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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 10 hours ago

Worm tablet could be repurposed as brain cancer treatment
Mebendazole, an antiparasitic drug, demonstrated consistent tumor growth inhibition and increased survival in laboratory and animal models of brain cancer, acting through multiple anticancer mechanisms and enhancing effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, human studies show limited and inconsistent efficacy, indicating that mebendazole remains an unproven candidate requiring further clinical trials before routine use in brain cancer treatment.

Ciara B. Blum et al, From anthelmintic to neuro‐oncology: A systematic review of mebendazole repurposing for brain tumour therapy, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2026). DOI: 10.1002/bcp.70565

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 11 hours ago

AI fails classic attention test, with longer word lists triggering dramatic accuracy collapse
Transformer-based large language models exhibit a dramatic decline in accuracy on the Stroop task as word list length increases, particularly when word meaning and ink colour are mismatched. Unlike humans, who maintain high accuracy regardless of list length, LLMs default to word reading and fail to sustain task focus, indicating fundamental limitations in their attention mechanisms compared to biological systems.

Suketu Chandrakant Patel et al, Deficient executive control in transformer attention, PNAS Nexus (2026). DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgag149

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 14 hours ago

Previous studies have established how social media and online trends can have an impact on public health concerns and behaviors. So, the researchers investigated what people were searching for on the internet and compared what was being said in the media. They input keywords such as "vitamin A measles" and "cod liver measles" in Google Search Trends to see how often people in the U.S. searched for the terms between January and June 2025. Alongside this, they closely monitored press coverage, online mentions and social media statements on the topics.

The researchers found that interest in vitamin A and cod liver oil surged after public figures and government officials began promoting vitamin A. Searches for vitamin A rose 7.5 percentage points above expected levels, while searches for cod liver oil increased by 1.3 points. At the same time, poison centers reported a significant rise in exposure to dangerous amounts of vitamin A, most of them involving children.

The findings provide a clear example of how quickly media messaging might shape health-seeking behavior during public health crises such as measles outbreaks. Misinformation about health can have lasting impacts on a person's life, which calls for prompt attention and debunking by public health officials.

Anne Christine Bischops et al, Internet Searches for Vitamin A and Related Media Statements During the 2025 US Measles Outbreak, JAMA Network Open (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.15013

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 14 hours ago

Vitamin A poisonings rose almost 40% as measles misinformation spread in 2025

There can be too much of a good thing, and that has been the case with Vitamin A.
A recent study in JAMA Network Open has found that between January and March 2025, America's Poison Centers reported a 38.7% increase in vitamin A exposures during the measles outbreak across many states.
While it is not unusual for people to reach for acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen to relieve fever or pain, the sudden interest in vitamin A in response to the measles outbreak was neither expected nor evidence-based, as it does not prevent measles. So what led to this uptick in search?

The researchers found that the surges coincided with two key events: the first of several media statements promoting vitamin A as a measles treatment on February 19, 2025, and comments by Dr. Suzanne Humphries on the hugely popular The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where she promoted vitamin A and cod liver oil as treatments for measles. Misinformation, especially in a world that is chronically online, often spreads like wildfire.
Measles, also known as rubeola, is a viral disease that causes a high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and the virus can remain airborne for up to two hours after they leave the room. Measles can also cause serious complications, including pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death, particularly among young children and people with weakened immune systems.

Measles was once a common childhood illness, but thanks to vaccination, an estimated 59 million deaths from measles between 2000 and 2024 were prevented. The U.S. successfully eradicated the disease in 2000, and the 2025 measles outbreak has been the largest since then. The reluctance to vaccinate children against the disease is a major reason for the resurgence.
Along with hesitancy, interest also grew in alternative methods to prevent the disease, such as vitamin A and cod liver oil. Vitamin A is essential for good vision, skin, hair, and immunity, and can support recovery from measles when used under medical supervision. However, it does not prevent infection, and—when taken in excessive amounts—can lead to nausea, headaches, dizziness, and liver damage.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Physicists Just Achieved 'Perfect Randomness' For The First Time Ever

One of the hardest things to do in physics is to generate true, provably unpredictable randomness. That's because it's impossible to determine randomness based on the output alone. Dice may have nicks and flaws that influence how they roll. Computer random-number generators are usually driven by algorithms. Even coin flips are governed by physical forces that, in theory, could be predicted. The difficulty lies not in generating numbers that appear random, but in showing that no one could have possibly predicted the outcome – that the system isn't secretly affected by subtle hidden rules or biases. Now, a team of physicists at ETH Zurich in Switzerland has overcome that challenge by leveraging one of the strangest phenomena in quantum mechanics: entanglement. The resulting sequence of zeros and ones is now really perfectly random, and they can even certify that!

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10521-8

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Early diet may shape how the teenage brain develops
Early-life diet, particularly during infancy, is linked to cognitive outcomes in adolescence, with poorer early nutrition associated with lower intelligence later on. Evidence for the impact of adolescent diet on brain development is mixed, highlighting the need for better-designed studies. The timing of dietary exposure, population characteristics, and intervention specifics influence observed effects.

Hayley A Young et al, Diet and the Developing Brain: A Systematic Review of Nutritional Influences on Adolescent Cognitive and Academic Outcomes, Advances in Nutrition (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2026.100648

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

How culture, stress, and social life may shape gut health
Gut health is shaped by complex interactions among biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors, including stress, social relationships, economic status, and cultural norms. Chronic stress and adverse social conditions can disrupt the gut–brain axis, alter gut microbiota, and intensify gastrointestinal symptoms. Holistic, personalized approaches that address both biological and psychosocial aspects are increasingly emphasized for effective management.

Reuben K. Wong et al, Sociocultural Aspects of the Pathophysiology, Clinical Presentation, and Management of Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction, Gastroenterology (2026). DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2026.02.006

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

The authors concluded that giving anti-snake training to pregnant females makes their daughters, but apparently not their sons, more cautious around snakes.

Does this mean that at least females whose mothers had been trained survive better in the wild? The authors did not find any boost on survival after release. But they caution against concluding too quickly that no beneficial effects exist, given the small sample size and that all mice underwent exposure to snakes before release.

And how might the learned caution towards snakes have been transmitted from trained mothers to their female offspring?

"One possibility is prenatal programming, where stress hormones associated with predator training during pregnancy influenced offspring development before birth. Another is that the mothers behaved differently after the pups were born, which could likewise shape the latter's behaviour. It is also possible that pups detected lingering odour cues from the antipredator training in their mother.
Researchers don't yet know why female offspring responded differently than males, but sex-specific responses to stress and predator cues have been observed in other species. Maternal predator training may have amplified those innate differences.

Sex-specific Effects of Maternal Predator Exposure on Offspring Antipredator Behavior in an Endangered Mammal, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (2026). DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2026.1783876

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Moms' learned fear of snakes gets inherited by offspring in a critically endangered mouse, biologists discover

Conservationists often raise the young of endangered species in captivity before releasing them into suitable habitats as adults. The benefits are obvious: survival to adulthood is typically high, as captive animals are safe from predators and food scarcity. Unfortunately, a lack of exposure to enemies in early life may become a drawback later, if the released individuals have never learned to recognize and avoid their predators.
One way to fix this is "antipredator training," where young animals are confronted with fake or real predators and taught to associate these with an unpleasant stimulus. However, this method is labor-intensive and depends on the realism of the training and the ability and most sensitive period for learning of the captive species. But now, researchers may have found a more efficient alternative: train the mothers instead.

Predator training of pregnant Pacific pocket mouse females resulted in their female offspring exhibiting increased vigilance toward snakes, while no such effect was observed in male offspring. No significant improvement in post-release survival was detected, possibly due to limited sample size and pre-release exposure. Maternal effects may be mediated by prenatal programming, postnatal behaviour, or odour cues.

Female offspring of predator-trained mothers were more vigilant during predator encounters, suggesting that maternal experiences may shape offspring behavior in ways that could be useful for conservation breeding and reintroduction programs.
Researchers conducted a randomized controlled experiment with two arms on 22 pregnant females in the second half of gestation. Each trial was filmed and lasted 20 minutes. Half of the females were assigned to the predator-exposed treatment, in which they were placed in a testing arena with food.

After acclimatization, a live kingsnake (a native predator of small mammals) was introduced behind a wire mesh across the arena. Pocket mice were sprayed with water whenever they approached the snake.

The mice received scores for behavior, location, and orientation relative to the snake. The remaining pregnant females were assigned to the control, where the snake was replaced with a rope of similar length. Control females were never sprayed.

Once pups had been born (87 in total) and reached 30 days of age, the scientists tested their behaviour towards a snake following the same protocol. A subset of 44 offspring were then released into suitable habitat within coastal southern California, while their post-release survival was assessed through live trapping towards the end of the summer active season.
The results showed that in the snake's presence, daughters of predator-trained mothers displayed more vigilance behaviours like scanning, freezing, and rearing up to monitor their surroundings and assess potential threats. However, no such difference was found between sons of predator-trained mothers and sons of control mothers.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

UN report warns AI could soon use 3% of world's electricity and more water than we need to drink

By 2030, AI could consume 3% of global electricity, emit carbon equivalent to the UK, and use more water for cooling than the annual global drinking water requirement. Efficiency improvements may not reduce total resource use due to increased demand, following the Jevons paradox. The report emphasizes the need for responsible AI governance, environmental disclosures, and integration of sustainability into AI development and policy.

original article.

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