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Scientists have created light-activated drugs that helped blind mice perceive light again and restored visually guided behavior without gene therapy, implants, or specialized lighting. Even more intriguingly, two of the most promising compounds worked when administered as eye drops, pointing toward a potentially simple new approach to restoring vision.

A popular vanilla flavoring in e-cigarettes may interfere with some of the earliest steps of human development. In lab experiments, vanillin caused embryonic stem cells to lose their ability to develop normally and pushed them toward forming only certain types of tissue.

A 20-year study of 400,000 students found that children who attended public school pre-K earned better grades and test scores through high school than those in other childcare settings. Better-trained teachers and earlier exposure to structured classrooms may help explain why the advantage lasted so long.

The identification of pathogenic autosomal recessive mutations in the gene encoding the PINK1 kinase provided early evidence linking mitochondrial dysfunction to neurodegeneration - in this case Parkinson's Disease. PINK1 has since become synonymous with mitophagy, with the prevailing model proposing two alternative fates. The first being partial import - inner-membrane penetration of its transmembrane domain (TMD) - followed by PARL-mediated cleavage and degradation. This happens in healthy...

CONCLUSIONS: Multicomponent non-pharmacological interventions may provide cognitive benefits, particularly for memory and executive function, though certainty varied and findings from lower-quality reviews should be interpreted cautiously.

The global prevalence of aging and age-related diseases has increased markedly in recent decades due to extended life expectancy and a growing aging population, posing substantial medical and social burdens. Multiple strategies, including metabolic modulation (e.g., physical exercise, calorie restriction, and calorie restriction mimetics), targeting inflammaging, senotherapy, parabiosis, stem cell-based therapies, and epigenetic rejuvenation, have shown promise in slowing aging and extending...

β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB), a bioactive leucine metabolite, has emerged as a potentially valuable nutritional compound with effects extending beyond skeletal muscle metabolism toward systemic immunometabolic regulation. This review summarizes evidence from 24 experimental and clinical studies regarding the potential relevance of HMB to brain aging and age-related disorders, with emphasis on mitochondrial regulation, inflammatory signaling, redox homeostasis, and exercise-associated...

Telomere shortening drives hair follicle senescence, yet successful reversal of this aging process has remained elusive. Here, we report that stem cell overexpression of Acd, the gene encoding TPP1 (telomere protection protein 1)-a shelterin component that recruits telomerase-accelerates hair regeneration in mice. Stabilization of TPP1 protein via topical application of TELODIN, a synthetic octapeptide that inhibits TPP1 degradation, similarly promotes hair regeneration. Mechanistically,...

The stepwise movement of oxygen from the atmosphere to the mitochondria, the "oxygen cascade", is one of the most tightly regulated systems in physiology. Despite decades of mechanistic study, it has remained quite unexplored in Geroscience. This oversight should be reconsidered. In young organisms, hypoxic stress (whether environmental or tissue-specific) activates a complex adaptive response to preserve energetic stability via restraining anabolic pathways, optimizing mitochondrial...

Every one of 212 plant-based meat alternatives and drinks tested in the UK contained at least one naturally occurring fungal toxin, though concentrations remained below recommended EU guideline levels. Researchers say the bigger question is whether regularly eating large amounts of these foods could lead to potentially concerning cumulative exposure over time.

Technique shown to eradicate exotic trout—by producing all male populations

Ultra-processed foods make up a huge share of the American diet, and new research suggests they may carry another serious health risk for men. In a nationally representative study of more than 17,000 U.S. men, those who ate more ultra-processed foods, including soft drinks, packaged snacks, cereals, and processed meats, had roughly 24% to 31% higher risks of prostate cancer after accounting for factors such as age, smoking, race and ethnicity, and poverty status.

Agency gives university-industry consortium $47 million to reinvent existing internship program

The belief that huge doses of vitamin C can ward off colds was popularized more than 50 years ago by Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling. Since then, larger studies have found that vitamin C does not prevent most people from catching a cold, although regularly taking it may make severe symptoms slightly shorter or milder.