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Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. good morning. As you may already know, STAT does not cover April Fool’s Day. But you might notice that today’s STAT Mini Crossword has a cheeky theme. Try it now. Supreme Court rules against ban on conversion therapy The Supreme Court yesterday ruled 8-1 against Colorado’s ban on the practice of “conversion therapy,” referring to any attempt by a licensed mental health provider to change a person’s sexuality or gender identity. Previously, both the district court and the 10th Circuit Court…

Bluestem Health, a clinic in Lincoln, Nebraska that serves low-income and uninsured patients, has been in the red for the past two years. And CEO Brad Meyer worries that things could soon get worse for the clinic and its 21,000 patients. That’s because Nebraska is set to become the first state to require certain Medicaid enrollees to work or lose coverage under new rules in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “This will have a significant financial impact on our company,” Meyer said. On May 1, seven months earlier than the law requires, states will begin imposing work…

Alaska’s waters are sustained by a complex marine food web and support the world’s most important salmon fishery. Scientists are keen to understand how these systems are changing as the climate changes. The challenge is that reliable samples from decades ago are hard to find. “We really need to open our minds and get creative about what can serve as an ecological data source,” said Natalie Mastic, now a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History. Scientists focus on unusual resource: decades-old salmon While working on his PhD at the University of Washington in Seattle, Mastic took…

Recent research published in Women’s Psychology Quarterly It suggests that young men who favor the Internet subculture known as the tradie wife movement tend to have hostile, patronizing, and sexist attitudes. The findings provide evidence that the appeal of this lifestyle for men is rooted in a desire for traditional power relationships, rather than simply a preference for a stay-at-home partner. The term tradwife is a combination of the words traditional and wife. This refers to an Internet subculture comprised of women who promote a return to traditional gender roles. These women often use platforms like TikTok and Instagram to…

Evotech has appointed Dr. Ashiq Khan as Chief Commercial Officer, putting the executive with experience in robotics and artificial intelligence in charge of a division central to the company’s recently announced transformation plan. Last month, the biopharmaceutical service provider listed commercial enforcement as one of three focuses of its restructuring. Evotec will be closing its site and laying off staff as part of the changes. However, on a conference call regarding the reorganization, Evotec CEO Christian Wojciechowski told investors that the company is expanding its commercial organization and upgrading its management team to become more responsive to customers. At the…

O. Rose Broderick reports on health policy and technology governing the lives of people with disabilities. Before coming to STAT, she worked at WNYC’s Radiolab and Scientific American. Her article debunking false theories about transgender children was nominated for a 2024 GLAAD Media Award. You can access Rose On Signal at rosebroderick.11.Ketamine treatment clinics proliferated after the Food and Drug Administration approved ketamine as a treatment for acute depression in 2019, leading to the westward expansion of IV clinics that have made treatment available to many Americans without much regulation. Healthcare providers are divided on whether ketamine should be used…

Reusable masks promise protection, but new research reveals they can silently release toxic metals into waterways, raising urgent questions about their environmental cost. Research: Washable face masks: an emerging source of metal and nanoparticle pollution in aquatic environments. Image credit: learesphoto/Shutterstock.com Washable face masks marketed as containing metal nanoparticles are increasingly being used due to their touted antibacterial properties. recent papers environment and health reveals the other side of the story. These masks can be a source of metal contamination in the aquatic environment unless disposed of properly. This highlights the need for regulation throughout the lifecycle. Metal nanoparticles accumulate…

Researchers have discovered a powerful genetic mechanism that may help explain how some species evolve at surprising rates. Certain parts of the DNA, known as “flipping” segments, appear to help fish quickly adapt to new environments or split into entirely new species. These genetic traits act like evolutionary accelerators, conserving useful traits and accelerating change. One of biology’s biggest questions is how Earth came to be home to such a wide range of plants and animals. The cichlids of Lake Malawi, located in East Africa, are a notable example. In this single lake, more than 800 species emerged from a…

From the Mediterranean diet to probiotics, scientists reveal how rebuilding the gut microbiome can help protect brain function and highlight why timing is critical to slowing cognitive decline. Research: Association between gut microbiota and cognitive decline: a systematic review of the literature. Image credit: Toa55/Shutterstock.com The gut-brain axis is gaining importance as a factor regulating the health of brain function. recent papers nutrition research synthesized evidence from Literature shows multiple approaches to manipulating the gut microbiome share common biological pathways to improve cognitive performance in adults aged 45 and older Have cognitive impairment or are at risk of dementia. Aging…

Simple fiber supplements may reshape the gut microbiome, stabilize blood sugar spikes, and even prevent premature birth in high-risk pregnancies, providing a promising new avenue for precision prenatal care. study: Dietary fiber supplementation reduces the risk of gestational diabetes and preterm birth through modulation of the gut microbiota: a randomized controlled trial. Image credit: dilyaz/Shutterstock.com new research in Frontiers of endocrinology We evaluated the effectiveness of soluble dietary fiber supplementation in altering glucose metabolism and pregnancy outcome during pregnancy by modulating gut microbiota. Gestational diabetes and fiber-mediated microbiome regulation during pregnancy Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of high…