Can The Electronic Nose Detect Stale Food?

Did you think that the milk in your fridge smells a little off but somehow you don't want to dump it down the drain just yet? A few scientists at the University of California, Berkeley may have just invented the solution: an electronic nose.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 48 million Americans get sick with a foodborne illness each year. For most people, it's a passing (yet still awful) event that usually subsides after a day or two. However, the CDC notes that an estimated 3,000 Americans die from it each year, making it a problem well worth solving. Hence, this high-tech nose.

In June, a team from UC Berkeley showcased their new device in Science Advances, explaining that the technology can detect the scents associated with spoiled food far more accurately than we can and even detect common food allergens like peanuts. As Carla Bassil, a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering and computer sciences at Berkeley and the study's lead author, shared with UC Berkeley News, the technology could one day be added to our kitchen appliances, making detection a breeze.

"I think 'smart' fridges — which come with sensors that you can control on your phone — would be a great application for this kind of technology," Bassil, who worked under senior author Ali Javey, the Lam Research Distinguished Chair in Semiconductor Processing at Berkeley, said. "How great would it be if your fridge could tell you, 'Hey, your broccoli's going to go bad soon, so you should probably eat that'? Or, 'Your chicken is on its last day'?"

The nose uses its 16 gas sensors, each of which is programmed to detect different combinations of compounds associated with spoiled food or allergens. The nose then uses machine learning that Bassil trained to recognize the scents associated with seven foods: strawberry, blueberry, banana, walnut, hazelnut, cashew, and peanut. She also trained it on the scents of raw chicken, milk, and eggs, both fresh and after being left out at room temperature for 24 and 48 hours.

"You can think of it like a set of digital taste buds, where each sensor on this chip responds uniquely to the various gas molecules presented to it," Bassil said. "Each of these 16 sensors has a different sensing film on it, and it works by converting chemical reactions between the sensor surface and the gas molecule into electrical signals."

According to Bassil, the nose is sensitive enough to detect 0.05 grams of "isolated walnut," which UC Berkeley News noted is equivalent to one hundredth of an average shelled walnut. She did, however, explicitly state that the nose still has limitations, as she has not tested whether it can detect those same scents when other gases are present (i.e., when it's in a salad or pre-made meal, or in the fridge with other foods). Still, it's a start.

"The idea is that we can use the relative selectivity of the gas sensors, paired with the pattern-recognition abilities of machine learning, to sort out which gas fingerprint is associated with each food," Bassil said. "The result is a sensor chip that is far more sensitive and far more objective than any human nose can be."

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FDA Recalls Popular Potato Chips

A recall involving hundreds of thousands of bags of popular Zapp's and Dirty brand potato chips has been classified under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's most serious warning level due to the risk of salmonella contamination.

The FDA classified the voluntary recall as a Class I recall, its highest risk category, on 1 July. According to the agency, a Class I recall means there is "a reasonable probability" that consuming or being exposed to the affected product could cause serious adverse health consequences or death..

The chips were first recalled in May by Utz Quality Foods, a subsidiary of Utz Brands, after the company learned that a seasoning made with dry milk powder supplied by a third-party manufacturer could potentially contain salmonella. Though the affected seasoning batches tested negative before being used, Utz said it issued the recall out of an abundance of caution..

The company has said it has received no reports of illnesses linked to the recalled products..

Consumers who have the affected chips should not eat them and should throw them away. Retailers have also been instructed to remove the products from store shelves..

According to Utz, the recalled products contain seasoning made with dry milk powder sourced from California Dairies, which may have been contaminated with salmonella. The recall is part of a broader investigation that has also led to recalls of other food products containing the same ingredient.

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ECRD 2026: Europe's Rare Disease Bottleneck Is Funding Rather Than Science

Rare disease Research and Development (R&D) investment is outpacing the broader biotech market, while the pipeline of innovative therapies continues to deepen. With enhanced sequencing and data infrastructure, Europe's constraint is no longer scientific.

Funding and regulatory complexity remain the core limitations to making rare disease therapies accessible to the patients who need them most. Dr. Daria Julkowska, Scientific Coordinator at ERDERA, mentioned, "Innovation that cannot reach patients is not innovation at all", at the 13th European Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products in Prague, Czech Republic, last 3–4 June 2026.

A large share of rare disease development still originates in non-profit and academic structures where the financial model and the cost of generating regulatory-accepted clinical evidence remain high. Financing pressure is pushing non-ultra-rare programs out of Europe, with the US being the first market to grant authorisation.

Derisking assets to attract capital, rethinking funding models, and addressing the funding rather than the scientific barriers to drug repurposing were all flagged as priorities if Europe is to retain its pipeline. Evidence generation emerged as a challenge specific to small populations, where short trials and limited patient numbers constrain conventional data collection. One of the speakers stated that real-world evidence and patient-reported outcomes must carry greater weight, and that the immediate priority must be consolidating fragmented datasets and improving how data sharing is implemented.

Europe's framework is credited with rigorous risk assessment, but insufficient accountability and a tendency to weigh risk in isolation from benefit remain. The same therapies that have been approved in the US under accelerated pathways may have their access delayed within European markets, bringing out potential risks when dealing with pediatric conditions.

Only a small number of conditional authorisations are withdrawn, favouring faster access and a more explicit patient voice in both approval and withdrawal decisions. The existing tension between precaution and timely access may define Europe's rare diseases agenda.

NOTE: "ECRD 2026: Europe's rare disease bottleneck is funding rather than science" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.

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WHO Steps Up Testing As Ebola Rapidly Spreads In Congo

The World ‌Health Organization said ‌on 28 May on X that, in partnership with the national medical research ‌organization of ⁠the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), ⁠it is scaling up Ebola diagnostic capacities in the ‌country to help swiftly contain an outbreak.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said ‌the effort aims to strengthen the laboratory ‌network to deliver real-time data, rapidly identify confirmed cases and ‌save lives.

Meanwhile, doctors and public health workers at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC told ABC News that the deadly virus is still spreading at an alarming rate.

"The outbreak is completely out of control," said Dr. Richard Kojan in an interview from the city of Bunia in Ituri province, which is the hardest hit.

Kojan, who has been involved in fighting previous Ebola outbreaks in central and western Africa and is president of the Alliance for International Medical Action, said deep mistrust within some local communities is hampering efforts to contain the virus.

Another clinician, Dr. Richard Lokudi, who is the director of the main hospital in Mongbwalu, the hardest hit area, told ABC News that the disease was spreading "at an exponential speed."

Dr. Lokudi said seven symptomatic patients suspected of having Ebola had recently "escaped" from Mongbwalu Hospital.

This was creating "chains and chains of contamination," Dr. Lokudi said, adding that this was making the virus "difficult to fight."

According to the WHO, more than 1,000 suspected cases of a rare strain of Ebola, known as Bundibugyo, have been identified in the eastern DRC and more than 230 suspected deaths from the virus have been recorded.

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Gardening Offers Health Benefits

Gardening has long been associated with relaxation, fresh air, and spending more time outdoors, but new research suggests it may also provide meaningful physical and emotional benefits for older adults. As more people search for lower-impact ways to stay active later in life, gardening is increasingly being viewed as more than just a seasonal hobby.

A new study from the Mather Institute explored how older adults view gardening and the role it can play in supporting long-term wellness. According to the research, many participants said gardening helps them stay physically active while also improving their mood and reducing stress.

The findings arrive as interest in gardening continues growing among older adults who want hobbies that combine movement, routine, and time outside without the intensity of more structured exercise programs. Consistent gardening can become an important routine and a way to stay physically engaged and mentally sharp.

According to research from the Mather Institute, nearly 90 percent of respondents said gardening has a positive impact on their physical health. Many participants also viewed gardening as a form of exercise because it naturally incorporates movement into everyday routines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that older adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. According to the study, many who participate in regular gardening exceed those recommendations.

Tasks like digging, planting, pulling weeds, watering, bending and carrying gardening supplies can all contribute to regular physical activity. Unlike traditional workouts, garden work often feels more purposeful and relaxing, and that sense of accomplishment tends to make people more likely to stick with it over time.

Researchers and health organizations, such as the CDC, have increasingly pointed to low-impact physical activity as an important factor in supporting mobility and overall wellness as people age. For older adults who may not enjoy gyms or formal exercise programs, gardening can offer a more approachable alternative.

The research study also highlighted the broader lifestyle habits of adults who garden. According to the study, gardeners were more likely to report healthier eating habits and higher overall fruit and vegetable consumption.

"Older adults are interested in ways to improve their wellness, and gardening is a secret way to achieve this goal," said Jennifer Smith, vice president of Mather Institute. "From our research, we also found gardeners tended to consume significantly more fruit and vegetables and engage in other healthy eating habits more often, and the rewards of this simple hobby can be truly meaningful. We hope this research offers accessible steps older adults can take to nurture their gardening journey so they can age well."

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More Than Half Of The HIV Infected Are Gay Men Because ...

About 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV as of 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 13 percent of them didn’t know.

HIV is more common than average in men who have sex with men (MSM). In 2022, 67 percent of new HIV diagnoses were in gay men, bisexual men, or other MSM.

There only one reason why MSM have a higher risk of contracting HIV.

HIV can be transmitted through sex without a condom or other barrier method. However, the risk of transmission is higher during anal sex without a condom or other barrier method than vaginal sex without a condom or other barrier method.

And all gay men loves anal sex. They worship it.

Anal gay sex is is risky because the skin around the anus is thinner than the skin around the vagina, so small tears are more likely to occur during anal sex.

Someone without HIV is more likely to contract the virus during anal sex if they are the receptive partner — the partner whose anus is being penetrated by the penis.

The CDC recommends that MSM get tested for HIV at least once per year. People at higher risk of HIV may benefit from more frequent testing, such as every 3 to 6 months.

Not all MSM follow these recommendations. As a result, some may have HIV without realizing it. This can lead to delays in treatment and increase the risk of transmission.

As of 2022, approximately 14 out of 100 MSM with HIV in the United States didn’t know they had the virus, reports the CDCTrusted Source. In that same year, per the CDC, only 78 out of 100 gay and bisexual men with HIV in the United States received some HIV care.

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For Health Providers, Fat People Will Cost More

Obesity is a complex chronic disease. Too much body fat can cause inflammation and other long-lasting metabolic changes in the body. These changes increase the risk of many serious health problems. Risks increase with the more excess weight a person carries and the longer a person carries that weight.

Studies show that obesity in adulthood increases the risk for the following conditions:

1. High blood pressure (hypertension).
2. High cholesterol, high triglycerides, and other abnormal lipids.
3. Type 2 diabetes.
4. Heart disease and stroke.
5. Many types of cancer.
6. Chronic kidney disease.
7. Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.910 Mental health conditions, such as depression.
8. Joint problems, such as osteoarthritis.
9. Respiratory conditions, such as asthma and obstructive sleep apnea.
10. Severe illness from COVID-19 and flu.
11. Pregnancy problems, such as gestational diabetes.
12. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension18, a neurologic condition.
13. Weight stigma19 and weight bias internalization.
14. All-cause mortality.
15. Impaired immune function.

Obesity care is costly for patients, providers, and the health care system. Costs can be direct or indirect. Direct medical costs include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services paid by patients or insurers. Indirect costs include reduced work productivity, absenteeism from work, or other aspects related to sickness and death.

For adults, obesity accounted for US$ 173 billion in direct annual medical costs in 2019. Obesity led to US$ 1,861 excess medical costs per person (US$ 3,097 for severe obesity), compared to adults with healthy weight.

For children and adolescents, obesity accounted for US$ 1.3 billion in direct annual medical costs in 2019. Medical costs for children with obesity were US$ 116 higher per person (US$ 310 for severe obesity) than children with healthy weight.

Annual nationwide productivity loss due to obesity ranged from US$ 271 to US$ 542 per employee with obesity, with national productivity losses ranging from US$ 13.4 to US$ 26.8 billion in 2016.

US workers with obesity were absent from their jobs due to injury or illness an average of 3 days more per year than workers with a healthy weight.

Also, approximately 1 in 3 people ages 17 to 24 are too heavy to serve in the U.S. military. Among the young adults who meet weight requirements, only 3 in 4 report physical activity levels that prepare them for challenges in basic training. Consequently, only 2 in 5 young adults are both weight-eligible and adequately active for military service.

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Are Clear Spirits Really Healthier Than Dark Spirits?

For several years, "order clear" has seemed to be shorthand for a "healthier" choice at the bar. Vodka sodas, tequila with lime, gin and tonics, they’ve all been positioned as cleaner, lighter, and somehow better for you than whiskey, rum, or other darker pours. But when you look at the science, that argument starts to fall apart.

The color of your drink isn’t doing nearly as much work as you may think.

"From a nutrition and metabolism standpoint, the color of alcohol is not the key variable," says registered dietitian Anya Argosh, MS, RD, IFNCP. "The dosage of alcohol, the drinking patterns, and what the drink is mixed with matter far more than whether the spirit is clear or dark."

What and how you drink matters more than the color of the alcohol.

"Paying attention to total alcohol intake and gradually reducing consumption has a much greater impact on health than worrying about whether a spirit is dark or light," says registered dietitian Roxana Ehsani, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN.

That being said, some people report feeling worse after drinking darker drinks. So, what’s the deal?

One of the main reasons that some hold darker spirits in question are compounds called congeners.

Registered dietitian Ashley Berthoumieux, MS, RD, CDN, LDN, says that "congeners, which are byproducts of alcohol fermentation, have been identified as potential contributors to hangovers and can be measured in the blood."

So, there’s some truth that darker spirits might make you feel worse the next day. Research has shown that drinks higher in congeners, like bourbon, can result in more severe hangovers than options with very few congeners, like vodka.

But congeners aren’t the main problem.

"Ethanol, the intoxicating component of all alcoholic beverages, has a significantly greater impact on hangover severity than the congener content," says Berthoumieux.

Darker liquors may contribute to worse hangovers for some people, but that doesn’t mean they’re more harmful overall.

"It’s largely about quantity and drinking patterns," says Argosh. "Factors such as how much you drink, how quickly you drink, sleep quality, hydration, and added sugar in mixers all play a much larger role in how alcohol affects the body."

Berthoumieux says that "the severity of these effects is highly individual, so pay attention to how drinking affects you personally." If whiskey consistently leaves you feeling awful while vodka doesn’t, that’s useful data for you. But it’s not necessarily universal.

Another persistent myth is that clear spirits are lower in calories. Most standard pours are nearly identical.

"All spirits contain calories, specifically 7 calories per gram of alcohol, regardless of whether they're dark or clear," says Berthoumieux.

Ehsani puts it simply: "Whether you're picking a clear liquid such as vodka, or [a] darker one like rum, both will be about the same amount of calories. For example, a 1.5-ounce shot will be around 100 calories."

Where the difference is in what’s added to the drink. Flavored spirits, liqueurs, and sugary mixers can change the nutritional profile.

"Those with added flavors or spices, such as liqueurs, flavored whiskies or vodkas, spiced rums, etc., tend to have the most sugar and, as a result, the most calories," says Berthoumieux.

Argosh says that "the proof of the alcohol and what it’s mixed with determine calorie and sugar content much more than whether the spirit is clear or dark."

So, a vodka soda and a whiskey ginger aren’t vastly different from a nutritional standpoint because one is clear and the other is dark. They’re different because of what else is in the glass.

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Why Does Psoriasis Occurs On The Same Spot?

The skin remembers. The skin don't forget. That scar above your eye from when you fell at age 6. That freckle from the summer you turned 13. Our skin is a repository of moments from our lives, and now scientists have found it really does remember.

For people with inflammatory skin conditions such as psoriasis, the skin’s memory manifests in flare-ups in the same spots over and over. And now scientists think they know precisely why this happens.

In a new study in mice published on 26 March in Science, researchers showed how skin cells inherit patterns of gene expression every time they regenerate. The team found not only that successive generations of skin cells maintain the memory of their DNA’s structure but also that the cells inherit chemical modifications to the DNA called epigenetic marks, which can turn on or off, or turn certain genes up and down in a process called gene expression.

"People knew that stem cells had the ability to change their behavior and remember, but they didn’t know if it was through this epigenetic mechanism," says Shruti Naik, a molecular biologist at the University of Maryland, College Park, who has previously worked with the study’s senior author, Elaine Fuchs, but was not involved in the new research. "And I think what this paper does is definitively demonstrate that it's through marking of DNA ... that it allows that stem cell to now behave differently moving forward."

Skin stem cell memory can be beneficial: if you get a cut, for example, your skin will heal faster in that place if it is injured again because the cells remember the experience. But that becomes problematic in conditions like psoriasis, for which the memory of a flare-up can make the tissue overly sensitive to environmental triggers such as stress, leading to chronic inflammation.

"Your DNA can remember, far longer than we appreciated, a past injury," says Dana Pe’er, a co-author of the study and chair of the Computational and Systems Biology Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute. "It’s a double-edged sword."

For the study, the researchers used an artificial intelligence model to help identify specific genetic sequences in mice that drive skin stem cell memory over the long term. They did this by asking the model to look at how regions of the cells’ DNA behaved at different time points before and after an injury—in this case, a punch biopsy, which involved making a very small incision on the mice’s back. The AI findings were like “opening a black box” that the researchers then further verified, Pe’er says.

And while mice are not humans, the biology the team has identified is highly conserved across animals, Naik explains, and this suggests the finding may have some applicability to humans.

The new research opens the door to testing it in humans, Pe’er adds. But these studies will be more difficult because, whereas mouse skin cells regenerate on timescales of days and chronic disease is measured in months or perhaps one to two years, human skin cells do so on the order of several weeks or months, and chronic disease can be lifelong.

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Korea's Spray Seal Closes Wounds In Seconds

According to the reports from Interesting Engineering, scientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a new spray that can instantly stop severe bleeding. This spray could prove revolutionary for emergency medical treatment, where patients are at risk of bleeding out, like on the battlefield.

According to the team, the new spray reacts with blood to turn it into a soft, rubbery gel in less than a second. This not only physically seals the wound but also helps accelerate the natural clotting process.

Compared to traditional field medicine that uses bandages, this new spray is fast and doesn’t require pressure on the wound. Critically, it is also fast, and time is of the essence when it comes to handling traumatic wounds.

The spray is an ideal solution to wounds like gunshots, shrapnel injuries, deep or awkward cuts, and situations where tourniquets or gauze don’t work well. The powder is also able to absorb around 7 times its weight in blood.

It is for this reason that the new spray is initially being tailored for the military and emergency medical industries. But how does this seemingly magical spray work?

According to KAIST, the spray consists primarily of a powder with three main natural ingredients combined into something called AGCL. The first of these is alginate (derived from seaweed), which forms a gel when exposed to liquids (such as blood).

This is commonly used in medical dressings today. The second is something called gellan gum, which is derived from bacteria.

This strengthens the gel and helps it keep its shape under pressure, up to around 40 kilopascals (kPa), which is about the same as a strong hand press.

The third and final is chitosan, which is created from the shells of crustaceans and insects. This is positively charged, allowing it to attract things like red blood cells and platelets.

This component helps to speed up the clotting process. When combined, these agents seal a wound almost instantly while turbo-boosting the body’s natural healing processes.

This next-generation hemostatic agent is still very much in the research and development stage, but testing shows it is very promising. Before it can be trialled in the real world, it still needs to undergo clinical trials and needs regulatory approval.

If all goes well, the spray could not only become a mainstay of medical kits on the battlefield and hospitals, but also eventually could become part of a common or garden first aid kit.

"The core of modern welfare is minimizing the loss of human life," said Kyusoon Park, a KAIST scientist who took part in the spray’s development. "I started the research with a sense of mission to save even one more soldier. I hope this technology will be used as a life-saving technology in both national defense and private medical fields," he added.

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Proximity To Nuclear Power Plant Risks High Cancer Mortality

Many suspected this before, but there was scarce public discourse about it. Now , a new study confirmed the troubling pattern: US counties located closer to operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) have experienced higher rates of cancer mortality.

The research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health could complicate the argument for scaling up nuclear power.

"Our study suggests that living near a NPP may carry a measurable cancer risk—one that lessens with distance," said senior author Petros Koutrakis, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation.

Rather than relying on the combustion of fossil fuels, nuclear reactors harness the energy released through nuclear fission to generate heat.

This thermal energy is then used to produce steam, which drives turbines to generate electricity.

For a long time, the conversation surrounding nuclear power and cancer has been fractured, consisting mostly of small, isolated studies. This new analysis changes the scale entirely.

It is said to be the first 21st-century national analysis, covering all US counties and all operational NPPs between 2000 and 2018. This extensive analysis has helped to create a much larger, more detailed map of potential risk.

The national assessment particularly focused on the relationship between cancer mortality and proximity to nuclear power plants.

By using "continuous proximity" modeling to account for the cumulative impact of multiple plants, the team integrated data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

To ensure the accuracy of their findings, the team applied rigorous statistical adjustments for diverse confounding variables, including median household income, racial composition, educational attainment, lifestyle factors such as smoking and BMI, and access to healthcare facilities.

The data revealed that approximately 115,000 cancer deaths during the study period — roughly 6,400 per year — may be linked to proximity to these facilities.

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Ancient Gene Could Be The Key In Curing All Diseases

Researchers have finally resurrected a gene that humanity lost millions of years ago. The results could change how we treat common diseases such as gout and maybe even contribute to slowing down aging.

Using the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9, a team at Georgia State University introduced a reconstructed version of the ancient enzyme gene uricase into human liver cells. The lab tests were a success that hinted at a future where humanity could live without the crippling joint pain caused by gout. The idea is simple yet bold: re-install a piece of our revolutionary past to fix modern-day health issues.

For now, the research is done in petri dishes, not patients. No one has been treated yet, and no human trials have begun, yet the implications are large. The fact that we can now bring back once lost genes means we have a new weapon to fight modern diseases and improve the quality of life.

Humans, and our closest relatives, the great apes, once carried a functional gene for an enzyme called uricase. This enzyme helped break down uric acid, a normal waste product of our metabolism. Roughly 20 to 29 million years ago, our ancestors lost that gene. We don't know exactly why, but some scientists speculate the loss may once have offered an advantage.

As humans evolved and their diet changed, elevated uric acid might have helped convert fruit sugar into fat. That would be a useful survival mechanism. But what once helped us survive may now contribute to disease.

That's why bringing this gene back is so exciting. A research team from Georgia State University has just done exactly that. Led by biology professor Eric Gaucher, along with post-doctoral researcher Lais de Lima Balico, the team revived a reconstructed ancient uricase gene using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology.

CRISPR is used to treat cancer, but now we're also seeing this reconstructed gene added into human liver cells in the lab. The liver cells began producing uricase, which broke down the accumulated uric acid. What's even more interesting is that when these cells were exposed to fructose, they didn't turn it into fat, as the typical liver cells would.

To go beyond simple cell culture, the research team tested the ancient gene in three-dimensional liver spheroids, miniature lab-grown tissues that behave more like real human organs. The revived uricase enzyme worked there, too. The levels of uric acid dropped, and the buildup of fat was prevented. The resurrected gene might help humans restore their natural metabolic pathway that could protect us from modern diseases linked to high uric acid, especially gout and fatty liver diseases.

Uric acid does much more than cause gout. High levels of uric acid in the blood, called hyperuricemia, are linked to many modern diseases. It raises the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. It's also tied to chronic kidney disease, and is correlated with metabolic syndrome and the buildup of fat in the liver.

The fact that lowering uric acid levels has improved outcomes in some trials connected to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases suggests a causal role. That's what makes this revived ancient CRISPR gene a potentially powerful weapon against many diseases.

The Georgia State University team is now planning to move from the lab to human trials. Next comes the animal testing phase. The team has already started planning the gene delivery to lab mice. They could use systems such as nanoparticles to carry CRISPR components or the gene itself. This is the same technology used in some of the COVID-19 vaccines, and it proved to be efficient. If animal studies are successful, researchers will move to carefully designed human trials.

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Vaping Is An Alarming Trend For Teens

The latest data revealed that West Virginia teenagers are leading the nation — not in academics, but in vaping.

As cigarette smoking becomes more taboo, many young people have turned to e-cigarettes, unaware that they may be trading one danger for another. According to The Jackson Star & Harold, nearly 17 percent of middle schoolers and 35.7 percent of high schoolers in West Virginia vape — the highest rates in the country.

"The student doesn't know what was in the vape," said Jody Sperry, Harrison County Schools coordinator of health services. "They're kind of playing Russian roulette with their health."

And the risks aren't limited to the short term. "It hasn't been around long enough to know where we really know what those long-term effects are," explained V.J. Davis, administrator of the Preston County Health Department.

Once marketed as a "safer" alternative to cigarettes, vaping has proved to be anything but harmless. E-cigarettes can contain nicotine, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds — a toxic mix that damages developing lungs and increases the risk of addiction in young people.

Not only that, but manufacturers pack disposable vapes with single-use plastics, toxic metals, and lithium batteries that often wind up in landfills or scattered on the ground. Those discarded devices can leach heavy metals and other chemicals into soil and water, harming wildlife and contributing to the growing global waste problem.

Public health officials across the state are calling for stronger regulations, school-based education campaigns, and limits on flavored vaping products that appeal to kids. Some schools are using air sensors to detect vaping on campus, while others are pairing education with peer-led prevention programs that address addiction early.

At home, parents and communities can help by talking openly about the risks, properly disposing of old devices at e-waste drop-offs, and supporting brands and policies that prioritize public health over profit.

Because, whether it's our lungs or our landfills, the message is the same: Both deserve a clean breath of air.

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Targeted Hedgehog Signaling Could Regenerate Teeth

Tooth loss and bone degeneration are problems that modern medicine contnue to struggle addressing. Data from the National Bone Health Policy Institute shows that 10 million Americans over the age of 50 have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, and even more than that have low bone density — even astronauts experience shocking levels of bone loss.

Data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reveals that at least 11 percent of senior adults have lost all of their teeth. But what if that loss could be reversed? What if teeth and bones could regenerate?

The alveolar bone, which anchors teeth and absorbs the pressure of chewing, naturally undergoes heavy wear and tear throughout life. Its degeneration impacts billions worldwide that suffer from periodontal disease. Now, researchers may have found a breakthrough to reverse this loss. It involves two key stem cell types that could unlock the body's ability to regrow teeth and rebuild bone.

The research methods and findings were published in the journal Nature Communications in 2025 under the title "A Hedgehog–Foxf axis coordinates dental follicle-derived alveolar bone formation."

Researchers discovered that precise on-and-off regulation of the stem cells' signaling pathway is crucial for these cells to develop into bone-forming osteoblasts. This finding could open the door for a future in which we can regenerate both teeth and jawbone tissue.

Stem cell research has always been promising to human health — like the stem cells that helped a paralyzed man stand. And in the case of the 2025 Nature Communications study, in order to trace how certain stem cells contribute to bone formation, researchers used genetically engineered mice that allowed them to track PTHrP-expressing dental follicle cells during tooth development.

By activating these markers early in life and observing the mice weeks later, they found that these cells primarily became osteoblasts and osteocytes. Those are the cells responsible for building and maintaining bone in the alveolar region, and the researchers found that those cells play a specialized role in forming the bone structures closest to the developing tooth.

To understand how signaling influences bone development, the researchers examined the activity of the Hedgehog pathway, which is a key regulator of cell growth. They found that Hedgehog-related genes were highly active early on, when the tooth root and surrounding bone were just beginning to form.

This Hedgehog activity was nearly absent once the tooth root was fully developed. This pattern revealed that alveolar bone formation depends on turning off Hedgehog signaling at the right time to allow proper cell maturation.

Additionally, the researchers compared healthy bone to periodontitis. While the Hedgehog-related genes remained inactive on the healthy bone, there was a change in the unhealthy one. Hedgehog signaling increased during bone loss, revealing that the presence of disease changed the way genes responded.

The researchers noted that mutations in Hedgehog-related genes are already known to cause disorders like Gorlin-Goltz Syndrome, which leads to facial and jaw abnormalities. Encouragingly, treatment with an FDA-approved Hedgehog-blocking drug, LDE225, was shown to restore normal bone cell development and stability without harming healthy tissue. This suggested that targeting Hedgehog signaling could lead to new therapies that help regenerate bone and protect against severe gum disease.

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3D-Printing To Produce Dental Crowns

Dental patients may soon leave the dentist with a permanent crown in just a few hours.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have developed a technology that enables same-day, 3D-printed dental restorations made of zirconia, the gold-standard material for permanent dental work.

The innovation could transform crowns, bridges, veneers, and other restorations by making them faster, more personalized, and convenient for patients.

Dental crowns are caps placed over damaged or decaying teeth and can also serve as supports for dental bridges.

Currently, same-day 3D-printed crowns exist, but they use ceramic resins that lack zirconia’s strength. While zirconia crowns are available, they are milled, a process that limits design complexity and carries risks of micro-cracking.

The UT Dallas team solved a key challenge: the lengthy processing time required after 3D-printing zirconia.

After printing, crowns must undergo debinding, which removes the resin holding zirconia particles, and sintering, which fuses the particles into a solid structure. Traditionally, debinding can take 20 to 100 hours.

"Debinding has been the bottleneck in the process," said Dr. Majid Minary, professor of mechanical engineering.

"It must be done very slowly. If you speed it up, the polymer being burned off turns into gas, and if that gas cannot escape, the crown may crack or fracture. A debinding time of 20 to 100 hours is not practical for same-day dental service. As a result, 3D-printed permanent zirconia restorations are not yet commercially available."

The breakthrough reduces debinding time to less than 30 minutes. Using porous graphite felt and enhanced heat transfer, gas released from the resin escapes while a vacuum system removes it, allowing crowns to survive the process without cracking.

"With our technology, if a practitioner wants to offer a 3D-printed zirconia crown chair-side, they could provide it to a patient within just a few hours," Minary said.

The project, involves collaborations with Pan-AM Dental Laboratory, 3DCeram Sinto Inc., and Dr. Amirali Zandinejad, a prosthodontist and former Texas A&M associate professor.

Additional UT Dallas contributors include Mahdi Mosadegh, first author and doctoral student; Moein Khakzad; Zahra Sepasi; Kalyan Nandigama; and Dr. Golden Kumar.

The team recently received a US$ 550,000 NSF Partnerships for Innovation – Technology Translation award to support commercialization.

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Warm Weather Prompts An Increase In Sugar Intake

The slowly rising temperatures in the United States appear to be the reason why many people reach for products with added sugar, like sodas and ice cream, according to a new study.

In the study, published recently in Nature Climate Change, researchers used household food purchase data from 2004 to 2019 in the U.S. to determine how monthly average temperature affected daily added sugar consumption. They found consumption steeply increased in temperatures between 12 and 30 degrees Celsius, or about 54 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit, with a marked spike in consumption when temperatures exceeded 20 degrees Celsius, or 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

The biggest driver of sugar consumption came from sweetened beverages, like soda and juice, according to the study. Frozen desserts like ice cream increased slower, and sugar from bakery goods, oils and raw sugars slightly decreased. The authors said this decrease suggests a potential preference toward more chilled, hydrating items.

Overall, the authors expect the increase in sugar consumption from beverages and frozen items stems from physiological and psychological demand for fluids and refrigerated products in warmer weather.

There were also differences in who reached for these sugary items more. The study found those in lower income groups and those with lower educational levels were more likely to have increased added sugar consumption with higher temperatures where as higher income groups and those with higher educational levels were less responsive to temperature in terms of consumption.

The authors pointed to two potential reasons for these differences: different micro-environmental temperatures — particularly at workplaces — and educational levels leading to different food and drink choices out of health concerns.

Excessive consumption of added sugar can have substantial impacts on health, including increased risk of obesity, various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and even cancer.

"Projections show that future climate change will aggravate health risks related to added sugar intake, particularly for socio-economically disadvantaged populations whose average daily intake already exceeds 10% of the recommendations from the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and almost 20% of the recommendations from the American Heart Association," the authors of the study wrote.

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The 2025 Nobel Prize Winners In Medicine

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded last 6 October to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for discovering how the immune system prevents itself from attacking the body.

The trio was recognized "for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance," a critical process that keeps the body’s defense system from turning on its own tissues.

Announced by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the winners will share 11 million Swedish kronor (around £871,400). According to Prof Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Assembly, only Sakaguchi could be reached at the time of the announcement.

"We have their phone numbers, but they’re probably on silent mode," he said.

Their work explains how immune cells, particularly T-cells, can distinguish between the body’s own tissues and harmful invaders. This discovery provides a foundation for understanding and treating autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

T-cells are white blood cells that detect and attack infected or cancerous cells. However, if these cells mistakenly target healthy tissues, the results can be devastating. By the late 1980s, scientists knew that harmful T-cells were eliminated in the thymus gland as they matured.

"Their discoveries have been decisive for our understanding of how the immune system functions and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases," mentioned Olle Kämpe, chair of the Nobel Committee.

Prof Marie Wahren-Herlenius of the Karolinska Institute added, "For a long time, this was believed to be the only way self-tolerance is obtained. However, some self-reactive cells escape out into our circulation and are potentially dangerous."

Sakaguchi uncovered a second line of defense. He showed that mature T-cells carrying a protein called CD25 can suppress harmful T-cells. These special cells became known as regulatory T-cells, or T-regs.

"Essentially, they are the brakes of the immune system," explained Prof Adrian Liston from the University of Cambridge.

Brunkow and Ramsdell expanded on Sakaguchi’s findings by identifying a genetic link to immune regulation. They discovered that mice with a severe autoimmune disorder called scurfy had a mutation in the FoxP3 gene located on the X chromosome.

Later, they found that children with mutations in the same gene developed a rare autoimmune condition known as Ipex syndrome.

Sakaguchi later showed that FoxP3 controls the development of regulatory T-cells, confirming its essential role in maintaining immune balance.

"Regulatory T-cells keep most of us from having autoimmunity and allergy," Liston said. "By having a strong system of brakes, we are able to have stronger and faster immune reactions—the same way a car can have a better accelerator if it has good brakes."

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Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men?

While human beings are living longer than ever, women almost always have the higher average life expectancy than men — and this is not exclusively a human phenomenon. Mammalian lifespans usually favor females—with some exceptions, they tend to live about 12 percent longer than males. But the opposite is seen in many species of birds, insects, and reptiles, where males often outlive females.

Genetics may be the reason behind this. It is though that the two X chromosomes of female mammals—which make them monogametic—may actually protect them from detrimental genetic mutations that heterogametic males do not have as much of a defense against, as they only have one X and one Y chromosome. This reverses in birds, where males are the monogametic sex and females are heterogametic. But genetics are not necessarily the only reason female mammals (and male birds) have an advantage.

To try and solve the rest of the puzzle, an international team of researchers — led by Johanna Stärk from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany — investigated what factors can lengthen or shorten male and female lifespans. Zoo records from over a thousand bird and mammal species appeared to support what is known as the heterogametic sex hypothesis, and so did data from species in the wild. But it could still not explain exceptions, such as female birds of prey being longer-lived than males.

As it turns out, sexual selection might be what determines who gets to live longer — one sex of a species may ultimately drain potential lifespan by using too many resources to develop and maintain traits that give them an edge in attracting mates. It is also possible that reproduction itself can take years off the life of one sex.

Survival rates can be reduced by the stresses of gestation, giving birth or laying eggs, and caring for offspring, though this doesn’t seem to affect the average lifespans of human females. Stärk’s team focused mostly on data from zoo populations because animals living in a zoo are not exposed to the added pressures of predators, illness, injury, or starvation.

"Species often live considerably longer in zoos than in the wild, and abundant resources and managed reproduction in zoos may lower individual survival costs associated with growth and reproduction," the team said in a study recently published in the journal Science Advances. "For example, the influence of sexual size dimorphism on male survival tends to be lower, and the individual cost of producing offspring appears to have no effect on female survival in zoo settings."

In zoos, female mammals had an even greater lifespan advantage of 16 percent, with male birds at 6 percent. But it was even more surprising that male birds lived an average of 5 times longer in the wild, and female mammals lived 1.5 times longer.

There were still some mammals that defied the odds — about 5 percent of male mammals in zoos and 7 percent in the wild outlived females, and the same went for 4 percent of female birds in zoos and slightly over 2 percent in the wild that outlived the males of their species. The female advantage was especially high in ungulates such as hippos, rhinos, antelope, and zebras, while there was more of a male advantage in carnivorous mammals.

Monogamy and polygamy may also have something to do with how long males and females live. Males of polygamous species of mammals often experience intense competition for a mate. As a result, a larger body size and built-in weapons like teeth and claws may give them the advantage with females, but they also may use up enough energy and other body resources to shorten their lifespans. More birds tend to be monogamous (compared to mammals), and without as much pressure to show off for mates, male birds that are not sexually dimorphic often have longer lives.

There are some outliers, however. Male birds of paradise have flamboyant plumage (never mind elaborate mating dances), and most species are polygamous,—all factors which may lower lifespan. But males are still living longer overall across bird species, while females have the longer lifespans among mammals.

"Our findings may help explain why differences in [average life expectancy] between men and women are so consistent across time and cultures," Stärk said. "Specifically, female-biased [average lifespan] appears to be common to chimpanzees and gorillas, suggesting that longer life expectancies for females are a characteristic long embedded in our evolutionary history."

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You Can Restore Optimal Well-Being As You Grow Old

When it comes to aging and healthy living, we’re often given the same advice: Eat better, exercise every day and sleep more. But solely focusing on your physical health isn’t enough to achieve longevity, a new study has found.

Researchers looked at older adults’ optimal well-being, which they define as having social support; positive perceptions of aging, physical and mental health, happiness, and life satisfaction; and the ability to carry out daily activities without severe limitations.

"Our study of over 8,000 older adults found that many who were not in optimal well-being at the start of the study were able to regain it within just three years," said Dr. Mabel Ho, the study’s first author, in an email, referring to the 1 in 4 older adults whose health significantly improved. "These findings challenge the notion that well-being inevitably declines with age and highlight the potential for positive change later in life."“Our study of over 8,000 older adults found that many who were not in optimal well-being at the start of the study were able to regain it within just three years,” said Dr. Mabel Ho, the study’s first author, in an email, referring to the 1 in 4 older adults whose health significantly improved. “These findings challenge the notion that well-being inevitably declines with age and highlight the potential for positive change later in life."

The study, published on 24 September in the journal PLOS One, was a secondary analysis of data collected from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

"These findings apply to older adults aged 60 and over who are not currently in optimal health or well-being," said Dr. Esme Fuller-Thomson, the study’s senior author, in an email. "The study offers hope and practical insights for older adults, caregivers, and policymakers by showing that with the right supports and lifestyle choices, many older adults can regain a high level of well-being even after experiencing sub-optimal well-being."

More than 1 in 5 Americans will be 65 or older by 2040, and nearly 3 in 5 of them will need long-term services and support, according to a previous CNN report.

In 2023, about 93 percent of adults age 65 or older in the United States reported having at least one chronic disease, such as heart disease and diabetes. While not all chronic conditions can be avoided, many can be prevented by altering your lifestyle.

"Individuals who began with strong psychological and emotional well-being were nearly five times more likely to reach optimal overall health by the end of the study," said Ho, a recent doctoral graduate at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Institute of Life Course and Aging.

The results "also underscored the critical influence of supportive relationships, socioeconomic conditions, and healthy lifestyle choices such as regular physical activity, not smoking, and good sleep," she added.

But the study’s findings may not be applicable to all adults age 65 and older since the researchers focused their efforts in Canada, where patients have access to universal health care.

"These findings provide valuable insight into aging and well-being in the context of a high-income country with universal healthcare," Ho said via email. "However, it remains unclear how well these results translate to the United States, where life-long universal healthcare is not available; similarly, more research is needed to understand how older adults in diverse global settings experience and regain well-being in low- and middle-income countries, where healthcare access, social supports, and economic conditions can differ significantly from Canada."

Physically, there are three main lifestyle changes you can implement to achieve healthy aging: exercise, sleep and diet.

And while behaviors like nutritious eating and strength training are important, they won’t be as effective if you aren’t also addressing issues of loneliness and maintaining positive relationships.

"One of the things I always say to my patients is, believe it or not, there’s no disease, dis-ease or lack of ease, without your mind. The mind-body connection is unbelievably underestimated by Western medicine," said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver. He was not involved in the study.

Chronically lonely adults age 50 and older have a 56 percent higher risk of stroke than adults lower on the loneliness scale, according to a previous CNN report.

Stress reduction and frequent socialization were also associated with improved cognition in adults experiencing early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

"Cultivating strong social connections is an essential component of overall well-being. Lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and addressing sleep issues like insomnia can also lead to meaningful improvements in health," said Fuller-Thomson, professor and director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.

"By focusing on these key issues, older adults may be able to build resilience and enhance their quality of life, even when managing existing health challenges."

The study highlights that it’s easier for younger adults to achieve optimal well-being, but that does not mean older adults can’t.

"Our study shifts the narrative by showing that well-being in older adulthood isn’t static. Many older adults can recover and regain optimal health even after setbacks," Ho said.

"While previous research has often focused on decline, this adds a new dimension by highlighting the potential for resilience, recovery, and improvement later in life. It emphasizes that aging can include periods of growth and renewed well-being, not just loss."

And healthy living can start with increasing your steps, said Dr. Joyce Oen-Hsiao, a cardiologist at Yale Medicine, who was not part of the study.

"A lot of my elderly patients, their outing is going to the store. So, I’ll say, well, don’t park at the parking spot that’s close — maybe park at the parking spot that’s a little bit further. And then that way you increase your steps, you get a little bit more mobile," said Oen-Hsiao, who is also an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at Yale School of Medicine.

No matter your age, you can start making choices to get physically and mentally healthier, experts say.

"If you put your mindset that you’re going to get better, that you’re going to feel better, that you’re going to do better, that you’re going to achieve whatever it is you’re trying to achieve, it makes the odds of that actually happening significantly more," Freeman said.

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Walmart Plans To Remove Synthetic Dyes In Products By 2027

Walmart announced last 1 October that it would remove synthetic dyes and 30 other ingredients, including artificial sweeteners and preservatives, from its private-label food brands by 2027.

The retailer said the change would affect around 1,000 products, including salty snacks, baked goods, power drinks, salad dressings and frosting. Customers can expected to see some of the reformulated products on shelves in the coming months. Walmart told the Associated Press that the changes primarily affect Great Value, the company's largest private-label food brand.

Walmart, which serves over 250 million customers a week globally, billed the change as a means to address changing consumer preferences. "Our customers have told us that they want products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients — and we've listened," Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said in a statement.

The company also said the decision is in line with its goal to be more transparent around what goes into its private food brands, which include Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed and Bettergoods.

"As the leading grocer in the U.S., this move will have a significant impact on the market and the safety of the food that so many Americans purchase for their families," said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, in a statement.

Among the preservatives Walmart says it will remove are potassium nitrate, potassium nitrite and potassium bisulfite, which are used in processed meats. The company also said it will remove phthalates, a chemical used to make plastic flexible that is widely found in supermarket and fast foods.

Several of the ingredients on Walmart's removal list, including some of the 30 non-dyes, are already are banned, not widely used or have not been used in the U.S. food supply for decades. Others were included despite no known problems or have been targeted by the Trump administration for review and possible elimination as an approved food additive, according to food safety experts.

According to Walmart, 90 percent of its private brand products are already free from synthetic dyes.

The announcement comes amid a wider effort by food manufacturers eliminate dyes from their products. In recent months, Kraft Heinz and General Mills have also both they're nixing dyes.

The federal government has also increased scrutiny on the potential health effects of artificial food dyes. In April, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) called on the food industry to stop using synthetic food dyes. HHS said the Food and Drug Administration will be work with the food industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic food dyes.

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