Author: healthadmin
Oceanographers often point out that scientists have mapped the surfaces of the Moon and Mars in more detail than much of Earth’s deep ocean. This contrast is particularly striking in the Bismarck Sea, north of Papua New Guinea, despite its incredible geological complexity. The region includes faults, volcanic structures, fissures, scarps, and active subduction and spreading zones, many of which are located at depths that make detailed sonar mapping extremely difficult. This lack of knowledge became especially clear when satellites detected signs of an unexpected undersea volcanic eruption in the central Bismarck Sea on May 8, 2026. Researchers believe the…
Intestinal parasites may help reduce inflammation, but new research suggests they can only do so if they have enough dietary fiber to thrive. Without enough fiber, these nematodes enter a hibernation-like state and lose their ability to provide anti-inflammatory effects. The survey results are nature communicationsby parasitologists at the Center for Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Why scientists study intestinal parasites For most of human history, intestinal parasites were a normal part of the digestive system. However, in developed countries, improvements in hygiene and modern medicine have made this less common. During the same period, autoimmune diseases and…
Recent research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The results suggest that individual cells in the human brain have computational capabilities far greater than those found in other mammals. By applying artificial intelligence to model these brain cells, scientists have discovered that human neurons are highly sophisticated information processing units in their own right. These findings provide evidence that humans’ unique cognitive abilities may derive from the complex structure and function of individual cells, not just the vast number of cells within brain networks. The brain is made up of billions of individual cells called neurons, which…
As more states legalize marijuana, many people believe it is relatively safe. But when it comes to cancer, the picture is less clear. Although it has long been established that smoking is a major cause of lung cancer, scientists are still working to understand exactly how marijuana affects cancer risk, said Brooks Yudelsman, M.D., a thoracic surgeon at Keck Medicine at the University of Southern California. Researchers continue to investigate whether smoking marijuana increases the chance of developing cancer. A recent Keck Medicine study led by Niels Kokot, M.D., an otolaryngologist at the Caruso Department of Otolaryngology and Head and…
People are often treated as unreliable narrators of their own pasts, and this skepticism persists, especially when it comes to emotionally charged childhood experiences. Researchers have long worried that memories of abuse and neglect can change depending on a person’s mood, mental health, and current circumstances, meaning that what someone tells a researcher, doctor, or social worker one year may not match what they say the next year. Our new research published in Nature Mental Health suggests these fears may be overblown. We found that reports of child maltreatment remained very stable over time, at least over several years. Child…
An analysis of Swedish twin registry data found that twin pairs in which at least one twin reported a history of psychedelic use were 50% less likely to suffer from migraines compared to twin pairs with no history of psychedelic use. Among twin pairs, twins who reported using psychedelics were almost three times less likely to suffer from migraines than twins who did not use psychedelics. The paper was published in. Journal of Psychopharmacology. Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by repeated attacks of moderate to severe headache, often accompanied by additional sensory and gastrointestinal symptoms. This pain is generally…
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s pick to oversee public health emergency and disaster preparedness and response has questioned the use of the hepatitis B vaccine in infants and debunked the vaccine’s link to autism, in past comments reviewed by STAT. The comments by Sean Kaufman, the nominee for assistant secretary for preparedness and response, are part of an undercurrent of vaccine skepticism among some senior Department of Health and Human Services officials, from Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. down, despite efforts by White House officials to shift the conversation away from vaccines. STAT Plus: Bill Cassidy risked his legacy. May…
Federal regulators have postponed a major overhaul of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security rules and delayed final action on the rules by a year. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proposing to release a final rule in May 2026 that would make significant changes to the HIPAA Security Rule, marking the first major update to the 23-year-old rule in more than a decade. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) website has been updated to show that the final rule has been postponed to July 2027. The Biden administration has issued a…
Recent research published in journals neuropsychology Our results suggest that greater physical organization in six specific areas of the brain predicts better working memory in middle-aged and older adults. These findings provide evidence that preserving brain structure as we age supports our ability to temporarily retain and manipulate information. This knowledge may ultimately lead to new strategies to slow cognitive decline in aging populations. Working memory is a mental workspace that allows people to temporarily store and process information. People rely on this cognitive skill for everyday tasks such as decision-making, learning new things, reading comprehension, and mental arithmetic. However,…
Health tech startup Pearl Health has raised $110 million in a combination of debt and equity funding to build an artificial intelligence platform for Medicare providers that includes an AI agent to handle administrative tasks. Founded in November 2020, the company provides technology that helps healthcare providers deliver preemptive care to Medicare patients through AI-powered predictive insights, financial risk modeling, and streamlined workflows. Pearl said it supports a network of more than 10,000 health care providers in more than 40 states, including health systems such as University of Vermont Health and MDX Hawaii, and cares for more than 250,000 Medicare…