Diseases and Conditions News

March 17, 2026

Top Headlines

Scientists Finally Reveal How This Alzheimer’s Drug Really Works

Mar. 17, 2026 A key Alzheimer’s drug has finally revealed its secret. Researchers discovered that lecanemab works by activating the brain’s immune cells—but only through a specific part of the antibody called the Fc fragment. This piece acts like a trigger, ...

DNA Origami Vaccines Could Be the Next Leap Beyond MRNA

Mar. 17, 2026 mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during COVID-19 but have limitations like waning immunity and complex production. Scientists are now testing a new platform called DoriVac, which uses folded DNA nanostructures to better control how the immune ...

ADHD Brains Show Sleep-like Activity Even While Awake

Mar. 17, 2026 Researchers have identified a surprising brain pattern that may help explain why people with ADHD often struggle to stay focused. Even while awake, their brains can slip into brief episodes of “sleep-like” activity during demanding tasks. These ...

Fixing a Tooth Infection May Improve Blood Sugar and Heart Health

Mar. 17, 2026 A new clinical study suggests that successful root canal treatment may benefit more than just dental health. Patients treated for infected teeth showed improved blood sugar control, healthier cholesterol levels, and reduced inflammation over time. ...

Scientists Inject One Tumor and Watch Cancer Vanish Across the Body

Mar. 16, 2026 A redesigned cancer immunotherapy is showing striking early results after decades of disappointment with similar drugs. Researchers engineered a more powerful CD40 agonist antibody and changed how it’s delivered—injecting it directly into tumors ...

Common Pesticide May More Than Double Parkinson’s Disease Risk

Mar. 16, 2026 A new UCLA Health study suggests that long-term exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos may dramatically raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Researchers found that people living in areas with sustained exposure had more than 2.5 times the ...

Just 24 Minutes of Specially Designed Music Could Significantly Reduce Anxiety

Mar. 16, 2026 A clinical trial found that listening to specially designed music with auditory beat stimulation can significantly reduce anxiety. Among several listening lengths tested, a 24-minute session ...

Cells Can Sense 10x Farther Than Expected and It May Explain Cancer Spread

Mar. 16, 2026 Scientists have discovered that cells can sense far beyond the surfaces they touch. While individual cancer cells can probe about 10 microns ahead by tugging on surrounding collagen fibers, clusters of normal epithelial cells can combine forces to ...

Scientists Create a Cancer Flashlight That Lights Up Tumors

Mar. 16, 2026 Researchers have developed a tiny antibody that can find a common cancer protein and make tumors light up during PET scans. In tests with mice, tumors containing the protein EphA2 glowed clearly when the antibody was used. This could help doctors ...

MIT Scientists Discover Gut Protein That Traps and Kills Dangerous Bacteria

Mar. 16, 2026 Scientists at MIT have discovered that a little-known protein called intelectin-2 plays a powerful double role in defending the gut. The protein strengthens the mucus layer that lines the gastrointestinal tract while also trapping and disabling ...

Millions of Kids Take Melatonin but Doctors Are Raising Red Flags

Mar. 15, 2026 Melatonin is now widely used to help children sleep, but scientists say the enthusiasm may be getting ahead of the evidence. A major review found clear benefits for children with conditions like autism and ADHD, yet far less data exists for typical ...

Scientists Tested Vitamin D for COVID and Found an Unexpected Long COVID Clue

Mar. 15, 2026 A major clinical trial has delivered an unexpected twist in the search for ways to fight COVID-19 and its lingering effects. Researchers at Mass General Brigham found that taking high doses of ...

Latest Headlines

updated 7:50am EDT

The Financial Crisis That Quietly Stunted a Generation

Mar. 15, 2026 When the Asian financial crisis sent rice prices soaring in Indonesia in the late 1990s, the shock didn’t just strain household budgets—it left lasting marks on children’s bodies. Researchers ...

Fathers’ Tobacco Use Linked to Metabolic Changes in Their Children

Mar. 15, 2026 A new study in mice suggests that a father’s nicotine exposure could influence the metabolic health of his children. Researchers found that when male mice consumed nicotine, their offspring showed ...

Scientists Discover ALS Protein That Links DNA Repair to Cancer and Dementia

Mar. 15, 2026 A protein tied to ALS and dementia may have a much bigger role in disease than scientists realized. Researchers found that TDP43 controls a key DNA ...

Hidden Deep-Sea Proteins Could Supercharge Disease Tests

Mar. 14, 2026 Hidden in volcanic lakes and deep-sea vents, scientists have discovered tough new DNA-binding proteins built to survive extreme conditions. After scanning huge genetic databases, researchers found ...

How Often Do People Really Fart? Scientists Built Smart Underwear to Find out

Mar. 14, 2026 Researchers have created “Smart Underwear,” a wearable device that measures flatulence by detecting hydrogen produced by gut microbes. Early ...

Textbooks Were Wrong: Scientists Reveal the Surprising Way Human Hair Really Grows

Mar. 14, 2026 Hair may grow in a completely different way than scientists once believed. Instead of being pushed out from the root, new research shows that moving ...

A Lab Mistake at Cambridge Reveals a Powerful New Way to Modify Drug Molecules

Mar. 14, 2026 Cambridge scientists have discovered a light-powered chemical reaction that lets researchers modify complex drug molecules at the final stages of ...

Gut Bacteria That Make Serotonin May Hold the Key to IBS

Mar. 13, 2026 Researchers have identified two gut bacteria that can produce serotonin, a key chemical that regulates bowel movements. In experiments with mice lacking serotonin, the microbes boosted serotonin ...

Microplastics May Be Quietly Damaging Your Brain and Fueling Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Mar. 13, 2026 Tiny plastic particles may be quietly threatening brain health. New research suggests microplastics—now widely found in food, water, and even ...

Study Finds Two Types of Colon Polyps Can Raise Bowel Cancer Risk Fivefold

Mar. 13, 2026 Researchers studying over 8,400 colonoscopies discovered that having both adenomas and serrated polyps in the bowel can raise the risk of serious precancerous changes by up to five times. These two ...

Severe COVID or Flu May Raise Lung Cancer Risk Years Later

Mar. 13, 2026 A severe case of COVID-19 or influenza could increase the risk of lung cancer later on, according to new research. Scientists discovered that serious viral infections can alter immune cells in the ...

Depression May Start With an Energy Problem in Brain Cells

Mar. 12, 2026 Researchers have discovered a surprising change in how cells produce energy in people with depression. Brain and blood cells in young adults with major depressive disorder produced more energy ...

Cannabis Study Finds THC Can Create False Memories

Mar. 11, 2026 THC doesn’t just blur memories—it can create new ones that never happened. In a controlled experiment, cannabis users were much more likely to recall words that were never shown and struggled ...

A Surprising Blood Protein Pattern May Reveal Alzheimer’s

Mar. 12, 2026 A new study suggests Alzheimer’s disease may be detectable through subtle shape changes in proteins found in the blood. Researchers discovered that structural differences in three blood proteins ...

Hidden Metabolism Found Operating Inside the Cell Nucleus

Mar. 9, 2026 Researchers have found hundreds of metabolic enzymes attached to human DNA inside the cell nucleus. Different tissues and cancers show unique patterns of these enzymes, forming a “nuclear metabolic ...

Brain Scans Reveal How Ketamine Quickly Lifts Severe Depression

Mar. 8, 2026 A new brain-imaging study has revealed how ketamine produces its fast antidepressant effects in people with treatment-resistant depression. Researchers tracked changes in a critical brain receptor ...

A New “magic Mushroom” Drug Could Treat Depression Without Psychedelic Hallucinations

Mar. 8, 2026 Scientists are exploring a new way to harness the medical promise of psychedelic compounds without the mind-bending side effects. Researchers created modified versions of psilocin — the active form ...

Parents’ Stress May Be Quietly Driving Childhood Obesity, Yale Study Finds

Mar. 8, 2026 A Yale study found that lowering parent stress can help protect young children from obesity. When parents practiced mindfulness and stress-management skills, their kids showed healthier eating ...

Scientists Turn Brain Cells Into Alzheimer’s Plaque Cleaners

Mar. 11, 2026 Scientists have developed a promising new approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease by turning ordinary brain cells into powerful plaque-clearing machines. Instead of requiring frequent antibody ...

Scientists Discover Hidden Brain Cells That May Stop Alzheimer’s Tau Buildup

Mar. 8, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising new role for little-known brain cells called tanycytes that may influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease. These specialized cells appear to help ...

Cannabis Compounds CBD and CBG May Help Reverse Fatty Liver Disease, Study Finds

Mar. 6, 2026 CBD and CBG, two non-intoxicating cannabis compounds, may help combat fatty liver disease by boosting liver energy reserves and restoring cellular cleanup systems. In the study, both compounds ...

Scientists Discover a Brain Signal That May Trigger Autism’s Domino Effect

Mar. 7, 2026 Researchers have uncovered a surprising molecular chain reaction in the brain that may play a role in some forms of autism. The study suggests that nitric oxide, a tiny signaling molecule normally ...

Boosting a Key Brain Protein Could Help Treat Rett Syndrome

Mar. 6, 2026 Researchers have discovered a new way to increase a key brain protein damaged in Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects thousands of children worldwide. Early studies in mice and ...

Scientists Discover the Brain Protein That Drives Cocaine Relapse

Mar. 6, 2026 Cocaine addiction isn’t simply a failure of willpower — it’s the result of lasting biological changes in the brain. Researchers at Michigan State University discovered that repeated cocaine use ...

AI Blood Test Finds Silent Liver Disease Years Before Symptoms

Mar. 6, 2026 Researchers created an AI-driven liquid biopsy that scans patterns in fragments of DNA circulating in the blood. The system detected early liver fibrosis and cirrhosis—conditions that often go ...

New Drug Cuts Seizures by Up to 91% in Children With Rare Epilepsy

Mar. 4, 2026 A new experimental drug is showing remarkable promise for children with Dravet syndrome, a severe genetic form of epilepsy. In clinical trials, the treatment zorevunersen cut seizures by as much as ...

Ozempic-Like Weight Loss Drugs May Help the Heart Recover After a Heart Attack

Mar. 4, 2026 Popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro may do more than help people shed pounds. New research suggests these GLP-1 medications could also help protect the heart after a heart ...

Laser Printed Hydrogel Implant Could Transform Bone Repair

Mar. 3, 2026 When a bone break is too severe to heal on its own, surgeons often rely on grafts or rigid metal implants — but both come with serious drawbacks. Now, researchers at ETH Zurich have created a ...

Scientists Find the Genetic Switch That Makes Pancreatic Cancer Resist Chemotherapy

Mar. 3, 2026 Scientists have identified a crucial molecular switch that decides whether pancreatic cancer cells resist chemotherapy or respond to it. The key player, a gene called GATA6, keeps tumours in a more ...

A Simple Hand Photo May Be the Key to Detecting a Serious Disease

Mar. 4, 2026 Researchers at Kobe University have developed an AI system that can detect acromegaly, a rare hormone disorder, by analyzing photos of the back of the hand and a clenched fist. The disease often ...