Variants in the DHDDS gene cause a severe neurodegenerative condition, characterized by tremors, seizures, coordination and learning difficulties, usually manifesting in early childhood. This Parkinson's-like condition is extremely rare, and until recently, parents were told there was nothing that could be done to slow its progression. But now, researchers from the Netherlands and the U.S. who created "mini brain" models from patients' own cells to test new therapies have found not only the mechanism of the disease, but also that a naturally occurring form of vitamin B3 (nicotinamide mononucleotide, or NMN) holds significant promise in slowing disease progression.

New research to be presented today at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics shows that a cancer patient's genetic ancestry can have a significant effect both on how their disease progresses and their survival. In the largest study of its kind, researchers examined nearly 1,900 specific genetic changes in tumors to measure whether certain mutations were more common in patients with different historic geographic origins.

Suicide is a major public health concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is responsible for more than 700,000 deaths a year. In Spain, it is the leading cause of death from non-natural causes, above traffic accidents. The number of suicides in recent years has reached record highs, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, 4,227 people (74% of them men and 26% women) died from this cause. In other words, an average of 12 people a day died by suicide.

To transmit excitatory signals, nerve cells mostly use glutamate as a neurotransmitter. To detect these transmitter signals, the cells can rely on a whole repertoire of receptors with different signaling properties. Researchers at the Chair of Cellular Neurobiology, led by Professor Andreas Reiner at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, together with collaboration partners in New York (Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine), investigated the function of a specific glutamate receptor complex and made some surprising observations. Their findings were reported in the journal Nature Communications on April 24, 2026.

Lifestyle-induced loss of visceral fat (and not liver fat, pancreatic fat or subcutaneous fat) may have lasting health benefits years after the end of an intervention, even when body weight is fully regained, according to researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and their international collaborators.

In people with type 2 diabetes, semaglutide was associated with a 15% reduction in bone fractures and greater weight loss compared with other anti-obesity medications, according to a study presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago.

Origami masters turn simple sheets of paper into ornate sculptures. In the origami of life, our cells must fold proteins into specific three-dimensional shapes before they can carry out their biological jobs. This folding process goes awry as prediabetes progresses into diabetes. Misfolded and dysfunctional proteins then build up in cells like discarded wads of paper in an origami student's recycling bin. This abnormal accumulation stresses the cells responsible for producing insulin.

Your toddler demands a Bluey-themed yogurt and has a tantrum when offered something else. If it's not a Nutella sandwich, your child's lunchbox comes home uneaten. And the dinner table can become a battleground unless there are sausages, chicken nuggets or pizza on the plate.

We have thousands of spontaneous thoughts a day. Most of them are mundane, such as "Where did I leave my car keys?" But every now and then, a strange and distressing thought might pop into our mind, such as "What if I hurt myself or someone I care about?"

An international study led by a scientist at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine is opening new frontiers in the fight against glioblastoma (GB), a devastating cancer behind the most malignant and treatment-resistant brain tumors in adults.