Health

Microplastics have been mapped deep within the tissue of living organisms in fine detail in a new study involving Kingston University London. The study, published in Advanced Science, shows noninvasive methods can be used to detect microplastics deep in the living tissue of mice. Previously, this was possible only through dissection.

Scientists at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research have discovered how Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium responsible for most stomach cancers and peptic ulcers, delivers a key disease-causing protein into human cells. This breakthrough provides new insight into how H. pylori modulates chronic inflammation and promotes cancer, potentially opening new diagnostic and therapeutic pathways.

New research in the June 2026 issue of Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network finds that small, targeted prompts delivered to both patients and providers at the right moment can significantly increase the number of serious illness conversations that take place.

Kimberley Wilson discusses compassion on Complex.

Physical pain is essential for survival, as it allows animals to detect when they are injured or unwell, seek shelter and address their ailments. Yet when it becomes chronic, pain can also become highly distressing and debilitating.

New research to be presented today at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics shows that a cancer patient's genetic ancestry can have a significant effect both on how their disease progresses and their survival. In the largest study of its kind, researchers examined nearly 1,900 specific genetic changes in tumors to measure whether certain mutations were more common in patients with different historic geographic origins.

To transmit excitatory signals, nerve cells mostly use glutamate as a neurotransmitter. To detect these transmitter signals, the cells can rely on a whole repertoire of receptors with different signaling properties. Researchers at the Chair of Cellular Neurobiology, led by Professor Andreas Reiner at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, together with collaboration partners in New York (Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine), investigated the function of a specific glutamate receptor complex and made some surprising observations. Their findings were reported in the journal Nature Communications on April 24, 2026.

We have thousands of spontaneous thoughts a day. Most of them are mundane, such as "Where did I leave my car keys?" But every now and then, a strange and distressing thought might pop into our mind, such as "What if I hurt myself or someone I care about?"

The first real-world study of the FDA-approved nonhormone treatment fezolinetant found the menopausal medication improved hot flashes, depression and anxiety in women, according to industry-sponsored research presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago.

The gut does much more than just digest food. Researchers at the University of Basel have discovered a surprising link between gut function, feeding and sleep in fruit flies. Their study adds to growing evidence that the gut communicates with the brain and can influence behavior.

It's not unusual to see a few brave souls wrapped in gloves and balaclavas jogging along the Charles or through Cambridge Common in the snow. But for most of us, running outdoors is a fair-weather sport.

A study by UNIGE, in collaboration with ETH Zurich, has significantly improved the accuracy of a noninvasive brain stimulation technique, paving the way for its use in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Testosterone treatment may improve body composition, glucose metabolism and sexual desire in some older men at high risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the benefits require engagement in a lifestyle program, according to a study presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago.

People with Alzheimer's disease who took the common supplement glucosamine were 25% more likely to die within five years than those who didn't. That's the key finding of a new study that my colleagues and I published in the journal Nature Metabolism.

The incidence of type 1 diabetes among teens in Puerto Rico more than doubled from 2009 to 2021 and remained elevated through 2024, with an average annual increase of 4.1%, according to a study presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago.