While lung cancer continues to be the deadliest form of cancer globally, people who have never smoked are making up a growing proportion of those who are battling the disease. In 2022, about 2.5 million people were diagnosed with it.Fewer smokers in many countries — including the U.S. — may account for some of that shift in cancer causation. But air pollution may also be playing a growing role, according to a World Health Organization study published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journa ...read more

We’ve all been there: You’ve just eaten a big dinner, but you find yourself craving a little sweet treat. Is there a biological explanation for why we always want to leave room for dessert?A team from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research says yes, there is actually science behind the “dessert stomach,” and it all starts in the brain.Sugar on the BrainIn their initial study, researchers used mice to investigate the brain’s reaction to sugar. More specifically, they focused o ...read more

Our planet offers many sources of information on how past climates influenced the environment, such as glaciers, sediments, tree rings, and pollen. But to reconstruct past climate events, researchers in the field of historical climatology go beyond these natural indicators to examine those of society: the records and everyday-life reports of people who lived in those times. Together, these insights from the past help to make more accurate predictions about how climate change will impact our envi ...read more

Early in the Ozempic explosion, many users reported drastic loss of food cravings — ranging from specific vegetables to junk foods and desserts. Some even said they lost their taste for beer and wine.A group of scientists jumped on those anti-alcohol anecdotes and decided to see if the weight loss drug could also serve as a treatment for alcohol addiction. They reported promising findings in JAMA Psychiatry. The study reported that a small weekly dose of the drug, compared to a placebo, cut do ...read more

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of American adults take at least one type of supplement. Supplement usage typically increases as people age, with almost a quarter of people over 60 taking four or more supplements. However, supplements can have side effects, can be costly, and can interact negatively with medications. For some people, diet and lifestyle modifications can be a way to achieve positive health benefits instead of relying on supplement ...read more

As global temperatures climb higher year after year, the Earth heads toward a new era marked by a prospective breach of the Paris Agreement. Signed in 2016, the international climate treaty set a limit to keep global surface temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius (C) (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, but two new studies warn that the world may be on its way to failing this critical test. Recent temperature data reflect a turn for the worse, as 2024 became the first year in whi ...read more

A recent fossil find fills in a glaring prehistoric bird gap. The Jurassic period claims Archaeopteryx (sometimes called adeinonychosaurian dinosaur), which, despite their feathered wings, appear more dinosaur like. Meanwhile, most Cretaceous avian progenitors appear more birdlike, with short tails ending in a compound bone called a pygostyle.A team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences report in the journal Nature found a specimen that fits between those proto birds. This finding suggests that t ...read more

It can be hard to keep up all that sugar and spice in your relationship. We get busy with jobs and kids and endless to-do lists, but according to experts, you get what you give when it comes to your relationship. Being kind and loving on a regular basis is one of the most important components of a healthy relationship, says Jacqueline Olds, M.D., an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and co-author of Marriage In Motion: The Natural Ebb And Flow Of Lasting Relat ...read more

The Magdalenian peoples of the European Ice Age left little of themselves behind. Today, their bones are few and far between, found typically in isolation and in fragments. But the remains from one 18,000-year-old assemblage tell us one thing: The Ice Age was a tough time to have enemies. Assessing the markings on Magdalenian remains from Maszycka Cave in southern Poland, a team of researchers has determined that the Magdalenian peoples dissected and cannibalized their dead around 18,000 years a ...read more

A recent study revealed that Earth’s inner core is slowing down, prompting scientists to investigate further. Their research led to an unexpected discovery: that inner core is not entirely solid.Scientists from the University of Southern California (USC) analyzed data from earthquakes and identified unexpected changes in the core's composition, offering insights into why these shifts are occurring.A Slowing Core and Its EffectsIn June 2024, USC scientists published a study showing that Earth� ...read more