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New Epigenetic Study Discovers Inheritance Patterns That Defy Mendel's Laws

Scientists have long known that the DNA code in genes is not the only way to pass genetic traits from parents to offspring.

21 May 2026

How Minimal Medical Care Shifts Amazonian Villagers' Unique Gut Bacteria

Even minimal exposure to modern medicine can rapidly change the human microbiome. In a new study publishing May 20 in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports, researchers reveal that the gut microbes of remote Amazonian Indigenous communities began shifting toward patterns more commonly seen in urban, industrialized populations after only a few medical visits.

21 May 2026

Novel Synthetic Molecules Attack Cell Membranes to Prevent Severe Bacterial Infections

In a new study, researchers show how so‑called TriPcides can target the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, including antibiotic‑resistant strains such as MRSA. The compounds disrupt the bacteria's ability to cause infection and can also kill dormant bacterial cells, which are often difficult to treat with existing antibiotics.

20 May 2026

Researchers Compare Embryonic and Adult Mouse Brain Targets to Map Memory Networks

A peer-reviewed invited review published today in Genomic Psychiatry argues that the adult brain, when it learns and remembers and rewires, is not inventing something new.

20 May 2026

Insects, Microbes, and Food Waste May Be the Answer to the Global Food Crisis

This review examines how minimally processed foods, plant-based alternatives, functional foods, novel protein sources, and food waste valorization could help build healthier and more sustainable food systems. It highlights their potential to improve nutrition, reduce environmental pressures, and strengthen food security, while noting barriers around cost, regulation, safety, labelling, scalability, and consumer acceptance.

19 May 2026

Can Everyday Supplements Lead to Failed Anti-Doping Tests?

Researchers developed a high-throughput LC-MS/MS platform that screened 331 pharmacologically active compounds and quantitatively validated 214 analytes across representative food matrices. Applied to 78 commercial foods and supplements, the framework showed that some products could produce modeled urinary concentrations exceeding WADA reporting thresholds under realistic intake scenarios.

19 May 2026

Study Explores How Highly Infectious TB Cases Drive Transmission

Superspreading became a familiar concept to many during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior studies examining infectious disease epidemics, including those on COVID-19, have found that some individuals are much more likely to transmit infections to other people.

15 May 2026

Study Reveals Asymptomatic Mpox Infections Drive Transmission Among Men

A Kaiser Permanente study of nearly 8,000 men shows that in mid- to late 2024, mpox was far more common among men who have sex with men than previously thought.

15 May 2026

Comprehensive Wastewater Genomics Detects All Oncogenic Viruses Concurrently

A study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology is the first comprehensive approach to detect all known cancer-causing or oncogenic viruses concurrently by analyzing viral genomes in wastewater.

15 May 2026

Genetic Study Identifies Key Cause of Juvenile Glaucoma Risk

A major international study led by Flinders University has identified a genetic contributor to juvenile glaucoma.

8 May 2026

New Epigenetic Marker Reveals Lasting Impact of Arsenic Exposure

Public health experts estimate that more than 200 million people worldwide are exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water.

5 May 2026

Genomic Tool TRACS Improves Tracking of Microbial Transmission Patterns

The research, published today (24 April) in Nature Microbiology, describes how the new tool, called TRAnsmision Clustering of Strains (TRACS), uses genomics to distinguish between closely related bacterial strains.

4 May 2026

Host Genetics and Sex Shape Evolution of Viral Virulence

During the early stages of a pandemic, viruses tend to evolve in ways that enhance their ability to reproduce and spread, rather than to evade the host's immune system.

4 May 2026

Long Read Sequencing Uncovers Telomere Length Variation Across Chromosomes

In a new proof-of-concept study published in Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Chicago analyzed genomic data from more than 2,500 participants in the national All of Us research program to estimate chromosome-specific telomere length (csTL).

30 Apr 2026

Key Protein Switch Activates Leptospira Virulence and Disease Spread

During infection, pathogens must adapt quickly to the conditions to thrive inside the body. A research team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has uncovered how a key protein switches on the machinery that enables Leptospira pathogens to survive and cause disease.

28 Apr 2026

Genetic Study Reveals Biological Drivers of Frailty in Aging

Researchers at McMaster University have identified, for the first time, a novel region of DNA and two associated genes connected to frailty, offering neurological and immune-related insights that might help explain why some older adults are more likely to be frail than others.

22 Apr 2026

Is Fast Food Harming the Gut Health of Seagulls? We Could be About to Find Out

A brand new study looking at the impact of fast food on the gut health of seagulls has just won funding from the Royal Society.

22 Apr 2026

"Zombie" Macrophages Accumulate in Aging Tissues and Diseased Livers

UCLA researchers have identified a rogue population of immune cells that quietly accumulates in aging tissues and in the livers of people with fatty liver disease. Clearing these cells, they found, dramatically reduced inflammation and reversed liver damage in mice - even while the animals remained on an unhealthy diet.

16 Apr 2026

Largest Genetic Study Reveals New Biological Clues for Severe Pregnancy Sickness

The USC research team that recently identified the hormone-encoding gene GDF15 as a key driver of pregnancy sickness has identified 9 additional genes linked to its most severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).

15 Apr 2026

Early Epigenetic Changes and Gut Microbiome Interact to Shape Neurodevelopment

The gut microbiome and epigenetics-molecular switches that turn genes on or off-are intertwined, and both contribute to neurodevelopment, finds a study publishing April 10 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue.

13 Apr 2026