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 ...

A pioneering research-industry partnership has used advances in indoor farming technology to grow pea shoots fortified with Vitamin B12, opening an exciting route to market for farmers and addressing a major public health need. The partnership between the John Innes Centre and the Quadram Institute, based at the Norwich Research Park, the University of Bristol, and indoor farm specialists LettUs Grow, harnessed the latest aeroponic techniques to successfully deliver the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin B12 within a 15-gram portion of pea shoots. The fortified salad crop not only exceeded expectations by delivering in excess of the RDA of Vitamin B12 in a single serving ...

Researchers have developed a capsule-based method that makes it possible to analyse the same cell through multiple experimental steps. The technology overcomes a long-standing limitation in cell research and could open new ways to study disease mechanisms at the single-cell level. In a study published in the scientific journal Science, Visiting Professor Linas Mazutis at Umeå University and his research team present a new technology for analysing individual cells. The method addresses a long-standing technical challenge in cell research: until now, scientists have usually ...

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers have uncovered evidence for our Sun joining a mass migration of similar “twins” leaving the core regions of our galaxy, 4 to 6 billion years ago. The team created and studied an unprecedentedly accurate catalogue of stars and their properties using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite. Their discovery sheds light on the evolution of our galaxy, particularly the development of the rotating bar-like structure at its center.   While archaeology on Earth studies the human past, galactic archaeology traces the vast journey of stars and galaxies. For example, scientists know that our Sun was born around ...

Cancer is caused by faulty genes, but what also shapes a cancer cell’s behaviour is how a gene’s instructions are trimmed and rearranged before they are turned into the proteins that keep a cell alive. A study published today in Nature Communications reveals a new way of measuring that editing process, known as splicing, directly. It is the first time scientists have been able to get a clear view of how tumours systematically rewire their genetic instructions to aid growth and survival, and it ...

Many teens dealing with weight issues are turning to AI models to help them create meal plans with the aim of losing weight. But a new study shows that the resulting plans may not always adequately cover necessary nutrients and calorie intake. Researchers in Turkey compared the meal planning abilities of five AI models, prompting them to create meal plans for teenagers trying to lose weight and compared the results against the recommendations of a registered dietician. They published their findings in Frontiers in Nutrition. “We ...

by W.B. Kagan PISCATAWAY, NJ – Cannabis products containing delta-8 THC have spiked in popularity in recent years, from gummies and brownies to vapes, pre-rolls, and tinctures. These products are frequently marketed as “legal” cannabis and often come in youth-oriented packaging, while lacking clear and consistent cannabinoid-content labels and health warnings to keep consumers safe, according to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Delta-8 THC products—along with other intoxicating “hemp-derived” products—have ...

Kyoto, Japan -- In type 1 diabetes, the immune system starts to destroy insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Progressive loss of these cells destabilizes the body's glucose levels and drives the course of the disease, so preserving or restoring beta cell mass is a central treatment goal. New therapies aimed at preserving or increasing beta cell mass are advancing rapidly, but a noninvasive, direct measurement of this mass, and how much has been preserved or restored in interventions, is still lacking in routine clinical ...

More than 3 million years ago, when our ancient ancestors embodied by the iconic Lucy were roaming the African landscape, they would have feared a big, bad crocodile with a prominent lump on its head, patiently lurking in rivers and lakes to attack them. That crocodile is a new species, a research team led by the University of Iowa has determined. In a new study, published on March 12 in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, the researchers describe the species and give it a name: Crocodylus lucivenator, or Lucy's hunter. The name seems quite appropriate. The ancient reptile lived between 3.4 million to 3 million years ago, overlapping the time period and ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — March 12, 2026 — About one in three U.S. adults, the equivalent of over 82 million Americans, report having made at least one daily life trade-off in the past year to pay for healthcare expenses, according to new research released today from the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America. The most common actions taken are prescription rationing and non-adherence (15%) and borrowing money (15%). Unsurprisingly, the financial strain is most prevalent among households earning ...

Published today in The Lancet Neurology, a new review from the University of Colorado Anschutz in collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Center, offers the latest scientific explanations for why ketogenic diets reduce seizures in people with epilepsy. The paper brings together insights from both laboratory discoveries and real‑world patient outcomes, showing that ketogenic diets do far more than reduce seizures. The review outlines how these strict high-fat, low carbohydrate diets strengthen the brain’s energy systems, reduce inflammation and protect neurons - providing therapeutic benefits that many current medications are not yet able to achieve. “For ...

PsyMetRiC is the first validated cardiometabolic prediction tool specifically tailored for this group, developed into a healthcare professional-facing web application PsyMetRiC predicts risks of outcome measures that are meaningful in clinical practice, and desired by patients It is among the first prediction tools in psychiatry to be certified by the MHRA for use in real-world healthcare A new clinic-ready web-based risk prediction tool called PsyMetRiC is now available to forecast the risk of young people with psychosis developing cardiometabolic disorders such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.  The algorithms behind PsyMetRiC have been specifically tailored for young ...

Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UK) have uncovered a hidden link between gut health and the immune system – all thanks to a tiny island bird. Researchers studied the Seychelles warbler, a small songbird found on Cousin Island in the Seychelles. They collected the birds’ poo to analyse their gut bacteria – and found that their immune genes influence which gut microbes thrive. They say their work sheds light on how animal immune systems and communities of beneficial gut bacteria evolve together - including in humans. Senior researcher ...

Research presented at international urology conference in London shows how far prostate cancer screening has come Nearly 300 abstracts on prostate cancer research from around the world will be presented at the European Association of Urology Congress (EAU26), taking place in London from 13–16 March 2026. Highlights of some of the key advances in the prostate cancer screening field are detailed below. Tobias Nordström is a clinical urologist and Associate Professor at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden and a member of the EAU Scientific Congress Office. He said: ...

Findings published by The BMJ today reinforce previous research linking use of the antiseizure drug valproate during pregnancy to neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and autism in children, and indicate no substantial risk for several other antiseizure drugs including levetiracetam and lamotrigine. However, the researchers say continued monitoring of the few signals - possible associations between a medicine and an unintended side effect - that emerged (eg, for zonisamide) will be important. Antiseizure drugs are ...

The rise in invasive cosmetic procedures demands tighter regulation, better consumer protection, and greater awareness to protect patient safety and reduce cosmetic tourism, argue experts in The BMJ today. The global market for cosmetic procedures is growing rapidly and is projected to exceed $180bn by 2033, note Danielle Griffiths at the University of Liverpool and colleagues. Invasive cosmetic procedures typically involve the insertion of instruments or equipment into the body (eg, tummy tucks and breast augmentation), while non-surgical procedures are minimally invasive (eg, botox and dermal fillers), they ...

Fresh research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) could transform how the NHS protects patients’ medical images from cyber‑attacks. Computer scientists have developed a breakthrough way to encrypt medical images such as X‑rays, CT scans and MRIs, keeping them secure even if hospital networks are breached. Medical imaging systems have been repeatedly identified as weak points, with many relying on legacy protocols that were never designed to be exposed to the internet, making image‑level encryption an urgent priority. Developed ...

A Simon Fraser University study is pushing back against the “easy narrative” that not getting vaccinated is entirely a personal decision. Rather, vaccine hesitancy in Canada comes down to significant cultural, administrative, institutional and governance barrers that reinforce mistrust and create inequitable access to vaccines, say SFU researchers.  Published in the journal Vaccine, the study analyzed 41 peer‑reviewed papers to map how barriers emerge across four areas: cultural and community norms, governance structures, laws and budgets, and institutional design.  Key ...

The first clinical trial to compare two commonly used drugs head-to-head for venous thrombosis treatment has found a clear winner: while both drugs work well to prevent recurrent blood clots, apixaban is safer than rivaroxaban, with fewer bleeding complications. Venous thrombosis occurs when a blood clot lodges in the veins of the legs or lungs. It is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death after heart attack and stroke and is the most common preventable cause of death in hospitalized patients. Clinical guidelines currently recommend that patients recovering ...

A new study demonstrates that agricultural and medicinal plant residues can be transformed into a highly effective material for removing toxic heavy metals from contaminated water and soil while also improving crop productivity. Researchers developed a phosphorus-modified biochar derived from residues of Salvia miltiorrhiza, a widely used medicinal herb, and showed that the material can simultaneously immobilize harmful metals and enhance soil fertility. Heavy metal pollution, particularly from lead and cadmium, is a persistent environmental problem worldwide. These contaminants can accumulate in soils and water, enter the food chain, and pose ...

Food allergies are serious and, for some, potentially deadly. And yet, despite decades of research into allergies and what causes them, very little is known about why the vast majority of people are able to tolerate foods that can sicken or even kill others. “We know a lot about what the immune system sees and does if a patient has an allergy, but we know very little about what happens when things go right,” said Elizabeth “Beth” Sattely, an associate professor of chemical engineering in ...