Author: healthadmin
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will cost the United States an estimated $818 billion this year, according to a new USC-led study. This is largely due to the often overlooked costs to people living with dementia and the family and friends who provide their care. In addition to medical and long-term care costs, the researchers’ cost model takes into account factors that are often not captured in other estimates of the economic cost of dementia, such as reduced quality of life, loss of income for people with dementia and their care partners, and extensive unpaid care from family and friends.…
Scientists have identified a group of neurons located in an ancient region of the brain that plays a key role in helping animals concentrate. These cells appear to improve attention by filtering out distractions and directing the brain to the information that matters most. The discovery, made in mice by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, points to a brain system shared by all vertebrates, including humans. The findings could ultimately help researchers develop more precise treatments for attention-related disorders. “The hallmark of ADHD is that even subtle distractions distract us, and that’s exactly what we see here when these neurons…
Recent research published in American behavioral scientist It suggests that a person’s political identity influences how they interpret the meaning behind a smile. The findings indicate that some people view smiling primarily as a way to build social connections, while others, especially those who identify with the Republican Party, tend to see smiling as a tool for managing social hierarchy. These insights provide evidence that party affiliation shapes not only voting habits but also how people decipher basic human facial expressions. Smiling is generally considered to be a simple expression of happiness. However, psychological research suggests that smiling is a…
Researchers face mounting pressure tracking hundreds of 2026 clinical trials across obesity, oncology and rare diseases. This analysis delivers prioritized breakdowns of pivotal studies and their implications.
Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is violating the law by failing to turn over records related to President Donald Trump’s executive order protecting the production of the controversial pesticide glyphosate, according to a lawsuit filed Monday. The lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, seeks to force the USDA to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Center on February 26 for records on how and why the order was developed. “The main thing we want to understand is, specifically, who was driving…
Even animals of the same species don’t always look the same. From birds with different beak shapes to mammals of different sizes and colors, populations in different locations often look very different. Even more difficult to pinpoint is why this difference occurs. Are they shaped by the local environment? Or is it driven by natural or sexual selection? Or is it simply the result of random loss of genetic variation as populations become isolated and slowly diverge over time? I was part of a team of leopard conservationists and researchers who set out to answer some of these questions as…
Pregnant women exposed to indoor air pollution and tobacco smoke are putting their babies at serious risk of premature birth, dangerously low birth weight and acute breathing difficulties, a groundbreaking new study has found.Groundbreaking research conducted by pediatricians at the University of Cape Town (UCT) reveals The devastating effects of poor home air quality newborn. Analyzing data on 1,143 births in the Drakenstein Child Health Study, one of Africa’s largest birth cohorts, scientists found that 17% of infants were born prematurely, 15% suffered from low birth weight and 7% experienced breathing difficulties shortly after birth.Importantly, the study demonstrated that infants…
Spreading rumors or intentionally excluding a peer from a social group is often considered undesirable behavior. New research suggests that this type of covert hostility is associated with being more likely to be in a romantic relationship and have more children. The study, published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science, shows that subtle forms of aggression may provide a reproductive advantage in modern humans. Evolutionary psychologists track the number of children people have to measure evolutionary fitness. This indicator reflects how well an individual passes on his or her genetic material to the next generation. If a particular inherited trait…
Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. good morning. Many people responded to Lizzie’s story about the mystery patient who received Retatortide yesterday with reactions, comments, and theories. But what is undeniable is the strength of Lizzie’s reporting. FDA finally analyzes its own youth tobacco data 7.2% of middle and high school students in the United States reported using some type of tobacco product last year, according to newly analyzed federal survey data. While this represents an overall decrease from 2022, interestingly, nicotine pouch use among young people…
Recent analyzes of popular music over the past 60 years suggest that song lyrics increasingly focus on negative moral concepts such as harm and rebellion. Over the same period, expressions of positive virtues such as compassion and purity declined. The findings provide evidence that mainstream music reflects a broader societal shift toward darker, more emotionally intense themes. This study was recently published in the journal scientific report. Music has always served as a cultural mirror, capturing the political, social and emotional climate of its time. Previous analyzes of popular music have shown a growing trend toward individualism and self-promotion in…