Cedars-Sinai scientists have developed an experimental drug that repairs DNA and serves as a prototype for a new class of medications that fix tissue damage caused by heart attack, inflammatory disease or other conditions. Investigators describe the workings of the drug, called TY1, in a paper published in Science Translational Medicine. “By probing the mechanisms of stem cell therapy, we discovered a way to heal the body without using stem cells,” said Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, executive director of the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai and the study’s senior author. “TY1 ...

Tackling a common childhood virus could open the door to preventing bladder cancer, according to new research funded by Kidney Research UK and York Against Cancer. The study, published in Science Advances by Dr Simon Baker and colleagues at the University of York, suggests that a virus most people pick up in childhood can trigger the type of DNA damage that can lead to bladder cancer later in life. In laboratory studies using the human tissue that lines the urinary tract (urothelium), the team observed DNA damage patterns caused by the cell’s antiviral defences after controlled exposure to BK virus- the childhood infection identified ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Since the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was identified in 1983, roughly 91.4 million people around the world have contracted the virus and an additional 44.1 million have died from related causes. Currently, nearly 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV-1, the version of the virus that causes more than 95% of infections. While significant progress has been made in HIV vaccine research, according to Penn State Professor Dipanjan Pan, there is currently no approved vaccine for HIV. Research is ongoing, though, he ...

In one of the largest African hunter-gatherer ancient-DNA studies to date, population geneticists from Uppsala University in Sweden, and a cognitive archaeologist from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, analysed the DNA of 28 people who lived in southern Africa between 1200 and just a few hundred years ago. It contributes further evidence that southern African hunter-gatherers were some of the earliest human groups with a unique Homo sapiens genetic ancestry tracing back to about 300 000 years ago. This could be done by peering behind the veil of recent migrations, providing a direct window into the region’s ...

In nearly 60 years, heart transplantation has transformed from a daring vision to an established surgical procedure. Since the first adult heart transplant in the United States was performed at Stanford Hospital in 1968, the field has made significant strides. However, challenges remain, including a shortage of donor organs and socioeconomic disparities. A recent review, led by researchers from the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in collaboration with Germany's Helios Hospital, examines the current state, challenges, and future directions of adult heart transplantation in ...

As the scientific community embraces open science principles, the American Physical Society is launching a new open access journal designed to meet the moment. With submissions opening in late February 2026, APS Open Science will publish a diverse range of research outputs while upholding the trusted, rigorous review processes that define APS standards. “Researchers need high-quality options for sharing reliable findings across every stage of the scientific process,” said Jessica Thomas, executive editor at APS. “APS ...

It’s no surprise that dogs benefit people’s mental health. In a paper publishing in the Cell Press journal iScience on December 3, researchers point to a reason as to why: dogs prompt changes in the collection of microbes that live in and on our bodies, resulting in an increase in mental health.  “Raising dogs has beneficial effects, especially for adolescents, and these effects may be mediated ...

A large clinical trial published in JAMA Surgery shows that prehabilitation (also called prehab) can reduce disability after surgery in older adults with frailty, provided they are able to fully take part in the prehab program. The trial, led by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, enrolled 847 older adults living with frailty from 13 surgical centres across Canada. Half were randomized to receive a structured home-based prehab program, focused on exercise and nutrition, for at least three weeks ...

In southern Africa, a group of people lived in partial isolation for hundreds of thousands of years. This is shown in a new study based on analyses of the genomes of 28 people who lived between 10,200 and 150 years ago in southern Africa. The researchers also found genetic adaptations that likely shaped Homo sapiens as a species. The study, which is the largest to date of African ancient DNA, is published in Nature. Homo sapiens has been around for at least 300,000 years. But exactly where on the African continent our species ...

Neutrophils are the most abundant immune cells in the body and the first to respond to infection or tissue damage. Yet despite their importance, until now very little was known about how they truly function, how they change depending on the tissue they inhabit, or how they contribute not only to host defense but also to inflammatory, cardiovascular, or cancer-related diseases. Their diverse actions enable them to save lives during infection but can also worsen inflammation, as seen in conditions such as COVID-19. To unravel this complexity, an international consortium led by scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Universidad Carlos ...

Neutrinos, though nearly invisible, are among the most numerous matter particles in the Universe. The Standard Model recognizes three types, but the discovery of neutrino oscillations revealed they have mass and can change identity while propagating. For decades, puzzling experimental anomalies have suggested the presence of a fourth, sterile neutrino, one that interacts even more weakly. Finding it would transform our understanding of particle physics. In a new study, published in Nature, the KATRIN collaboration presents the most precise direct search for sterile neutrinos through measurements of tritium β-decay. The ...

About The Study: This cross-sectional study found that older U.S. adults are increasingly treated with antipsychotics, with a growing share receiving them from long-term care pharmacies and a declining percentage from psychiatrists and for first-generation medications. An increase in prescribing by non-psychiatrists contributed to the overall trend.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Mark Olfson, MD, MPH, email mo49@cumc.columbia.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.3658) Editor’s ...

Key Takeaways In an analysis of more than 5,000 Maryland homicide victims who died from gunshot or stabbing wounds, more than 70 individuals could have survived if bleeding control techniques had been applied before arriving at the hospital — a small but significant and likely under-reported number, trauma experts said. Research underscores the life-saving potential of Stop the Bleed for both urban and rural communities, where access to trauma care may be delayed. CHICAGO — Quicker access to bleeding control interventions taught in the American College of ...

Complex life began to develop earlier, and over a longer span of time, than previously believed, a groundbreaking new study has revealed. The research sheds new light on the conditions needed for early organisms to evolve and challenges several long-standing scientific theories in this area.  Led by the University of Bristol and published in the journal Nature today [3 December], the research indicates that complex organisms evolved long before there were substantial levels of oxygen in the atmosphere, ...

About The Study: The results of this randomized clinical trial show that adjunctive semaglutide significantly improved glycemic control and weight outcomes in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Secondary outcomes were exploratory. These findings support the use of glucagon-like peptide–1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) as a potential early intervention strategy to reduce cardiometabolic risk in this vulnerable population.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Anders Fink-Jensen, DMSci, email anders.fink-jensen@regionh.dk. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.3639) Editor’s ...

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, in partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), has been designated a National Rare Disease Center of Excellence by the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). RWJUH is the first hospital in the state to receive this designation making New Jersey one of just 26 states in the U.S. to host such a Center of Excellence. RWJUH and RWJMS were selected for this designation based on the strength and impact of their Cardiac Amyloidosis Center, which was recently named an International Center of Excellence by the International Society of Amyloidosis (ISA). ...

Professor John Smol of Queen's University is being honoured for his role in identifying stressors of environmental change in the Arctic. During the Arctic Futures Symposium in Brussels, UiT Rector Dag Rune Olsen announced today that the Mohn Prize for 2026 will be awarded to Professor John P. Smol of Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.  “Professor Smol's scientific career is a testament to excellent Arctic research - collaborative, engaged, thorough and key to the preservation of the environment we depend on. I am truly impressed by his comprehensive body of work and his longevity. He is a role model for us all.” said Olsen, who also ...

PHILADELPHIA – For decades, health-related statements by major professional health associations such as the American Medical Association (AMA) agreed with those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) because both relied on the same body of scientific knowledge, much of it funded by the federal health sector. However, the public can no longer assume that the CDC and major public health organizations are on the same page.  In late November 2025, for example, when the CDC website legitimized the ...

“Here, conceptual similarities between Mikhail Blagosklonny’s hyperfunction theory of aging and Vladimir Dilman’s elevation theory of aging are considered.” BUFFALO, NY — December 3, 2025 — A new essay was published in Volume 17, Issue 11 of Aging-US on November 19, 2025, titled “On the intergenerational transfer of ideas in aging and cancer research: from the hypothalamus according to V.M. Dilman to the mTOR protein complex according to M.V. Blagosklonny.” In this work, ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- A noninvasive method for measuring blood glucose levels, developed at MIT, could save diabetes patients from having to prick their fingers several times a day. The MIT team used Raman spectroscopy — a technique that reveals the chemical composition of tissues by shining near-infrared or visible light on them — to develop a shoebox-sized device that can measure blood glucose levels without any needles. In tests in a healthy volunteer, the researchers found that the measurements from their device were similar to those obtained by commercial ...

December 1, 2025 – This month Genome Research (https://genome.org) publishes a special issue highlighting novel advances in computational biology. In collaboration with the 29th International Conference on Research in Computational Molecular Biology (RECOMB), Genome Research publishes a collection of novel computational methods and their applications in genomics, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. These include algorithmic innovations in haplotype assembly and phasing, the analysis of genomic variation and its association to phenotype, and metagenomic ...

Santa Barbara, CA and New York, NY -- The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research (GFMR) and the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) are pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Discovery Awards: Christina Camell, PhD (Associate Professor, University of Minnesota) and Elaine Fuchs, PhD (Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor, The Rockefeller University and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute). The Glenn Foundation for Medical Discovery Awards support ...

Surprisingly, some of the universe’s brightest objects are black holes. As scorching gas and dust flow around and into a black hole, they glow with fierce intensity across the light spectrum. Now, a team of computational astrophysicists has developed the most comprehensive simulations ever made of how black holes create these dazzling light shows. Using supercomputers, the researchers calculated the behavior of material zipping around black holes. Unlike all previous studies that relied on simplifying approximations, the researchers utilized a full treatment of how light moves and interacts with matter ...

A new study by a research team at Université de Montréal highlights a critical lack of knowledge about the cognitive profiles of people living with both schizophrenia and a personality disorder.   A comprehensive review of scientific literature from the past 24 years, published in Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, reveals that despite the high prevalence of this dual diagnosis (affecting approximately 40 per cent of people diagnosed with schizophrenia) and its association with unfavourable outcomes, the available data are surprisingly limited and fragmented.  “Our analysis shows a significant blind spot in current ...

SAN ANTONIO — December 3, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists believe they may have resolved a 39-year-old mystery about the radiation belts around Uranus. In 1986, when Voyager 2 made the first and only flyby of Uranus, it measured a surprisingly strong electron radiation belt at significantly higher levels than anticipated. Based on extrapolations from other planetary systems, Uranus’ electron radiation belt was off the charts. Since then, scientists have wondered ...