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Decision risks “incalculable loss” of data from the edge of the Sun’s influence, scientists say

A once-nightly pill cut breathing interruptions by about 44% in a major phase 3 sleep apnea trial, while improving oxygen levels and disease severity. By strengthening the muscles that keep the airway open during sleep, AD109 could offer a new option for people unable to tolerate CPAP.

Trials of noninvasive technologies tackle postpartum depression, menstrual pain, and other conditions

Scientists discovered that human microglia, immune cells that help shape developing brain circuits, can take four to eight years to mature instead of just weeks as they do in mice. The unusually slow process may help explain how the human brain develops its remarkable complexity and cognitive abilities.

Witnessing thousands of seal pups die from bird flu could harm staff mental health, officials say

Researchers discovered a possible way cancer cells hide from the immune system: they build a thick, sugar-rich coating around themselves. High blood sugar can strengthen this protective shield under conditions that resemble the environment inside tumors, with the protein HSF1 playing a key role. Blocking this process could make cancer cells easier for the immune system to recognize and destroy.

Puzzling event could be an artifact of gravitational lensing, a new model suggests

Two widely used zero-calorie sweeteners, sucralose and stevia, may have effects that linger far longer than the sweet taste itself. In mice, researchers found that both sweeteners altered the gut microbiome, reduced beneficial compounds produced by gut bacteria, and changed the activity of genes involved in metabolism and inflammation. Some of those changes were also detected in later generations that had never consumed the sweeteners themselves.

Scientists have created an injectable gel that can remain inside arthritic joints for weeks, slowly releasing medication while also improving lubrication. The approach could make it easier to deliver disease-modifying drugs directly where they are needed while limiting exposure elsewhere in the body.

A simple waist measurement may be nearly as effective as more complicated methods for detecting unhealthy levels of body fat. Researchers also found that BMI alone missed many people with obesity, suggesting waist size could provide an important warning sign.

A long-standing picture of brain evolution as newer, rational layers stacked on top of an ancient “lizard brain” may be deeply misleading. Researchers found that evolution instead appears to balance two competing styles of brain wiring, expanding one while shrinking the other depending on what an animal needs to survive.

A new foundation could help scientists assess the effects of fresh safety measures—if the company agrees to share its data