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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 11 hours ago

How your conscious and unconscious mind interact
Most brain activity, including autonomic regulation, implicit memory, and rapid affective processing, occurs without awareness but can influence decisions. Conscious processing is more effortful and may become important during novelty or uncertainty. Theories including global workspace and predictive-processing models describe consciousness as integrating or updating information, but remain debated.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 13 hours ago

Hot weather can make pain worse. Here's why
Higher temperatures, particularly ≥32°C, are associated with increased reports of generalized physical pain, especially among middle-aged and lower-income adults. Dehydration, inflammation, blood-pressure changes, stress, disrupted sleep, and reduced activity may amplify pain. Heat-related pain can impair cognition and productivity and may impose substantial economic costs.

original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 14 hours ago

To correct these misperceptions, the research team tested several interventions. In particular, they assessed the effect of simply providing a list of high-impact actions on participants' estimates of greenhouse gas emissions.

They also examined whether participants could improve their estimates by relying on two indicators: the behavioural cost of an action (the more effort, time or financial resources it requires, the more likely it is to have a high impact) and its social prevalence (the rarer it is within the population, e.g., the U.S., the greater its potential to reduce carbon emissions tends to be).
The challenge is therefore to tailor awareness campaigns to different population profiles—which still need to be defined—in order to better correct these biases and encourage the adoption of climate actions and support for policies that are most effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The results show that the effectiveness of these interventions varies considerably from one individual to another, particularly depending on their ability to use behavioural cost or social prevalence as a cue of an action's actual impact.

Mario Herberz et al, Psychological barriers to improving carbon competence, Nature Sustainability (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-026-01900-0

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 14 hours ago

We overestimate the positive impact of our actions on the climate

Why is recycling waste or switching off the lights sometimes perceived as more effective for the climate than giving up air travel? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) surveyed nearly 3,000 people and identified key psychological mechanisms underlying these misperceptions. Their findings pave the way for more effective communication strategies that encourage behaviors with the greatest potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The study is published in Nature Sustainability.

Carbon competence refers to the ability to accurately assess the impact of different individual actions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A high level of carbon competence enables people to identify the most effective ways to reduce emissions, both individually and collectively, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation. Yet several studies show that carbon competence remains limited across the general population, including among people who are highly concerned about environmental issues.

As a result, people tend to overestimate the climate impact of relatively modest actions, such as recycling or printing double-sided. While these behaviors are beneficial, their effect on greenhouse gas emissions remains limited. By contrast, people often underestimate the impact of far more effective actions, such as giving up air travel or reducing car use.

Based on a sample of nearly 3,000 participants, a team from UNIGE examined the psychological barriers that explain these misperceptions. The team also tested the effectiveness of three measures designed to improve carbon competence.

They selected 32 individual actions, ranging from low-impact behaviours to those with much greater environmental benefits. They then analyzed how participants estimated the positive impact of these actions when adopted by an average person.

Among the 32 actions studied, the most overestimated low-impact behaviors are, in order: recycling, using recycled materials, purchasing more energy-efficient household appliances, improving home insulation and teleworking. By contrast, the most underestimated high-impact behaviors include giving up air travel, living without a car, switching to an electric vehicle, avoiding long-haul flights and purchasing renewable electricity.

According to the research team, this gap in carbon competence can be explained by two psychological biases: the "availability heuristic," a mental shortcut whereby people judge an action as more effective if it easily comes to mind, and "motivated reasoning," which serves to preserve a positive self-image. "In the first case, the more an action is present in the media or discussed at school, the more easily it comes to mind, and the more likely people are to consider it effective.

In the case of motivated reasoning, individuals tend to believe that the actions they already engage in are more effective because this perception allows them to preserve a positive self-image.

The researchers also show that individuals with strong pro-environmental values tend to be overly optimistic and to overestimate the impact of environmental actions in general. By contrast, those with a stronger capacity to handle numbers tend to provide more accurate estimates and are less influenced by these biases.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Sunday

Fewer retractions with open peer-review

Papers with open peer-review reports are less likely to be retracted, says a preprint study. Researchers analysed more than 116,000 papers in Public Library of Science (PLOS) journals and found that among the 40% that opted for publicly available peer-review reports, there were around 100 retractions. There were more than 300 in the closed-review group. It might be that researchers who are confident in their work and who broadly embrace open-science practices are more likely to choose open peer review. In that case, the choice itself could serve as an indicator of article quality.

https://osf.io/preprints/metaarxiv/2b7z5_v1

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02282-1?utm_source=Live+...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Sunday

New technique pinpoints human DNA inherited from 'ghost' ancestors

Researchers have identified regions of DNA that humans inherited from two unknown ancestors as a result of long-ago interbreeding among modern humans and at least four other archaic human relatives.

While previous research found hints that modern humans had interbred with ancient hominins in addition to now-extinct Neanderthals and Denisovans, the current study pinpoints areas of the genome inherited from these unknown ancestors and establishes a timeline. This was possible using a new technique the researchers developed that leverages hundreds of genomes from modern-day humans to find ancient genealogical relationships.
One of the unknown ancestors, which the researchers refer to as a ghost ancestor, interbred with modern humans in Africa prior to 50,000 years ago, before the most recent migration of Homo sapiens out of Africa into Europe and Asia. These genes comprise around 1% of the genomes of modern humans, comparable to the amount of Neanderthal DNA in the human genome. That unknown hominin lineage split from the modern human lineage around the same time that Neanderthals and Denisovans diverged, about 800,000 years ago, though it interbred with modern humans earlier.

A genealogical method (TRACE) applied to modern human genomes identifies ~2% archaic DNA from two unknown hominin lineages. A “ghost” lineage, diverging ~800,000 years ago, contributed ~0.5–1% of DNA to all humans via gene flow in Africa >50,000 years ago. A “super-archaic” lineage (~1.8 million years old) introgressed into Denisovans, then indirectly into modern humans.

Yulin Zhang et al, Recovering signatures of archaic hominin introgression using ancestral recombination graphs, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aef8874. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aef8874

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Sunday

Scientists identify fructose as a surprise driver of cancer spread

A new study has uncovered an unexpected link between fructose—a common dietary sugar—and the spread of an aggressive form of ovarian cancer. Published in Nature Aging, the study found that cancer cells not killed by chemotherapy send signals to neighboring tumor cells, helping them become more capable of spreading.

The researchers identified fructose as a key messenger in this process, revealing a previously unrecognized way that treatment-surviving cancer cells may promote the spread of cancer.
Even more interesting, they found that without chemotherapy treatment, consuming the high levels of fructose found in sugary drinks can also signal cancer cells to spread. The fructose finding is especially compelling because it raises the possibility that simple dietary changes could help shape how cancer progresses.

Chemotherapy-surviving ovarian cancer cells secrete fructose, which signals neighbouring tumour cells to become more metastatic in preclinical models. Exogenous fructose at levels typical of sugary drink intake similarly promotes spread. Mechanistically, fructose suppresses cholesterol synthesis, weakening cell–cell adhesion; statins mimic this effect, suggesting potential interaction with chemotherapy responses.

The researchers next aimed to understand why fructose increases cancer cell spread. Through a variety of large-scale analytical techniques, including the use of a CRISPR screen, they discovered that fructose suppresses cholesterol within neighboring cells. Cholesterol is important for cells to stick to each other like a biological glue, so decreased cholesterol allows cells to more easily escape and spread.

The finding that fructose lowers cholesterol production has important clinical implications. Statins, which are taken by 39 million people in the United States, lower cholesterol production.

The team found that statins alone reduced the glue between cells, promoting escape. The research team is now examining whether these medications could be interfering with the effects of chemotherapy—though they stress this isn't a reason for patients to stop taking them.

The researchers are also looking into how this mechanism might extend beyond ovarian cancer.

The chemotherapy-induced senescence-associated secretome promotes cell detachment and metastatic dissemination through metabolic reprogramming, Nature Aging (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s43587-026-01172-5.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Overactive Neurons Cause Excessive Sweating

Identification of gene variants that affect the activity of neuronal sodium channels could help develop targeted therapies for patients suffering from excessive sweating.
Sweating is a normal, although sometimes unpleasant, part of being human. For people with primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis (PIH), though, excessive sweating can impede their quality of life. Despite affecting up to five percent of people, though, scientists don’t fully understand the mechanisms behind this overactive salty secretion.

Researchers have found that some patients have alterations to their sweat glands’ morphology or function, possibly contributing to the extra sweating. But for people who sweat excessively despite having normal looking sweat glands, scientists suspect that the cause could be hyperactive sympathetic neurons.
In a study published recently in Science Advances, researchers dug into the genetic sequences of 32 families with confirmed PIH to find possible sources of overactive sweat responses. They identified a lead candidate in SCN10A, a gene encoding a sodium channel in sympathetic neurons and discovered that introducing it into mice reproduced the extra sweating phenotype of PIH individuals. They showed how their mouse model of PIH could be used to explore new treatment options for patients.
For decades, hyperhidrosis has largely been viewed as a disorder of the sweat glands. These new findings show that, for some patients, the problem actually begins in the nerves that control sweating, providing a biological explanation for the condition and a potential pathway to more effective treatments.

1. Wohlrab J, et al. Hyperhidrosis: A central nervous dysfunction of sweat secretion. Dermatol Ther. 2023;13(2):453-463.
2. Yamauchi S, et al. A neurocutaneous NaV1.8 channelopathy underlies a genetic subtype o.... Sci Adv. 2026;12(29):aed3221.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Leaky gut might make food allergies worse

A "leaky gut" might increase the severity of food allergies, according to new research conducted in mice and published in The Journal of Immunology. The researchers found that changes to the gut microbiome in mice were linked to increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and increased food allergy severity.

Intestinal permeability describes how the intestines move water and nutrients from food into the bloodstream. Increased permeability, sometimes called "leaky gut," describes a condition in which damage to the gut lining allows partially digested food, toxins or germs to pass into the bloodstream.

The gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria living in the gut—directly regulates this barrier, meaning microbiome imbalances can be a primary driver of gut leakage.
In mice, distinct gut microbiomes were associated with differing intestinal permeability, Th2/Treg balance, and food allergy severity. Cohousing transferred microbiota from severely affected mice to mildly affected mice, increasing intestinal permeability and worsening allergic responses. Data indicate gut microbes modulate barrier function and food-allergy–specific immune cells.
In this study, the researchers used two groups of mice known to have differences in their gut microbiomes. When a food allergy was induced in the mice, one group developed mild allergic reactions (less diarrhea), while the other had more severe reactions. The mice with more severe diarrhea were also known to have increased intestinal permeability, or "leaky gut."

In mice with more severe food allergies, the researchers also observed an increase in immune cells that cause allergic reactions, Th2 cells, and a decrease in food-allergy-specific immune cells that turn off immune responses, Treg cells. Th2 cells are the immune cells that cause anaphylaxis in people with food allergies.
Interestingly, when the researchers housed mice from the two groups together, they found that mice with milder food allergies developed more severe symptoms. Further tests uncovered that the gut microbiome of the mice with milder allergic reactions shifted to be more like that of the group with severe reactions. The researchers also reported increased intestinal permeability and a change in the balance of immune cells involved in the food allergy response, suggesting that "leaky gut" and the gut microbiome are linked to how the immune system responds to a food allergy.
Researchers clearly saw that food-allergy-specific immune cells were impacted by gut microbes, which affected the food allergy itself.

Journal of Immunology (2026). DOI: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag172

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Not all exercise is equal when it comes to metabolic syndrome risk
Exercise modalities showed distinct effects on metabolic syndrome markers. Aerobic plus resistance training improved waist circumference, BMI, LDL cholesterol and glycemic control; mind-body exercise improved HDL cholesterol and systolic blood pressure; high- and low-volume HIIT preferentially reduced body fat and lipids or diastolic pressure, respectively. Evidence certainty was generally low.

Xinyu Shen et al, Comparative efficacy of various exercise therapies for metabolic syndrome a systematic review and network meta-analysis, iScience (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116801

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