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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Levels of 'forever chemicals' in dolphins and whales are rising globally
PFAS concentrations in cetaceans have increased globally since 2000, with highest levels in Pacific populations and coastal dolphins and porpoises. Contamination varies by species, region, sex, and age, with maternal transfer exposing calves early and males accumulating higher burdens. Data gaps remain for several regions. Findings support stricter PFAS controls and continued biomonitoring.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X26007368...

original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Genetic study finds urban rodents may be evolving against common poisons

For years, pest control professionals throughout the Northeast have reported a troubling pattern. In some neighbourhoods, rodents seemed increasingly difficult to eliminate, even when standard control methods were used. Now researchers think they may know one reason why.
A study found that 84% of house mice sampled from urban areas in the Northeast carried at least one genetic mutation linked to rodenticide resistance, suggesting many mouse populations may be evolving ways to survive the poisons commonly used to control them.

Urban house mice in northeastern U.S. cities show high frequencies of Vkorc1 mutations linked to anticoagulant rodenticide resistance, with 84% carrying at least one mutation and ~70% carrying known resistance alleles. About 35% of Norway rats carry Vkorc1 variants of uncertain functional impact. Findings indicate widespread, evolving resistance and support integrated, less chemical‑reliant rodent management.

Jin‐Jia Yu et al, Distribution and frequency of Vkorc1 polymorphisms in house mice and Norway rats in the northeastern United States, Pest Management Science (2026). DOI: 10.1002/ps.70833

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Evolution can make cells smaller without slowing down their growth

A new study shows that evolution can substantially reduce cell size without significantly compromising cells' ability to grow.
"Why are cells the size they are?" The question may seem simple, but cell size influences fundamental processes, including metabolism, growth and cell division. Despite the enormous diversity of shapes and sizes found in nature, each cell type tends to remain within a relatively narrow size range. When a cell becomes too large or too small, its function can be compromised.

Previous studies have shown that each cell type tends to have a characteristic size, and that this size is important for its function. When we make cells larger or smaller, they start to perform worse.
The question driving this study was how, over the course of evolution, cells of such different sizes could arise if even small changes to a cell's normal size can come with biological costs.

To address this question, the researchers used experimental evolution. Over approximately 1,500 generations, they selected the smallest yeast cells in each population every day. But these cells also had to compete for nutrients and multiply quickly before the next round of selection.

Experimental evolution in yeast over ~1,500 generations produced substantially smaller cells without major loss of growth rate by selecting simultaneously for reduced size and rapid proliferation. Genome sequencing revealed mutations in conserved growth and cell-cycle pathways that causally reduced size, indicating that evolution can partially uncouple cell miniaturization from growth capacity.
The results of this study suggest that evolution can gradually fine-tune fundamental cellular mechanisms to alter cell size, partially uncoupling two traits that appeared to be inevitably linked: miniaturization and growth capacity.

Ana Garoña et al, Experimental evolution of cellular miniaturization reveals a putative mechanism for cell size evolution, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2531280123

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Why just sharing a stick while walking can significantly improve balance
Could the secret to preventing dangerous falls be surprisingly simple? For older adults, these unexpected tumbles are a leading cause of injury, affecting roughly 1 in 4 people 65 and older each year. What if the key isn't complex technology or intensive therapy, but something as straightforward as a shared connection? Forget holding hands—new research reveals a surprising twist in how two people can become a dynamic duo against sudden loss of balance.
A rigid mechanical link between two side-by-side walkers improves post-perturbation stability and speeds balance recovery compared with no link or an elastic connection. Benefits are greatest when only one partner is perturbed, with the unperturbed individual acting as a stabilizing anchor. High-frequency (~15 Hz) tactile interactions mediate rapid corrective forces, suggesting a fast sensorimotor communication channel through touch.

A recent study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, demonstrates that when two individuals walk side by side, a rigid link between them dramatically accelerates balance recovery after unexpected slips.

Scientists put this to the test with 12 pairs of volunteers on a specialized treadmill, finding that a simple stick, unlike an elastic band or no connection at all, transforms walkers into a rapid-response team, significantly improving stability and speeding recovery from perturbations.
The results demonstrated an improvement in stability when an interaction was present, particularly in the case of a slip perturbation," the researchers note. The unperturbed walker essentially became an effective stabilizer.

Sandrine Gayrard et al, Instability analysis of perturbed gait in dyads: holding a stick together provides effective assistance and is accompanied by information exchanges, Journal of the Royal Society Interface (2026). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2026.0206

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

How many elementary particles are there?
Even if you know your fermions from your bosons, the actual number of fundamental particles — the electrons, quarks and other building blocks of physics — is still uncertain. From the 17 that feature on posters on classroom walls, “where you stop depends on your taste for complexity and mystery”, explains science writer Natalie Wolchover. “Plausible answers range from 17 to — in all seriousness — 995.5.”

https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-many-elementary-particles-are-th...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Psychologists say patients are turning to chatbots as mental health professionals

More than three-quarters of psychologists report their patients are discussing artificial intelligence in therapy, using the technology to seek additional support with their mental health, find a diagnosis, or for friendship and intimate relationships, according to a survey
Most psychologists report patients use AI chatbots to supplement therapy for self-diagnosis, coping support, and companionship, often feeling validated but sometimes developing dependency or distorted thinking. Clinicians express substantial concern about chatbots’ limited nuance, risk of reinforcing negative beliefs, and potential to encourage self-harm. AI is viewed as a possible adjunct when professionals are unavailable, not a replacement for human care.

AI should always be used carefully. Developed with guidance from an advisory panel of experts in digital mental health, clinical psychology, and youth and adolescent well-being, APA's recommendations for users include:

Verifying any mental health or medical information generated by AI with a health care practitioner.
Asking for strategies aligned with research-backed therapeutic approaches.
Prompting AI to challenge your thinking or provide alternative perspectives.
Limiting your use of AI so it does not interfere with sleep, hobbies, school, work or social interaction.

https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/chatbots-mental-health-2026

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Wednesday

Seeking health information does not automatically improve health behavior, says researcher

People are increasingly seeking health information online , but the information they find is not leading to better health decisions. The concern is not a lack of information but people's digital literacy and ability to make sense of it.
Among people aged ≥50, online health information seeking is shaped by education, digital skills, and internet habits, and does not automatically translate into healthier behaviour. Physicians remain the primary trusted source, while many struggle to assess online information reliability. Unequal digital literacy can widen health inequalities, indicating a need to strengthen critical digital and health literacy rather than only expanding digital services.

Marianne Paimre, Patterns of Online Health Information-Seeking Behaviour and Related Factors Among Estonian Older Adults, Tallinn University (2026). DOI: 10.60518/etera/150

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Wednesday

Many cancers originate from a single cancer cell and evolve through early bursts of chromosome changes
Tumors across multiple cancer types arise from a single ancestral cell that acquires early shared copy number alterations, followed by punctuated bursts of additional chromosomal changes generating diverse subclones. High aneuploidy, TP53 mutations, genome doubling, and elevated CNA burden correlate with greater intratumoral diversity, spatial heterogeneity, advanced stage, and poorer outcomes.

Hanghui Ye et al, A pan-cancer single-cell analysis of intratumoral copy number diversity and evolution, Cancer Discovery (2026). DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-25-0964

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Wednesday

Your body's secret sugar code could predict disease years before it strikes

Scientists have found that hidden health signals coating your cells could change medicine forever. The new study has shown sugar molecules in your body may reveal disease long before it's detected. The research, published in Nature Chemical Biology, shines a spotlight on glycans—tiny, complex sugar chains that coat your cells and proteins.

For years, these sugar molecules were dismissed as little more than biological decoration. Now, researchers say, they're anything but.

"Glycans aren't just sitting there. They're actively controlling how our immune system works and how diseases develop.

Glycans, complex sugar chains on cells and proteins, dynamically reflect physiological state and are strongly influenced by lifestyle, environment, and disease. Specific blood glycan patterns can predict conditions such as type 2 diabetes up to a decade before clinical diagnosis, indicating potential for early risk stratification and personalized medicine, pending validation in large, standardized cohorts.
Unlike your DNA, which barely changes over time, glycans are constantly shifting, reacting to your lifestyle, environment and even hidden illness. That makes them a real-time snapshot of your health—and potentially a powerful early warning system. In fact, the study found glycan patterns in blood can predict diseases like type 2 diabetes up to 10 years before diagnosis.

This flips medicine on its head. Instead of waiting for people to get sick, we could spot the risk early and step in sooner.
Because glycan patterns are influenced by a complex mix of genetics, hormones and environmental factors, they're deeply individual, making them ideal for personalized health care. The glycome gives us a live window into how the body is changing. DNA can't do that.
In the future, a simple blood test could reveal your unique disease risks and guide tailored treatments. But researchers caution there is still work to do. Bigger long-term studies and global standards are needed before glycan testing becomes routine.

Maja Pučić-Baković et al, Large glycomics datasets as a tool to understand the function of glycans, Nature Chemical Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41589-026-02217-x

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Wednesday

Digital tools reveal hidden extinctions as AI reshapes global conservation

Technology can be nature's ally, with digital tools exposing critical gaps in scientific knowledge and highlighting where action is most urgently needed to safeguard plants and fungi.
AI, digitization, and global data sharing are rapidly transforming plant and fungal conservation by exposing data gaps, revealing underestimated extinction risk, and enabling probability-based extinction assessments. Large-scale digitization of herbaria and fungaria improves taxonomy, climate-impact analyses, and equitable access, while genomic methods unlock historical fungal specimens. Climate-driven shifts in flowering phenology and persistent geographic data biases highlight the need for expanded, standardized, and globally coordinated biodiversity infrastructures.

Harnessing the benefits of specimen digitisation, New Phytologist (2026).

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