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Dreams are not random mental noise. A large study of more than 3,700 dream and waking reports found that what we experience during sleep is shaped by both our personalities and the world around us. Rather than simply replaying daily events, the dreaming brain mixes memories, emotions, imagined possibilities, and familiar settings into vivid new scenarios.

Unsweetened sparkling water may offer a tooth-friendlier alternative to sugary soda, according to a small preliminary study tracking how different drinks change mouth acidity. Soda caused the strongest and longest drop in salivary pH, while sparkling water produced only a temporary decline before saliva restored normal conditions. Importantly, acidity remained above the level associated with enamel damage.

Population declines led to spike in spinal deformities and rare tumors, fossil study suggests

Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are a leading contributor to developing familial and idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Most PD-causing LRRK2 mutations increase the kinase activity, leading to increased phosphorylation of Rab GTPases, disrupting vesicular trafficking, cytoskeletal dynamics, and autophagy. Under homeostatic conditions, the bulk of WT and PD-mutant LRRK2 is found in the cellular cytosol. However, exogenously expressed LRRK2 can form microtubule-associated...

ObjectiveMany older adults stop seeing a doctor despite having insurance and significant health needs. This study asks whether psychological distress predicts disengagement from care, beyond structural barriers.MethodUsing three waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 5,184 adults 65+), we model whether distress in one wave predicts no medical contact in the next, testing whether wealth weakens this link.ResultsOlder adults with more psychological distress were significantly more likely to...

Macroautophagy/autophagy is a conserved eukaryotic intracellular degradation pathway, with specialized forms such as the biosynthetic cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting (Cvt) pathway in yeast, which selectively delivers several resident hydrolase precursors to the vacuole rather than for turnover. Although the core autophagy machinery is highly conserved between yeast and plants, whether autophagy plays a biosynthetic role in transporting vacuolar hydrolases in plants has remained unclear. Here, we...

Adipose tissue (AT) is now recognised as a dynamic immunometabolic organ in which coordinated interactions between adipocytes, stromal cells, vascular elements, and resident immune populations are essential for maintaining metabolic homeostasis and endocrine function. Beyond its classical role in energy storage, AT actively regulates local and systemic immune responses through the production of adipokines, cytokines, chemokines, and lipid mediators. Among adipose-resident immune cells, B...

Aging can be experimentally induced in Hydra oligactis, making it an exception among the "immortal" cnidarian genus Hydra. In response to cold temperatures, H. oligactis polyps switch from asexual to "emergency" sexual reproduction and eventually age and die. We used GC-MS-based metabolite profiling to characterize cold-induced (CI) metabolic reprogramming during concurrent sexual differentiation and aging in H. oligactis. Metabolites in four clusters either decreased or increased progressively...

Eating within a shorter daily window may help protect certain thinking skills as people age. In a small six-month trial, older women who limited eating to about 8 to 9 hours a day performed better on planning and problem-solving tests than those who ate over 12 hours. Both groups lost similar amounts of weight, hinting that when people eat could matter in addition to how much they eat.

A controlled mouse study has provided direct evidence that inherited genetics can steer how cancer begins and evolves after DNA damage. The discovery could eventually help doctors better predict cancer risk and tailor screening and treatments to each patient.

Popular AI-powered food apps may make calorie counting easier, but they may also leave out a surprisingly large part of the meal. Four apps underestimated calories and fat by about one-third when tested against carefully prepared meals. High-fat ketogenic dishes appeared to cause the most trouble, while carbohydrates were measured more consistently.

Scientists used CRISPR to make prostate cancer cells easier for the immune system to detect and destroy. The experimental treatment dramatically improved the effects of immunotherapy in mice and may offer hope for other hard-to-treat tumors.