Author: healthadmin

A new type of electromagnetic thruster has successfully completed initial tests at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), offering a glimpse of how astronauts could one day reach Mars. If the technology is further developed, it could also power robotic missions throughout the solar system. On February 24, engineers at JPL in Southern California conducted a large-scale test of an experimental engine, firing it at a higher power level than similar tests previously conducted in the United States. The thrusters run on lithium metal vapor and represent a major advance in electric propulsion. This first test pushed the prototype beyond the…

The winter of 2026 came to a dramatic end in southern Alaska. Coastal areas experienced cooler than average temperatures and periods of moderate to heavy snow. From above, a noticeable cloud formation spread over the nearby ocean, revealing just how unstable the atmospheric conditions were. On March 19, 2026, the last day of astronomical winter, a NASA satellite captured a remarkable image of the spectacle. NOAA’s weather briefing described a combination of low pressure over the Gulf of Alaska and high pressure across eastern Russia and northern Alaska. This pattern pushed frigid Arctic air southeast over the Alaska Peninsula. How…

Many people take a break from social media apps like Facebook and Instagram to try to improve their mental health. A comprehensive new review of existing data reveals that abandoning these platforms altogether doesn’t actually make people feel better or worse. The study was published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports. In an increasingly connected world, digital platforms shape how individuals communicate and form relationships. Many users experience both the benefits and drawbacks of this always-on connection. People often report feeling distracted, stressed, and jealous of others online. Psychologists sometimes refer to this situation as the mobile connectivity paradox. Digital…

After a firestorm that led to a lawsuit, the nonprofit health system reversed plans to replace Oregon’s emergency physicians with nationwide emergency physicians. PeaceHealth’s Wednesday announcement did not specify what prompted the policy change, but people familiar with the situation said it was because the health system’s plan was poised to lose a legal challenge. When PeaceHealth announced in February that it was severing ties with Eugene Emergency Physicians, a local organization that has staffed Oregon hospitals for 35 years, the news prompted significant backlash from doctors, nurses, legislators, mayors, and emergency medical organizations. And on March 20, Eugene emergency…

Neuroscientists at MIT have discovered a surprising feature of the adult brain. It contains millions of “silent synapses”. These are immature connections between neurons that remain inactive until they are needed to form a new memory. For many years, scientists believed that these silent synapses existed only during the early stages of development, when the brain is rapidly learning about the world. However, the MIT team found that in adult mice, approximately 30 percent of the synapses in the brain cortex are still silent. This suggests that the adult brain stores large amounts of unused connections that can be activated…

Since its creation by the FDA nearly a year ago, the Commissioner’s National Preference Voucher (CNPV) program has been embroiled in controversy as a potential tool for government officials to favor and reward political allies in the biopharmaceutical industry. Sanofi is currently requesting that one of its applications be removed from the fast track program, according to a report from the statistics office. The French pharmaceutical giant has asked the company to remove its diabetes drug Twyld’s expanded use application from the CNPV track after Tracy Beth Hogue, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, reversed…

The White House’s new strategy to address the nation’s drug crisis calls for a number of agreed-upon public health measures, including the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, medication-assisted treatment, and test strips used to detect fentanyl and other drug supply contaminants. However, the May 4 document appears to contradict many of the Trump administration’s latest drug policy actions. Notably, the move comes just days after the government imposed new restrictions on using federal funds to distribute test strips and warned against using drug treatments unless accompanied by other services, such as counseling. The document, published annually by the White House Office of…

People with high levels of borderline personality traits often have trouble thinking flexibly and staying focused when faced with negative emotions. Recent research published in Psychiatric research: neuroimaging These people experienced clear disruptions to their brain activity and found it difficult to ignore angry faces during difficult mental tasks. This study provides a biological window into why negative emotions can unexpectedly interfere with unrelated mental efforts for people at risk for borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder involves extreme emotional instability, impulsive behavior, and difficulty managing interpersonal relationships. A core component of this mental condition is a deficit in cognitive…

To better deploy field resources, FDA is kicking off a new pilot program under which regulators are leveraging “one-day inspection assessments” to supplement traditional field visits. The new strategy, which aims to make the agency’s testing resources “more targeted and efficient,” relies on shorter, more focused test evaluations, according to a May 6 press release. The data collected through the rapid assessment can be used to pinpoint recurring compliance themes, manufacturing facility-specific risk scores, and discrepancies regarding a facility’s registration practices, which could help coordinate future oversight efforts, FDA said. The agency has been rolling out pilots since April across…

California youth consistently perceive marijuana to be less harmful than other commonly used substances, according to a new study that analyzed data from two large statewide school surveys. Dr. Xu Hong Zhu, from the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Sciences at the University of California, San Diego, and her co-authors investigated how teens view the risks of regular and occasional use of cannabis compared to alcohol, nicotine e-cigarettes, and cigarettes, based on responses from more than 175,000 students across surveys conducted in 2019-2020 and 2024. The findings show a clear and persistent pattern. Cannabis is considered…