Health

a head of lettuce on a colorful background

Insulin grown in lettuce can be taken orally

New synthetic insulin harvested from lettuce plants can be made cheaply, taken orally, and transported at room temperature.

Kristin Houser

Brain

Cancer med appears to prevent brain aneurysms

Japanese researchers have discovered that the cancer drug sunitinib can prevent the formation of brain aneurysms in mice.

Kristin Houser

“Nature’s own Ozempic” or berberine is all over social media

Does berberine work as well as Ozempic to help people lose weight? Social media seems to think so, but it’s not likely.

Rebecca Roubin and Nial Wheate and Tina Hinton

Drugs

Your body naturally produces opioids without causing addiction or overdose

John Michael Streicher

Medicine

Lung cancer drug slashes patients’ risk of death by 51%

Osimertinib, an FDA-approved lung cancer drug, slashes the risk of death for certain patients by 51%, according to new trial results.

Kristin Houser

Brain

Rhythmic brain stimulation could boost cognitive function

An analysis of over 100 studies helps resolve conflicting evidence on the benefits of transcranial alternating current stimulation, or tACS.

Shrey Grover

Mental Health

The placenta may play a role in the genetic risk of schizophrenia

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that genes associated with schizophrenia risk may impact the placenta, not just the brain.

B. David Zarley

Drugs

Ketamine is as effective as ECT for depression, study shows

A trial of patients with treatment-resistant depression found ketamine to be at least as effective as electroconvulsive therapy.

B. David Zarley

an illustration of a patient receiving a lung transplant by four robotic arms

Surgery

Man receives donor lung through tiny 3-inch incision

The first fully robotic lung transplant was completed in Spain by surgeons using a robot and a brand-new access point.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

Gain-of-function research is more than just tweaking risky viruses

Gain-of-function experiments in the lab can help researchers get ahead of viruses naturally gaining the ability to infect people in the wild.

Anice Lowen and Seema Lakdawala

Public Health

The radical drop in maternal mortality was a public health miracle

In 1758 in Sweden, 1205 mothers died for every 100,000 live births, which was likely representative of the global maternal mortality rate.

Tony Morley

Food

Nope, coffee won’t give you extra energy

You might feel like coffee gives you the energy to get through the day – but chances are, you're not getting as much as you think.

Emma Beckett

an image of a person sleeping with colorful squiggles representing their brain activity

Neuroscience

Zapping the brain during sleep helps memories form

Brain stimulation during sleep appears to help with memory consolidation, suggesting a new way to treat people with memory disorders.

Kristin Houser

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