Health & Medicine News

October 9, 2025

Top Headlines

A Hidden “Backup Heater” That Helps Burn Fat and Boost Metabolism

Oct. 9, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered a surprising new way the body can burn energy and stay warm. Deep inside fat tissue, they found a hidden system that helps the body use up calories, even without exercise. By studying mice, researchers discovered that brown ...

Common Medications May Secretly Rewire Your Gut for Years

Oct. 9, 2025 — Drugs taken years—even decades—ago can leave lasting imprints on the gut microbiome, reshaping the community of microbes long after treatment stops. Scientists analyzing over 2,500 Estonian Biobank samples discovered that antibiotics aren’t ...

Scientists Suggest the Brain May Work Best with 7 Senses, Not Just 5

Oct. 8, 2025 — Scientists at Skoltech developed a new mathematical model of memory that explores how information is encoded and stored. Their analysis suggests that memory works best in a seven-dimensional conceptual space — equivalent to having seven senses. ...

Scientists Just Found a Molecule That Could Stop Parkinson’s in Its Tracks

Oct. 8, 2025 — Researchers have designed a peptide that prevents the deadly misfolding of alpha-synuclein, the protein behind Parkinson’s and some dementias. In lab and animal tests, it stabilized the protein and ...

New Pill Could Finally Control Stubborn High Blood Pressure

Oct. 8, 2025 — A new pill called baxdrostat may offer hope for people whose blood pressure stays high even after taking standard medications. In a recent study, the drug lowered blood pressure and also seemed to protect the kidneys by reducing signs of damage. ...

Scientists Reveal Green Tea’s Fat-burning Secret

Oct. 8, 2025 — New research shows green tea may help the body burn fat and balance blood sugar. In a study with obese mice, it improved metabolism and muscle health without harming lean animals. Scientists say its powerful plant compounds work together to regulate ...

The Hidden Denisovan Gene That Helped Humans Conquer a New World

Oct. 7, 2025 — Ancient humans crossing the Bering Strait into the Americas carried more than tools and determination—they also carried a genetic legacy from Denisovans, an extinct human relative. A new study reveals that a mysterious gene called MUC19, inherited ...

Bacteria Hidden Inside Tumors Could Help Beat Cancer

Oct. 7, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that bacteria living inside tumors can produce a molecule that fights cancer and enhances chemotherapy. The molecule, called 2-methylisocitrate (2-MiCit), was found to make colorectal cancer cells more vulnerable to ...

A Psychedelic Surprise: DMT Helps the Brain Heal After Stroke

Oct. 7, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that DMT, a natural compound found in plants and even the human brain, can dramatically reduce brain damage caused by stroke. The psychoactive molecule, long known for its hallucinogenic effects, restored the blood-brain ...

Scientists Finally Reveal What’s Behind Long COVID’s Mysterious Brain Fog

Oct. 7, 2025 — Researchers in Japan have pinpointed a biological cause of Long COVID brain fog using advanced PET brain imaging. They discovered widespread increases in AMPA receptor density linked to cognitive ...

Scientists Find Brain Circuit That Traps Alcohol Users in the Vicious Cycle of Addiction

Oct. 7, 2025 — Addiction often isn’t about chasing pleasure—it’s about escaping pain. Researchers at Scripps Research have discovered that a tiny brain region called the paraventricular nucleus of the ...

Nanotech Transforms Vinegar Into a Lifesaving Superbug Killer

Oct. 6, 2025 — Researchers have enhanced vinegar’s antibacterial properties by infusing it with cobalt-based carbon nanoparticles. This nano-boosted solution kills harmful bacteria from both inside and outside their cells while remaining safe for humans. Tests ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:06pm EDT

You Don’t Have to Lose Weight to Lower Your Diabetes Risk, Scientists Say

Oct. 6, 2025 — A major study from Tübingen found that prediabetic individuals who normalized their blood sugar through healthy habits — even without shedding pounds — cut their risk of type 2 diabetes by 71%. ...

New Research Reveals What’s Really Hiding in Bottled Water

Oct. 6, 2025 — A chance encounter with plastic waste on a tropical beach sparked a deep investigation into what those fragments mean for human health. The research reveals that bottled water isn’t as pure as it ...

Scientists Find Hidden Brain Damage Behind Dementia

Oct. 6, 2025 — A University of New Mexico scientist is revealing what might be one of the most overlooked causes of dementia — damage in the brain’s tiny blood vessels. Dr. Elaine Bearer has created a new way ...

It’s Not Just Genes — Parents Can Pass Down Longevity Another Way

Oct. 6, 2025 — Scientists studying tiny roundworms have uncovered how the secrets of a long life can be passed from parents to their offspring — without changing DNA. The discovery shows that when certain ...

Would You Eat Yogurt Made With Ants? Scientists Did

Oct. 6, 2025 — In a remarkable blend of science and tradition, researchers have revived an old Balkan and Turkish yogurt-making technique that uses ants as natural fermenters. The ants’ bacteria, acids, and ...

Nearly Half of Drivers Killed in Crashes Had THC in Their Blood

Oct. 5, 2025 — Over 40% of fatal crash victims had THC levels far above legal limits, showing cannabis use before driving remains widespread. The rate didn’t drop after legalization, suggesting policy changes ...

Brain Cancer That Eats the Skull Stuns Scientists

Oct. 5, 2025 — A new study shows glioblastoma isn’t confined to the brain—it erodes the skull and hijacks the immune system within skull marrow. The cancer opens channels that let inflammatory cells enter the ...

Why the Brain’s GPS Fails With Age, and How Some Minds Defy It

Oct. 5, 2025 — Stanford scientists found that aging disrupts the brain’s internal navigation system in mice, mirroring spatial memory decline in humans. Older mice struggled to recall familiar locations, while a ...

Why Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t the Real Villain Behind Overeating

Oct. 5, 2025 — Researchers from Leeds found that overeating is driven more by what people believe about food than by its actual ingredients or level of processing. Foods perceived as fatty, sweet, or highly ...

Strong Friendships May Literally Slow Aging at the Cellular Level

Oct. 5, 2025 — Scientists discovered that lifelong social support can slow biological aging. Using DNA-based “epigenetic clocks,” they found that people with richer, more sustained relationships showed younger ...

Hidden Cellular “power Switch” Could Transform Parkinson’s Treatment

Oct. 4, 2025 — Researchers uncovered a key cellular regulator, PP2A-B55alpha, that controls both the cleanup of damaged mitochondria and the creation of new ones. In Parkinson’s disease models, reducing this ...

This “chaos Enzyme” May Hold the Key to Stopping Cancer Spread

Oct. 4, 2025 — A Weill Cornell Medicine team has found that triple-negative breast cancer depends on the enzyme EZH2 to spread. By silencing key genes, EZH2 drives chaotic cell divisions and fuels metastasis. ...

Fat May Secretly Fuel Alzheimer’s, New Research Finds

Oct. 3, 2025 — New research from Houston Methodist reveals how obesity may directly drive Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists discovered that tiny messengers released by fat tissue, called extracellular vesicles, can ...

A Single Dose of Psilocybin May Rewire the Brain for Lasting Relief

Oct. 2, 2025 — Penn researchers found that psilocybin can calm brain circuits tied to pain and mood, easing both physical suffering and emotional distress in animal studies. The compound works in the anterior ...

The Invisible Chemical in the Air That Could Be Raising Parkinson’s Risk

Oct. 3, 2025 — A massive nationwide study has linked long-term exposure to the industrial chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease in older adults. Researchers examined over 1.1 ...

Scientists Just Cracked the Mystery of Why Cancer Immunotherapy Fails

Oct. 3, 2025 — Ohio State researchers have discovered that exhausted T cells collapse under the weight of misfolded proteins, activating a destructive stress response called TexPSR. Unlike normal stress systems, ...

A Flu Test You Can Chew

Oct. 3, 2025 — Flu detection could soon be as simple as chewing gum. Scientists have created a molecular sensor that releases a thyme-like flavor when it encounters influenza, offering a low-tech, taste-based ...

DOLPHIN AI Uncovers Hundreds of Invisible Cancer Markers

Oct. 1, 2025 — A new AI tool called DOLPHIN exposes hidden genetic markers inside single cells, enabling earlier detection and more precise treatment choices. It also sets the stage for building virtual models of ...

Scientists Discover Hidden Protein That Switches Off Hunger

Oct. 5, 2025 — Researchers have uncovered how a protein called MRAP2 acts as a key regulator of hunger. It helps move the appetite receptor MC4R to the cell’s surface, allowing it to send stronger “stop ...

Poor Sleep Speeds Brain Aging and May Raise Dementia Risk

Oct. 2, 2025 — New research shows that poor sleep could make the brain appear years older than it really is. Using MRI scans and machine learning, scientists found a clear link between unhealthy sleep patterns and ...

Black Mamba Venom Has a Deadly Hidden Second Strike

Sep. 30, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered a dangerous hidden feature in Black Mamba venom that explains why antivenoms sometimes fail. The study revealed that several mamba species launch a dual neurological attack, ...

Long Commutes and Small Homes Are Wrecking Sleep

Sep. 30, 2025 — Tokyo residents face a trade-off between home size and commute time when it comes to sleep health. A new study shows longer commutes increase both insomnia and daytime sleepiness, while smaller ...

Why Gen X Women Can’t Stop Eating Ultra-Processed Foods

Sep. 29, 2025 — Researchers found that middle-aged adults, especially women, are far more likely to be addicted to ultra-processed foods than older generations. Marketing of diet-focused processed foods in the 1980s ...

Simple Blood Test Predicts Liver Disease Years Before Symptoms

Sep. 29, 2025 — Researchers in Sweden and Finland have created the CORE model, a simple blood test that predicts liver disease risk with striking accuracy. Unlike current methods, it works for the general population ...

Stunning Images Reveal How Antibiotics Shatter Bacterial Defenses

Sep. 29, 2025 — Researchers have revealed how polymyxins, crucial last-resort antibiotics, break down bacterial armor by forcing cells to overproduce and shed it. Astonishingly, the drugs only kill bacteria when ...

New Inhaler Halves Childhood Asthma Attacks

Sep. 28, 2025 — A groundbreaking international study has shown that a 2-in-1 budesonide-formoterol inhaler is far more effective than the standard salbutamol inhaler in children with mild asthma, cutting attacks by ...

Fruit Might Be the Surprising Key to Healthier Lungs

Sep. 28, 2025 — Eating more fruit could help protect lungs from air pollution damage, particularly in women. Researchers point to antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in fruit as possible defenses against ...

Doctors Tested a Common Drug on COVID. The Results Are Stunning

Sep. 28, 2025 — Inhaled heparin significantly lowers the risk of death and ventilation in COVID-19 patients while also showing potential against other respiratory infections. With its unique triple-action benefits, ...

Millions Could Be Living With Hidden Smell Loss After COVID Without Knowing

Oct. 3, 2025 — A massive NIH-backed study reveals that COVID-19’s toll on smell may be more widespread and lasting than most realize. Even patients without noticeable symptoms often performed poorly on scent ...

Scientists Uncover How to Block Pain Without Side Effects

Sep. 26, 2025 — Scientists have discovered a way to block pain while still allowing the body’s natural healing to take place. Current painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin often come with harmful side effects ...