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Recent Health Stories

Denmark mapped its microbes like plants once were, uncovering a hidden world that shapes farming, water, and climate.

Global first: Scientists map the microbiome of an entire country

A new DNA atlas maps Denmark’s microbes, revealing unknown species, farm impacts, and clues to cutting pollution and emissions.

Rebecca ShavitupdaPublished Dec 6, 2025 7:07 AM PST

The Black Death did not begin with disease alone. Volcanoes, hunger, and trade opened the door.

Health Scientists reveal what triggered the Black Death plague in Europe Joseph Shavit

A tightly controlled Penn State study finds that small daily portions of lean, unprocessed beef, when eaten in a Mediterranean style pattern rich in fruits, vegetables, and olive oil, did not increase levels of TMAO, an emerging blood marker linked to cardiovascular risk, and even boosted gut microbiome diversity compared with a typical American style menu.

Health Modest amounts of lean, unprocessed beef can be heart friendly, study finds Joshua Shavit

A McGill University team has engineered a new injectable hydrogel that stays in the vocal cords for weeks, resists breakdown, and may help damaged tissue heal instead of scar. If future trials succeed, it could give people who lose their voice a safer, longer lasting way to speak and sing again.

Health New injectable gel could help scarred vocal cords sing again Rebecca Shavit

Shisei Tei, a researcher at Kyoto University, stresses the importance of accepting death.

AI The future of human grief in the age of artificial intelligence Shy Cohen

Researchers report a new RNA drug called TY1 improves heart healing in animals by repairing DNA and calming immune cells after heart attacks.

Health Experimental RNA drug helps hearts heal after heart attacks Joseph Shavit

Researchers boosted stem cells to share extra mitochondria with failing cells, restoring energy and cutting damage in lab tests.

Health Scientists recharge and repair human cells using donated mitochondria Mac Oliveau

Researchers led by Shinghua Ding have uncovered MINA syndrome, a rare genetic disorder where a NAMPT mutation cripples energy production in motor neurons. The result is a slow loss of muscle strength and balance, but the work also points to new ways to protect nerve cells by restoring their energy supply.

Health Researchers diagnose previously unknown cellular health condition called MINA syndrome Joshua Shavit

Some ant pupae sense when they are dying and send a signal that leads to their own destruction, saving the nest from deadly disease.

Health Dying for the nest: Sick ants choose the colony over life Rebecca Shavit

A Johns Hopkins AI tool now guides medical students during suturing practice, pointing to a future where robots and software reshape surgery and training.

AI The future of surgery is learning from machines Shy Cohen

A SickKids led study has found that tiny repeated DNA segments called short tandem repeats vary not only in length but also in sequence, especially near brain related genes and across different populations. This hidden variation may help explain why people experience disease and treatment so differently and could guide more precise diagnostics and therapies.

Health Scientists discover tiny parts of DNA that explain why diseases hit people differently Joshua Shavit

A study in mice reveals memory lasts through a timed handoff across brain regions and genes that decide what the mind keeps.

Health Researchers discovered how the brain decides what to remember Mac Oliveau

New research from UNSW Sydney reveals that super recognisers do not see more of a face. Instead, their eyes automatically target the most informative features, giving them a powerful edge in recognising people that most of us can only marvel at.

Health Super recognizers see faces by looking smarter not harder, study finds Rebecca Shavit

Scientists in Vienna and London have shown that even years after an arm amputation, detailed movement commands survive in the nerves. By combining targeted muscle reinnervation with implantable microelectrodes, they can decode single motor neuron signals and link them to specific finger and wrist movements, opening the door to far more intuitive bionic prostheses.

Health Next-gen bionic arms read nerve signals years after amputation Shy Cohen

A new study shows that the brain solves hard problems by reusing simple mental parts across many tasks, much like snapping together pieces of a toy set.

AI The brain’s building blocks: Why your mind adapts better than AI Shy Cohen

Stephan Ramos, Seung Kim and Preksha Bhagchandani discuss their Type 1 diabetes research.

Health Stanford researchers cure type 1 diabetes in mice by resetting the body’s immune system Mac Oliveau

A tiny spider inspired soft robot designed at the University of Macau can roll, climb, and even move upside down inside the digestive tract. Guided by magnetic fields and real time imaging, it may one day give doctors a painless way to detect and treat gastrointestinal disease in hard to reach places.

Health Tiny spider inspired robot may replace painful gut scopes Joshua Shavit