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Malaysia firm Holista Colltech urging stronger voice with regulatory authorities amid counterfeits of its omega-3 products, Australia’s TGA flagging content discrepancies in imported melatonin supplements, and US FDA declaring NMN lawful in dietary supplements are some of the latest updates in this regulatory news round-up.

Jackie Leach Scully, professor of bioethics11University of New South Wales, AustraliaAlthough the report fails to acknowledge the nuances of surrogacy, the call for more data is welcome, writes Jackie Leach ScullyThe report on surrogacy presented to the United Nations General Assembly in October by special rapporteur Reem Alsalem concludes that “The practice of surrogacy is characterized by exploitation and violence against women and children, including girls”.1 Its key recommendation is to eradicate all forms of surrogacy around the world. Alsalem’s report has, predictably, prompted highly polarised responses, with some commentators welcoming its conclusions, and others responding with outrage.234Two things need…

US-based Monterey Nutra has launched ManeFocus, a new lion’s mane extract powder, which it will display at the upcoming SupplySide Global trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, US (October 29–30). The company says it is the only lion’s mane ingredient standardized to 1% total metabolites. The ingredient also features an “optimal ratio” of hardwood-grown fruiting bodies and mushroom mycelium, extracted to capture all active medicinal compounds, including terpenes and beta-glucans. Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) mushroom is known to support cognition, memory, brain, and nerve health. As a powdered extract, the company touts ManeFocus’s improved solubility, bioavailability, and taste compared to standard…

Maya Rudolph juggles motherhood and fame, cherishing family dinners despite her kids’ busy schedules.Her go-to meal is miso-glazed salmon with roasted sweet potatoes—a fiber- and omega-3-rich combo.Rudolph’s dish supports gut health thanks to fermented miso and nutrient-packed sweet potatoes and salmon. Maya Rudolph may be the star of Loot and one of the most iconic Saturday Night Live alums out there, but at the end of the day, she’s also a mom trying to get her family together at the dinner table. The actor appeared on the Table Manners podcast this week, where she dished about her favorite foods and…

Talae Vethrin, PhD Candidate, Planetary Entomology Institute, Belt Station Agastya ThetaSet Two Report: Spiral Five, Cycle 742I turned 27 today. That means I’ve now spent four years in the doctoral programme and am exactly 365 days away from professional disgrace and having my credentials quietly revoked in a humiliating end-of-cycle formality they call ‘declassification’. It’s not a euphemism. If I don’t find a new insect species by this time next year, I don’t get a PhD. I get a polite ejection from the Galactic Consortium of Insect Scientists (GCIS) and maybe a commemorative keychain.The GCIS — venerable, bureaucratic and with…

Nature, Published online: 15 October 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03241-ySynthetic DNA circuits and neural networks have previously been developed to process molecular information while consuming energy stored in kinetic traps. Now they have been re-engineered to take in energy from heat when the temperature increases, and to recharge themselves by restoring kinetic traps for subsequent computation.

The gut microbiome has been increasingly connected to a myriad of conditions, in part due to the metabolic output of the microbes in the gut. Studies have suggested that exposure to carcinogens or toxins can have a broader impact on health. The brain-gut microbiome connection has also been under investigation. How the gut microbiome impacts the brain’s response to and preference for alcohol has not yet been thoroughly explored. Researchers at Tufts University have found a connection between a gut fungus, Candida albicans, and the dopamine pathway in the brain. Their paper titled, “Candida albicans colonization modulates murine ethanol consumption…

Credit: Juan Gaertner / Science Photo Library The last several years have marked a time of breakthroughs on the long and rocky road to effective Alzheimer’s disease treatments. After decades of failure, two antibodies designed to target forms of amyloid-β (Aβ) were shown to halt cognitive decline, results warranting FDA approval. However, these new treatments have drawbacks—they are expensive, have complicated infusion schedules, and come with a risk of adverse reactions like brain swelling and bleeding (ARIA), especially prevalent in people with the APOE4 gene variant associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s. Earlier this week, a small biotech company called…

Flatworms’ extraordinary ability to regenerate depends on their stem cells’ surrounding environment. But in contrary to what scientists had thought, it’s not the cells in closest proximity to the stem cells that matter most.Image credit:Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchA type of flatworms, called planarians, can regenerate whole organisms from pieces as small as one-279th of their body.1 Depending on how these goofy-looking worms were cut, they could even come back with multiple heads, indicating a precise control of their regenerative capacity.2A planarian flatworm can regenerate a whole organism from a small fragment of their body. A good understanding of this…

Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine—stimulants that can make it harder to fall and stay asleep.Milk chocolate is also high in sugar, which can cause blood sugar spikes and poorer-quality sleep.To enjoy chocolate without disrupting your rest, stick to a small piece early in the evening. A bite of chocolate at night can feel like the sweetest way to end your day. But depending on the type and timing, that indulgence might be doing more than satisfying your sweet tooth. Chocolate contains natural compounds that can influence how well you sleep—and since around 37% of adults already struggle to get enough…