Why dating can be tough for autistic people—and what may make it easier

Most U.S. adults have a "heart age" several years older than their chronological age—sometimes by more than a decade. And that gap is wider among men and among those with lower incomes or education or who identify as Black or Hispanic, according to a new study led by Northwestern Medicine.

A new study in Nature shows that delivering a single injection of gene therapy at birth may offer years-long protection against HIV, tapping into a critical window in early life that could reshape the fight against pediatric infections in high-risk regions.

A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham examined the effects of policies banning flavored e-cigarettes on adults and young people. Investigators found that e-cigarette use significantly declined among young adults and adults in states that had enacted flavor bans relative to states that did not.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC), and Utrecht University have found the first direct evidence that common respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza, can awaken dormant breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs, setting the stage for new metastatic tumors.

Liver cancer cells thrive on fat, posing a serious risk of cancer diagnosis for millions of people living with fatty liver disease. But researchers at McMaster University in collaboration with Espervita Therapeutics have developed a promising new treatment that helps the immune system attack and destroy these tumors.

Parents are often told fruit is "bad" because it contains sugar, prompting concerns about how much fruit they should allow their child to eat.

The kids are not all right.

In late June, the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a group of independent experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), published an assessment of the origins of COVID.

Have you ever wondered why people who nearly die often describe speeding toward supernatural light, or seeing their life flash before their eyes? You may have also heard about the powerful psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a class A illegal drug in the UK, and how it might generate the so-called near-death experiences. In a recent study I compared both types of experience and found they share fascinating similarities—but also critical differences.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed enormous pressure on health care systems and economies around the world, with particularly severe impacts on vulnerable groups like residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). One key lesson from the pandemic is that early detection and treatment can lower hospitalization and death rates while also cutting medical costs. Wastewater surveillance at treatment plants (WSTPs) has emerged as a low-cost and innovative method to detect outbreaks early. Many developed countries have adopted this approach, but Japan has been slow to do so.

Modern medicine is largely reactive—treating illness only after symptoms emerge. But a new study from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center (The Institute) and McGill University points to a more proactive future: one where silent signs of infection are detected before we even feel sick.

While federal food assistance cuts are too large to make up for in efficiencies, pooling resources among hunger relief agencies could help the remaining aid go further.

Green spaces boost mental health—especially in busy cities. A new study from Leiden and Stanford University reveals how nature benefits urban well-being and offers low-cost ways to make city life healthier for everyone.

The cerebral cortex processes sensory information via a complex network of neural connections. How are these signals modulated to refine perception? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has identified a mechanism by which certain thalamic projections target neurons and modify their excitability.

A major new report, "Understanding drivers of recent trends in young people's mental health," reveals that worsening mental health among 14–24-year-olds in England is real, widespread, and driven by identifiable social and economic factors. The study, commissioned by the Youth Futures Foundation, is the first of its kind to explore the underlying reasons behind this troubling trend at the population level.

Modupe O. Coker from the School of Dental Medicine and a collaborative team of researchers identified changes over time in the oral microbiome of children living with HIV, offering insights into how early immune challenges shape not only oral health but also systemic health.

Circles of white mushrooms, or "fairy rings," may add a whimsical touch to summer lawns. But beware—they're probably poisonous.

America is aging, and it's not ready, according to new research.