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Eating more ultra-processed foods was linked to greater fat buildup inside thigh muscles, according to MRI scans of 615 adults at risk for knee osteoarthritis. Surprisingly, the association remained even after researchers accounted for calorie intake, physical activity, and other factors. Fatty changes in these muscles may weaken support around the knee and potentially increase osteoarthritis risk.

A naturally occurring molecule called erucamide may help the retina fight back against diseases that cause progressive vision loss. Restoring the molecule activated protective immune responses that helped stabilize retinal tissue and slow aspects of degeneration in preclinical models.

Older adults who changed the balance of fat, carbohydrates, and animal protein in their diets showed signs of reduced biological age after just four weeks. The strongest result appeared in participants eating an omnivorous, lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate diet.

Lawsuit argues that Trump policy of purging politically sensitive terms from research projects violates free speech

Simply smelling chocolate helped men complete more leg extension repetitions without making the workout feel harder, with dark chocolate producing the strongest effect. The researchers think familiar food aromas may influence appetite and motivation by making the brain anticipate eating.

Scientists have uncovered sweeping changes in how the human brain controls and organizes its genome beginning in midlife, offering new clues to why aging sharply increases the risk of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. One of the biggest shifts occurred between about ages 50 and 75, when many of the brain’s original immune cells declined and were replaced by cells with more inflammatory characteristics. Researchers also found weakening of cells that help maintain the blood-brain barrier, along with widespread deterioration in the genome’s three-dimensional organization.

“Weird terms” are a natural—but disturbing—byproduct of agent swarms, researchers find

The flesh eating New World screwworm has returned to the United States, threatening livestock, wildlife, pets and potentially people as it spreads north. A new UC San Diego tracking system aims to predict where the parasite could strike next while officials revive the eradication strategy that defeated it decades ago.

Activation of microglia is a prominent feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease that leads to the death of motor neurons. A key component of this activation is elevated expression of the TAM receptor tyrosine kinases Axl and Mer (gene name Mertk). Here we show that germline and microglial-restricted inactivation of the Axl and Mertk genes in the SOD1^(G93A) mouse model of ALS leads to an extension of lifespan, which is tied to the preservation of cholinergic...

Identifying features that interact to trigger disease, while accounting for heterogeneity across diverse populations, is essential for the development of precision and targeted medicine. Despite the availability of vast and complex health-related datasets, most existing works focus on identifying disease-associated features at the population level or within a few subpopulations, often overlooking individual-level heterogeneity within these groups. To address this limitation, we propose a...