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Treating addiction
Alcohol and drug addiction can cause many harms. This Research in Context feature looks at research into the causes of addiction and new ways to treat...
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June 3, 2025 Edition
Infant with rare disease receives customized gene therapy
Researchers used a personalized gene-editing approach to mend a faulty gene in a baby born with a rare, often deadly disorder.
Millions of U.S. kids live with parents with substance use disorders
Almost 19 million U.S. children—1 in 4—lived with at least one parent or primary caregiver who had a substance use disorder in 2023.
Measuring ultra-processed foods in diet
Researchers developed scores based on metabolite levels in blood and urine that can identify diets high in ultra-processed foods.
May 20, 2025 Edition
Researchers describe cancer trends in people under 50
A nationwide analysis found a higher incidence of 14 types of cancer among people under 50 years old compared to rates in 2010.
Gauging biological age to predict future health
Researchers developed a tool to quantify various aspects of a person’s biological age and health status.
Brain circuit rewiring during motor learning
A new study in mice sheds light on how brain circuits get rewired when learning new movements.
May 13, 2025 Edition
Involuntary responses reflect severity of tinnitus symptoms
By analyzing subtle facial movements, researchers found ways to objectively measure the severity of tinnitus and sound sensitivity disorder symptoms.
Disrupting fat metabolism may hinder pancreatic cancer
Scientists were able to target a fat-recycling process to reduce pancreatic tumors in mouse and human models.
Scientists find subtypes of senescence
Researchers found that cells in skin that stop dividing but don’t die, called senescent cells, aren’t all the same, coming in three types with distinct treatment responses.
May 6, 2025 Edition
Smoking cessation pill may help youth quit vaping
Teens and young adults who took a smoking cessation drug called varenicline were more likely to quit vaping nicotine than those who got a placebo pill.
Decoding how nerves sense heat and pain
A study in mice yielded new insights into the workings of nerve cells that sense touch and temperature from the skin, and how inflammation leads to pain.
An LSD analogue for treating psychiatric diseases
Researchers designed a non-hallucinogenic analogue of LSD that had antidepressant and numerous cognitive benefits in mice.
April 29, 2025 Edition
Brain-computer interface restores natural speech after paralysis
Researchers developed a brain-computer interface that quickly translates brain activity into audible words.
Radiation from CT scans and cancer risks
Researchers updated estimates of future radiation-related cancers in the U.S. that can be expected based on current use of CT scans.
Understanding how visual information is processed in the brain
Scientists mapped the connections between hundreds of thousands of neurons in a small section of mouse brain and examined their firing patterns in response to visual stimuli.
April 22, 2025 Edition
Research in Context
Designing proteins
Proteins perform many different functions in biology. Scientists have been working to custom design proteins that can perform unique functions beneficial to human health.
April 15, 2025 Edition
AI may aid screening for opioid use disorder
An artificial intelligence (AI) screening tool identified patients at risk for opioid use disorder and helped reduce readmission to hospitals.
New biomarker tracks cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease
Scientists uncovered a new biomarker that may help predict cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Sex-specific pain suppression by immune cells
A study in mice found that female hormones can prompt sex-specific suppression of a type of pain by certain immune cells.
April 1, 2025 Edition
Midlife eating patterns tied to health decades later
People who ate healthier diets in midlife were more likely to live into their 70s without major chronic disease.
Peptide eye drops may help protect vision
Studies in animals and human retina-like tissue suggest that peptide eye drops could help preserve light-sensitive cells to slow vision loss.
Bacteria use antimicrobial agent to kill competition
Scientists found that a drug-resistant bacterial strain recently evolved to make an antimicrobial compound that kills off competitors.
March 25, 2025 Edition
Neutralizing noroviruses
Researchers found evidence that the human immune system can produce antibodies to neutralize diverse norovirus strains and types.
Non-opioid compound for chronic pain relief
Scientists developed a compound that appeared to relieve pain in mice without adverse side effects.
Tiny tardigrades may hold clues to cancer care
Researchers found that a protein made by tiny creatures called tardigrades can protect mouse and human cells from radiation damage.