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Chatbots give positive, human-like responses to prompts from users.Credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via GettyAccounts of people developing psychosis — which renders them unable to distinguish between what is and is not reality — after interacting with generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have increased in the past few months.Supportive? Addictive? Abusive? How AI companions affect our mental healthAt least 17 people have been reported to have developed psychosis, according to a preprint posted online last month1. After engaging with chatbots such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, some of these people experienced spiritual awakenings or uncovered what they thought were conspiracies. So far,…

Yet another reason to eat your veggies.

If you’re well versed in K-beauty terminology, perhaps you’ve come across the seven skin method. It practically exploded in popularity after its inception, and for good reason: The simple method results in dewy, luminous skin, in a way that makes people stop and wonder: Did she just wake up like that? It only makes sense why the technique holds its own among K-beauty mainstays like glass skin and the beloved BB cream. 

Racism in NHS maternity care is an ongoing problem responsible for poorer outcomes among black women in England, an inquiry by MPs has concluded.Black women are more than twice as likely as white women to die in pregnancy, childbirth, or the postnatal period, the Health and Social Care Committee highlighted.The committee’s report, published on 17 September,1 found that black women in England continued to face disproportionately poor outcomes in maternity care owing to systemic failings in leadership, training, data collection, and accountability. MPs said that these failings had contributed to the NHS in England paying out £27.4bn in maternity negligence…

Credit: Stocktrek Images/Getty Images Canavan disease (CD) is a fatal genetic leukodystrophy caused by mutations in the ASPA gene, leading to accumulation of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and breakdown of myelin, the insulating sheath around nerve fibers. Affected children suffer progressive neurological impairment, blindness, seizures, and early death.Until now, treatments have been supportive only. Previous gene therapy efforts targeted neurons but failed to substantially restore white matter or improve long-term outcomes. MYR-101 targets the cells that matter A Phase I/II trial (NCT04833907) of MYR-101—an investigational gene therapy using an engineered AAV vector (rAAV-Olig001) that selectively targets oligodendrocytes—is the first approach to aim…

2. Towel Calf StretchThis stretch for the outside of the calf is performed seated and only requires a regular bath towel to do properly, according to OrthoInfo.How to do it: Sit on the floor, keep your body upright, and hold the ends of a towel in each hand. Bend your left leg, placing the left foot on the floor. Then extend your right leg, placing your right ankle on the floor.Place the middle of the towel over the top of your right foot while turning it in slightly to emphasize the outside of the calf. Gently pull on the towel…

Researchers led by a team at INSERM and King’s College London have shown how stretching the skin stimulates immune cells and increases the skin’s ability to absorb large molecules, including those present in vaccines. Using a device that applies suction pressure to stretch the skin, the researchers reported that skin stretching activated a local immune response and increased skin permeability without tissue damage via the opening of hair follicles. They also reported that applying vaccines topically while stretching the skin resulted in more effective immunization than subcutaneously injecting the vaccine in mice. “Just stretching the skin was more effective than…

Julie Gould 00:01Hello and welcome to Working scientist, a Nature Careers podcast. I’m Julie Gould.This is the second episode of our career planning series. Each episode concludes with the sponsored slot from the International Science Council, with support of the China Association for Science and Technology.The ISC is exploring how early and mid-career researchers can navigate their careers in a constantly evolving scientific landscape through conversations with emerging and established scientists.In the first episode of this series, we heard from career coaches and guidance practitioners what career planning is.It is taking a strategic view of your career experiences, learning from…

The new report from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) suggests the new 20 µg/day limit—a big drop from EFSA’s Tolerable Upper Intake Level of 100 µg/day (4,000 IU)—as a result of health concerns related to intermittent ‘bolus’ dosing. The German body is said to be “pushing for the same approach across Europe” as the European Commission has not yet set harmonized legal maximum levels for vitamin D in supplements.Daily supplementation is the standard recommendation across most European guidelines, but there are some products available providing ‘bolus doses’ of up to 50,000 IU, marketed to be taken once a…

Taiwanese probiotic and postbiotic developer Glac Biotech has secured regulatory approval in the US for its core probiotic strain CP-9 (Bifidobacterium lactis CCTCC M 2014588), scientifically backed for its role in gut health and immune regulation. The US FDA deems the ingredient Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Glac Biotech is the only probiotic raw material manufacturer in Taiwan to hold multiple FDA GRAS approvals, following the recognition of its Lactobacillus rhamnosus MP108 in 2023.According to the FDA filing, CP-9 is authorized for use at levels up to 1 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) per serving in a wide range of food…