News
How clinical labs confronted the 2026 cyclospora outbreak
As a record-breaking number of cases overwhelmed testing capacity, laboratorians responded with artificial intelligence, cross-department collaboration, clinician education, and sheer ingenuity.
Nanoparticle flu vaccine design could pave way for broader protection
Influenza viruses constantly shapeshift to evade recognition by the immune system. This shapeshifting occurs in critical proteins like hemagglutinin (HA), which controls how the virus attaches to human cells before entering them.
These bizarre, much-coveted microbes are revealing the origins of complex life
Researchers are racing to culture a menagerie of exotic organisms and finding lots of surprises along the way.
By culturing Asgard archaea, researchers can observe their remarkable features. Credit: Hiroyuki Imachi, Masaru K, Nobu, and JAMSTEC
Over two days in June, Emily Aguilar-Pine drove 2,500 kilometres from Bozeman, Montana, to Austin, Texas, with one of microbiology’s most coveted organisms in the back of her mother’s SUV. Inside some protective packaging, labelled ‘hopes and dreams’, was a small bottle containing about 30 millilitres of what looked like clear liquid, but that in fact held a type of Asgard archaeon, single-celled organisms named after the realm of the Norse gods...
Scientists reversed biological age in older adults in just 4 weeks
Older adults who changed the balance of fat, carbohydrates, and animal protein in their diets showed signs of reduced biological age after just four weeks. The strongest result appeared in participants eating an omnivorous, lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate diet.
Researchers design bone marrow-on-a-chip model to study human immune cells
Miniaturized model provides window into production and behavior of long-lived antibody-producing cells in NIH-funded study.
New AACR report outlines future of cutting-edge cancer research
Today, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released the 16th edition of its annual Cancer Progress Report.
Map of brain ‘microproteins’ could offer new clues to Alzheimer’s disease
More than 1,000 previously overlooked ‘microproteins’ have been found in samples of human brain tissue, providing researchers with the most comprehensive database yet to study these hidden molecules inside the brain. Dozens of the tiny proteins showed altered expression in people with Alzheimer’s disease, which could pave the way to unlocking new mechanisms of ageing and neurodegeneration.
NIH launches $21 million initiative to improve understanding of sex-specific hormonal biology
Program will use new approaches in computational modeling for deeper investigations into how sex influences treatment response.
Scientists discover why snake embryos twist into spirals
Snake embryos begin life curled into a distinctive right-handed spiral, and scientists may finally know why. Their bodies grow faster than their guts, creating a tether that forces the lengthening embryo to buckle and twist inside the egg. Researchers reached the conclusion after studying more than 900 embryos and using CT scans to reveal the hidden anatomy behind the coils.
Radiologist supply fails to keep pace with rising imaging demand
Demand for medical imaging in the U.S. keeps rising, but the number of radiologists available to read those images has barely budged relative to the population, according to a new research study published in the JACR.