier to comb compared to hair washed and conditioned with products not containing the biopolymer. Heated styling tools, dirt in the air and sunlight damage ...

Background and objectives Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Early detection of pulmonary nodules is crucial for timely diagnosis and effective treatment. Conventional computer-aided detection systems have shown limitations, including high false-positive rates and low sensitivity. Recent advances in deep learning, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have shown great potential in improving the accuracy and reliability of nodule detection and classification. This study aimed to develop and evaluate an automatic method for lung nodule detection and classification ...

PULLMAN, Wash. — NBA teams that paid their core players inequitably won fewer games as a result of reduced cooperation, according to a Washington State University study with implications for workplace management. While it draws on data from professional basketball, the study suggests that managers in the workplace should ensure they’re paying top performers fairly in relation to each other and emphasize the goal of team coordination — organized, synchronized effort, with each team member ...

As corporate commitments to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals reach an all-time high, a persistent blind spot remains: water. Long emphasized by Professor Yong Sik Ok of Korea University, who serves as President of the International ESG Association, water stewardship has lagged behind carbon emissions, which are now tracked with near-surgical precision. In contrast, corporate water management is often confined to vague qualitative disclosures and limited metrics. To address this imbalance, a research team ...

Cells constantly monitor and recycle their proteins through a tightly regulated waste-disposal system. Proteins that are no longer needed are tagged and broken down by specialized cellular machinery. Recent advances in drug discovery seek to exploit this system by redirecting it toward disease-relevant targets. This strategy relies on so-called molecular glues, small molecules that induce interactions between proteins that would not normally bind to each other. If a disease-causing protein can be brought into contact with a cellular degradation enzyme, it is selectively eliminated ...

Insulin resistance — when the body doesn't properly respond to insulin, a hormone that helps control blood glucose levels — is one of the fundamental causes of diabetes. In addition to diabetes, it is widely known that insulin resistance can lead to cardiovascular, kidney and liver diseases. While insulin resistance is tightly associated with obesity, it has been difficult to evaluate insulin resistance itself in the clinic. For ...

Despite being riddled with impurities and defects, solution-processed lead-halide perovskites are surprisingly efficient at converting solar energy into electricity. Their efficiency is approaching that of silicon-based solar cells, the industry standard. In a new study published in Nature Communications, physicists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) present a comprehensive explanation of the mechanism behind perovskite efficiency that has long perplexed researchers. How can a device assembled with minimal sophistication rival state-of-the-art technology ...

Osmotic energy, often called blue energy, is a promising way to generate sustainable electricity from the natural mixing of salt and fresh water. It exploits the voltage that arises when ions from saltwater pass through an ion-selective membrane toward water with a lower salt concentration. However, membranes that let ions flow quickly are usually less selective, and challenges such as maintaining charge separation and mechanical robustness have kept most osmotic energy systems at the experimental stage. Researchers ...

An international study led by researchers from the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) shows that advanced use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows much more accurate identification of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). These are two rare and clearly underdiagnosed atypical parkinsonian disorders. The study, published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, shows that this strategy improves early diagnosis and ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, including teens, and a new national poll suggests many schools and families may not be fully prepared to respond. Only about half of parents say they are aware that their teen’s school has an automated external defibrillator, or AED, on site. Even fewer know where it is located or feel confident that school staff could use it in an emergency, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll ...

Secondary infections caused by bacteria or viruses during hospital care remain a long-standing global challenge, despite advances in modern medicine. In particular, mixed bacterial–viral infections in critically ill or immunocompromised patients are extremely difficult to treat and are associated with significantly increased mortality. At the same time, the rapid rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the frequent emergence of viral variants have exposed the limitations of existing antibiotics and vaccines. These ...

EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2026 12:01 A.M. EST NOTE TO EDITOR: Multimedia elements available for download: https://bit.ly/3NWbA0I  Survey: 3 in 4 skip physical therapy homework, stunting progress Key takeaways: A new survey by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center reveals 76% of people admit they don’t complete their physical therapy homework. Physical therapists say successful recovery involves adding home exercises to existing routines—like ...

More than half of college students are lonely – and those who use social media the most are particularly likely to feel isolated, a study of tens of thousands of 18 to 24-year-olds in the US shows. Just 16 hours a week, or two or so hours a day, on social media was linked with higher odds of loneliness, a new peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of American College Health reports. The study’s authors said that academic institutions should educate students on the effects of social media use and encourage them to set time limits. Researcher Dr. Madelyn Hill, now an assistant professor at Ohio University, who led the study while completing ...

Intermittent fasting is unlikely to lead to greater weight loss in overweight or obese adults than traditional dietary advice or doing nothing, a new Cochrane review finds. Obesity is a significant public health problem that has become a leading cause of death in high-income countries. Worldwide adult obesity has more than tripled since 1975, according to the WHO. In 2022, 2.5 billion adults were overweight. Of these, 890 million were living with obesity. Intermittent fasting has surged in popularity ...

China’s youth is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. Now, experts are exploring the potential healing power of artificial intelligence (AI) in a society where mental health issues have long been taboo. Clinical psychologist Dr. Olive Woo and AI expert Dr. Yuk Ming Tang suggest the technology could be transformative for accessible emotional support, provided it is implemented with care and responsibility. In their new book, DeepSeek and Mental Health Support Among Chinese Youth, the experts shed light on the escalating mental health crisis among Chinese youth and how popular AI platforms like DeepSeek are emerging as lifelines in addressing this so-called silent ...

A new study has identified an association between consumption of drinks containing a high amount of sugar and anxiety symptoms in adolescents.  Researchers at Bournemouth University were part of a team involved in reviewing the findings of multiple studies that have investigated people’s diets and their mental health, to establish common findings.  Their results have been published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. “With increasing concern about adolescent nutrition, most public health initiatives have emphasised the physical consequences of poor dietary habits, such as obesity and type-2 diabetes,” said Dr ...

An international team of scientists have identified how to pinpoint and predict hotspots for some of the most dangerous species of scorpion in the world. The researchers have established the key environmental conditions that determine where lethal, venomous arachnids thrive - findings that could help shine a light on flashpoints for scorpion stings in tropical regions across the globe. The team of scientists used field observations in Africa combined with computer modelling to predict where dangerous scorpion species are most likely to be found and what factors influence their distributions. Their ...

Arizona State University researchers will lead a panel discussion on household water insecurity at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting, which takes place in Phoenix next week. The panel, “Beyond the Tap: Water Insecurity in the United States,” is organized by Patrick Thomson, a research scientist with ASU’s Arizona Water for All project and will be moderated by Regents and President’s Professor Alexandra Brewis from ASU’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change. The session focuses on growing ...

Arizona State University Regents Anne Stone will present research on the evolutionary history of infectious disease at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting, which takes place in Phoenix next week. Stone’s presentation, “(Re)Emerging Pathogens: Ancient Spillovers Teach Us About Modern Plagues,” examines tuberculosis (TB), a disease that has affected humans and animals for thousands of years. Drawing on genetic analyses of ancient DNA, her research traces how TB moved between species and human populations over time and what those patterns reveal ...

Viruses exist at the boundary between living and non-living matter, while skin is a living interface between physics and biology, making them perfect—but until now overlooked—arenas for testing the interplay between quantum physics, biology and life. That’s according to arguments made by Connor Thompson, a PhD student in microbiology and immunology at the University of British Columbia, in Canada, and Samuel Morriss, a medical doctor based in Melbourne, Australia, whose two essays share the US$30,000 first prize in FQxI’s latest essay competition, presented in partnership with the Paradox Science Institute. The eight winners of the $53,000 competition—which ...

As the U.S. population ages, a growing number of older adults are living alone — a circumstance linked to increased risks of loneliness, social isolation and cognitive decline. Researchers from Arizona State University are addressing these challenges through innovative, technology-enabled interventions designed to improve health, independence and quality of life.   At the 2026 AAAS Annual Meeting, hosted in Phoenix, Arizona State University faculty from the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation will lead a panel discussion titled “Tech Solutions for Older Adults Living Alone with Cognitive Decline” ...