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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 15 hours ago

Scientists reveal hidden world of living cells in human milk

Human milk is a complex biological system containing many different types of living cells.

Advanced nanoscale imaging technology has revealed the diversity of living cells in human milk and uncovered new insights into how these cells are structured, what they contain and how they use nutrients.
Researchers examined major cell populations found in human milk, including milk-producing cells, known as lactocytes, and different types of immune cells such as neutrophils, macrophages and dendritic cells.
Nanoscale imaging, isotope tracing and single-cell analysis identified distinct metabolic profiles in human milk cells. Macrophages incorporated glucose into lipid droplets, lactocytes showed active protein production and energy metabolism, and neutrophils contained high sulfur and iron levels.

Qiongxiang Lin et al., Multimodal Nanoscale Imaging Reveals Cellular and Metabolic Complexity of Human Breast Milk, ACS Nano (2026). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6c12691

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 15 hours ago

The researchers conducted a health risk assessment based on toxicological parameters. In general, the expected intake of microplastics and plasticizers based on average daily tea consumption is negligible. However, the study authors do exhibit some concern about the concentration of BPA found in the tea brewed with plastic bags.

Some studies suggest BPA disrupts hormone levels, but it is somewhat unclear what levels may be safe and suggested limits vary. While the amount of BPA was only 4.55%–21.70% of the EFSA daily intake benchmark, the team notes that this accounts for only a part of the total daily intake and the benchmark may be exceeded with higher tea intake or with BPA from other sources.

The study authors write, "Our study found that BPA intake could reach 21.7% of the EFSA TDI value, a finding that serves as a critical warning, particularly for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children."
The research team suggests limiting consumption of microplastics, BPA and other plastic-related chemicals when possible. Avoiding plastic tea bags is a relatively simple way to do this.

Necla Pehlivan et al., Microplastic release from plastic tea bags versus bulk tea and migration of bisphenol A and plasticizer esters, npj Science of Food (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41538-026-01175-x

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 15 hours ago

Plastic tea bags are releasing BPA, plasticizers and up to 2,500 microplastic particles into your cup of tea

Microplastics are now impossible to avoid. They have made their way into everything from agricultural soils to freshwater systems. So, it is unsurprising that they end up in most foods and drinks. However, some methods of packaging or serving these items can increase microplastic exposure even more. One such example is the plastic tea bag. While many tea bags are still made of a cellulose material, some brands use a plastic mesh, despite the well-established fact that plastics can break down in hot water.
Studies have reported particle release from tea bags, along with the migration of other plastic-related chemicals, such as phthalate esters (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BPA), which are added during production for increased flexibility, durability and thermal resistance. One study even reported that a single plastic tea bag releases billions of microplastic pieces at normal brewing temperatures.

Now, a new study, published in npj Science of Food, has analyzed plastic tea bags from four different brands to break down their average microplastic release, the types of microplastics they contain and the PAE and BPA content in the average cup. The study compares tea brewed with plastic tea bags to bagless bulk tea.
Researchers involved in the new study screened four bagged-tea brands with plastic tea bags. The plastic bags were brewed for three minutes at approximately 95°C (203 degrees Fahrenheit). Bulk leaves underwent direct chemical digestion rather than an equivalent brewing experiment. The researchers used microscopy to count suspected particles, infrared spectroscopy to identify a subset and chromatography to measure chemicals in bagged-tea infusions. Health risks were then modelled.
The plastic-bag brands produced averages of between 555 and 2,498 microplastic particles per cup under the tested brewing conditions, with some brands producing significantly more than others. The methods used only identified particles greater than 100 micrometers, so these concentrations don't include smaller particles that may be present. The particles from these bags were all identified as polyamide fibers, consistent with the bag material.

BPA and plasticizer compounds were also found in all four bagged-tea infusions. The team says that the modeled BPA intake from the bags reached between 4.55% and 21.70% of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) daily intake benchmark for BPA.

The bulk tea leaves contained between 146 and 1,178 particles per kilogram. This converts to approximately 0.3–2.4 particles per 2-gram (0.07-ounce) serving of tea leaves. The comparison is not direct, since the bulk tea was not brewed, but the results still point to a far lower concentration of microplastics in the bulk tea. In contrast to the tea bags, the polymer distribution of bulk tea consisted of a mixture of polymer types.

The study authors write, "The primary drivers for this mixed polymer profile are the use of plastic sacks and bundles (PE/PP) in agricultural activities, combined with the deposition of atmospheric dust, which typically contains PET and PA fibers. Furthermore, during industrial processing, tea leaves maintain intensive contact with plastic-laden equipment, including loading machinery, conveyor belts and rolling (twisting) stations. This mechanical interaction facilitates MP transfer or plasticizers from the machinery to the leaf surface.

"During the withering stage, leaves are exposed to ambient air for extended periods, making the gravitational settling of airborne MPs (microplastics) a significant contributory factor to the overall pollutant load."
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Furthermore, rather than simply allowing tumors to escape the cell-killing effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, IAPs enabled surviving tumor cells to enter a highly unusual zombie-like state called "premature senescence" that converts cells into coordinators of wound healing that can orchestrate a beneficial immune response and help tumors bounce back from chemotherapy.

Senescent cells are nondividing zombie-like cells that undergo dramatic changes within a few days of exposure to chemotherapy, including becoming almost 10 times bigger than a normal cell and ramping up genes associated with wound healing. These changes endow them with a greatly increased ability to secrete inflammatory mediators, which attracts cells of the immune system. The accumulation of senescent cells in tissues as we age is also thought to contribute to the inflammatory processes associated with aging, as well as a decline in the normal function of many tissues.

The scientists also found that senescent cells formed in response to chemotherapy are highly dependent on IAPs for their continued survival. Accordingly, compounds that neutralized IAPs (called IAP antagonists) selectively eliminated senescent cells by reactivating the death receptor self-destruct program within these cells.
These new findings suggest ways in which we may be able to lower the defenses of tumours by neutralizing IAPs after the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs, which should block their entry to senescence and kill more cells of the tumour.

Gokhan Gunay et al., Death receptors regulate entry to therapy-induced senescence and orchestrate addiction to IAPs, Science Advances (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aed4541. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aed4541

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Cancers evade chemotherapy by entering a 'zombie-like state'

Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how cancer cells can evade the cell-killing effects of chemotherapy and enter a "zombie-like state," called premature senescence, that can attract the wound-healing properties of the immune system.
Although our immune system protects us from infection, it also plays a critical role in coordinating repair and replacement of damaged tissue, which is a process called wound healing. The wound-healing capabilities of the immune system stimulate cell division within damaged tissue to replace cells that have been lost through injury and bring extra nutrients and oxygen into the injured tissue by triggering the growth of new blood vessels. This is a complex and highly coordinated process, which ensures that new cells are only produced where and when they are needed.

However, cancers can exploit these wound-healing capabilities for their own ends by masquerading as damaged tissue and tricking the immune system into helping malignant cells to divide and acquire extra oxygen and nutrients rather than killing them. For these reasons, cancers have been described as "wounds that do not heal".
In research published in the journal Science Advances, scientists have found that molecules called inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) can enable tumours to escape the cell-killing effects of commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs.
They found that IAPs functioned in this setting by neutralizing the cell-killing effects of molecules called "death receptors" that were switched on in response to DNA damage provoked by chemotherapy.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

AI gets more diagnoses right than generalist doctors in medical challenge

One of the many challenging parts of being a doctor is diagnosing exactly what is wrong with a patient. This is because numerous illnesses often have overlapping symptoms, which can make the diagnostic journey a long one.
In addition to asking patients questions, doctors may need to order tests and consult medical references or even other professionals. Obviously, for the individual patient, the sooner a diagnosis is reached, the sooner they can start receiving the most appropriate treatment.

Now, in yet another breakthrough for AI, Microsoft researchers claim they have developed a tool that can outperform individual generalist physicians in diagnosing complex medical cases.

It is called DxO, which stands for Diagnostic Orchestrator, and simulates a panel of clinical experts who collaborate to reach a diagnosis.

To see how well DxO performs and how it compares with medical professionals, researchers developed a testing framework called SDBench, which was essentially an interactive quiz.

The team took 304 published diagnostic cases from the New England Journal of Medicine and 325 emergency department admission records. They turned each of these patient files into a step-by-step test.

At the start of each test, a doctor or DxO was given a summary called a clinical vignette. This included basic details like the patient's age and sex and their main symptoms.

For example, one case started with: "A 29-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of sore throat and peritonsillar swelling and bleeding. Symptoms did not abate with antimicrobial therapy."

An AI system acted as a gatekeeper, providing information from the original case file in response to questions and test requests. Once a doctor or DxO felt they had enough information, they submitted a final diagnosis. An AI judge graded the diagnosis against the one recorded in the original case file.
The difference between AI and real doctors was striking, as the team reports in a paper published in the journal Science.

Regarding the complex published cases, DxO made an accurate diagnosis 83.2% of the time and achieved 80.3% accuracy on emergency department admission cases. Human doctors, on the other hand, averaged 36.1% and 46.8%, respectively.

There were also clear differences in approach. DxO asked more questions about the patient's background upfront before ordering tests, which could help reduce testing costs.

While AI appears to have come out on top, the researchers state that it doesn't mean it is better than doctors in real-world practice. "These comparisons do not establish superiority over specialists, multidisciplinary teams, or real-world clinical practice."

Additionally, the Microsoft team did not conduct the testing in everyday health care settings. As a result, SDBench measures diagnostic reasoning under idealized information conditions rather than bedside performance or patient outcomes.
The study authors say future work should explore how doctors and AI systems could work together. They also suggest the technology could be used in medical education and training.

Harsha Nori et al., Sequential diagnosis with language models, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aeh7930

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Global warming may have halted an emerging ice age, study suggests

Two thousand years ago, the Arctic remnants of a once-vast ice sheet started to grow again. It was the beginning of a new glacial period, more conversationally known as the next ice age—but by the 1960s, summer temperatures were already so high that the ice sheet started to shrink. In other words, global warming ended a period of glaciation that had already begun.
Radiocarbon-dated plants indicate that the Barnes Ice Cap, a Laurentide remnant, reached its minimum extent about 3,000 years ago and began expanding about 2,000 years ago. Warming reversed this growth by the 1960s. The expansion is interpreted as the onset of a glacial period subsequently interrupted by modern warming.

Nicolás E. Young, Late Holocene re-expansion of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aed3379. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aed3379

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Why GPCRs matter in aging
GPCRs play an essential role in regulating hormones, metabolism, brain function, immune responses and many other biological processes. While individual GPCRs are already important drug targets for specific diseases, the authors believe that their potential extends far beyond treating conditions individually.

As humans age, GPCR expression and signaling can change in ways that disrupt healthy cellular function. These age-related changes are linked to several fundamental processes associated with aging, including chronic low-level inflammation, reduced cellular energy production, genomic and epigenetic dysregulation, impaired cellular communication, reduced ability to maintain healthy proteins and the accumulation of dysfunctional cells.

Because GPCRs influence so many critical systems, their dysfunction is linked to a wide range of chronic, age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, endocrine and metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Taken together, the vast network of GPCRs in the human body is proposed to act as a central regulator of health and resilience throughout life. Since GPCRs are highly 'druggable' and can be targeted by medicines, they could provide a platform for developing therapies aimed at extending health span and preventing age-related diseases.

The international team argues that advances in artificial intelligence, systems biology and precision medicine are opening the door to a new generation of GPCR-based therapies that could target biological mechanisms underlying aging.
One of the most promising aspects of this field is its potential for personalization.
By leveraging advances in biotechnology, systems pharmacology and AI, future GPCR-based therapies could transform the way we approach aging, bringing us closer than ever to a world where diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are no longer seen as inevitable, but as preventable or treatable conditions, say the researchers.

Network-level control of G protein-coupled receptors: a panacea for chronic diseases?, Frontiers in Science (2026). DOI: 10.3389/fsci.2026.1891819

Part 2

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Rebalancing the body's cellular communication system could slow aging

Researchers have outlined a plan for slowing aging by targeting one of the body's most important cellular communication systems. In a new paper published in Frontiers in Science, scientists describe how novel therapies that modulate GPCR signalling could one day help delay multiple age-related diseases at once—potentially extending healthy years of life.
GPCRs are widespread throughout the body and regulate many essential biological processes. Age-related changes in GPCR signalling are linked to multiple hallmarks of aging and many major chronic diseases. The authors propose that therapies designed to rebalance GPCR signalling across tissues could therefore help counter some of the key biological processes that drive aging and age-related disease.
What's most exciting about this network-level GPCR approach is its ability to influence many of the biological systems that change with age at the same time.

This network-level approach—targeting multiple GPCR pathways across the body rather than a single receptor or disease—could give rise to personalized treatments based on individual aging biomarkers, the researchers say, as well as advanced strategies that modulate GPCR signaling across different tissues and pathways.

These interventions could also complement other emerging longevity strategies—such as metabolic therapies, regenerative medicine and treatments that reduce chronic inflammation—to help preserve health and function by acting on several aging processes in parallel.
Rather than targeting a single disease or pathway, GPCR-based network therapies could help us address some of the fundamental mechanisms that drive declining health throughout the body. While much research remains to be done, this represents a promising new direction for longevity science.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Scientists send aromas over the internet

One day, you may be able to easily smell what you are looking at when browsing online. Sending smells over the internet has long been a dream, and while it may seem far-fetched, researchers have now taken a major step toward making it a reality.
Previous attempts have relied on bulky desktop boxes, static scratch-and-sniff cards or VR headsets, sometimes requiring a person to manually trigger a scent. What is new about this approach is that researchers at The Ohio State University and Zhejiang Laboratory in China created a fully automated, hands-free system.

Instead of having to press a button to trigger a scent, the system uses an artificial intelligence e-nose to detect and analyze an odor. It then transmits that scent data across the web to a receiver called Scentronic, which can be built directly into wearable devices like bracelets or necklaces and recreates the smell for the user.
But how accurate can a digital scent really be? Can it really come close to the real thing?

The research team trained and tested its system on five distinct everyday odors: coffee, beer, red wine, cake and orange. Once the AI identified a scent, it sent the digital data over the internet to a Scentronic device. The researchers also tested the device with 14 healthy volunteers who were asked to identify different smells.

They correctly identified individual scents from the mists released by the device about 73% of the time. When smells were sent over in pairs, such as coffee and orange or beer and cake, the volunteers correctly identified them roughly 71% of the time.

As for speed, the system could respond to signals from the smell sensor in just 0.6 seconds. However, classifying more complex food odours took several to tens of seconds.
The scientists also created a prototype cup that dispenses both scents and flavoured liquids. Wearing a mixed-reality headset, users could select a virtual drink and trigger the release of corresponding flavours and smells in the real world.
Despite the generally good results, the researchers highlighted the limits of their technology in their paper published in Science Advances. "In the current implementation, odour information is classified at the category level and reconstructed through preloaded odour channels, rather than reproduced with full chemical compositional precision."

They also point out that further testing is needed to see how the system performs outside a controlled lab.

Chunyu Yang et al., Scentronic: An artificial intelligence–assisted olfactory interface for remote odor sharing and transmission, Science Advances (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aee9266

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