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How Not to Die (Too Soon)Devi Sridhar Viking (2025)Public health is often a contested subject. Devi Sridhar, a US–UK health scholar of Indian origin, is acutely aware of its complexities — and of just how much our health depends on national policies. In her excellent book, she tackles topics such as exercise, diet, guns, mental health and air pollution. She notes that, in low-income countries, physical activity, associated with poverty and labour, was abandoned as people became richer. But in wealthy countries, gymnastics, for example, has become linked with high socio-economic status.Good VibrationsStefan Koelsch Cambridge Univ. Press (2025)Music is “a…

The contribution of genetics to the variability in people’s metabolism has remained largely unknown. This is, in part, because genetic studies of human metabolism have been limited in scale and allelic breadth. Now, the largest genetic map of human metabolism has been created, revealing new insights on the role of metabolites in health and disease and creating a blueprint for further research. This work is published in Nature Genetics in the paper, “A genetic map of human metabolism across the allele frequency spectrum.” The team used data from ~450,000 individuals through the UK Biobank. The authors examined the consequences of…

Researchers used a new spatial proteomic method to map protein localization changes during viral infection.Image credit:© iStock, sasha85ruJust like workers need the right environment to efficiently perform their tasks, proteins require placement within specific cellular compartments to function properly. Therefore, understanding where proteins reside within a cell is crucial for unraveling their roles in health and disease. Scientists from the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, including mass spectrometry platform leader Josh Elias, developed a new mass spectrometry-based method to map proteins’ spatial organization within cells.1 After attaching molecular tags to proteins that resided in distinct subcellular spaces, whole organelle immunoprecipitation allowed them…

October has arrived, Libra season is well underway, and with it, we have an Aries full moon on the horizon. Not only that, but it’s going to be a super moon, appearing relatively bigger and brighter in the sky. And as the closest full moon to the autumn equinox, this is the annual Harvest Moon, as well as October’s Hunter’s Moon.

Colon cancer is on the rise, but many risk factors for it are modifiable, including diet. A new study connects foods rich in beta-carotene with a 40% lower risk of colorectal cancer.These foods include carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, mangoes and cantaloupe. When it comes to colorectal cancer (CRC)—cancers of the colon and rectum—we’re constantly learning more about risk reduction from new research. For example, some recent studies have suggested a diet high in processed and red meat increases your risk, but a high-fiber diet can help reduce it. There is also evidence that dairy—including probiotic-rich yogurt—may help reduce your risk…

Judith R HarrisonNewcastle upon Tynejudith.harrison{at}newcastle.ac.ukCredit: Wellcome CollectionDavid Enoch was a doctor who made ministers flinch. “I was a troublemaker,” he recalled decades later, “But it was the only way to get changes made.” It was in 1965, when he took a consultant psychiatry post at Shelton Hospital in Shrewsbury, that he was first exposed to the geriatric wards hidden from public view. Here he introduced regular teaching and therapeutic communities—a democratic, participative group approach—and piloted one of Britain’s first care in the community schemes. He identified a core of progressive psychiatrists in other parts of the country, and they exchanged ideas.Enoch…

Credit: onurdongel / Getty Images / E+ Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) hold the potential to regain lost abilities, such as the ability to speak for paralyzed patients or see for the blind. A big problem, though, is that the hardware is intrusive; most high-performance BCIs use arrays of electrodes that go into the brain, which is a very invasive operation that can cause long-term tissue damage if not done properly. A recent research published in Nature Biomedical Engineering details a thin-film microelectrode array that can detect and activate neural activity through over a thousand channels—all without invasive craniotomy or cortical punctures.…

Switch up your routine oatmeal with these delicious breakfast recipes! Oats are a great option for healthy blood sugar levels, but if you want something different, we have plenty of options to help you meet your goals. You won’t find any oats in these quick dishes that take no more than 15 minutes to make. Each recipe also meets our parameters for a diabetes-appropriate eating pattern by being lower in saturated fat and sodium and mindful of carbohydrates and calories. With options like our Feta, Egg & Spinach Breakfast Taco and our Cottage Cheese Toast, you’re sure to find something…

2. Foods Rich in Vitamin CAnother food group to keep in mind when treating itchy skin is those high in vitamin C. Similar to vitamin E, vitamin C’s benefits include antioxidant properties that help protect your skin from damage, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.Research has found that these antioxidants may also help ease inflammation (and the red, dry, or itchy skin that can come with it) from conditions like eczema. Vitamin C can also help your body create collagen — the type of protein that makes up your skin and helps keep it elastic and hydrated, according to the…

The tango’s complexity might make it particularly good for keeping the brain young.Credit: Tempura/GettyWhether it’s dancing the tango or playing the guitar, engaging in a creative pastime can slow brain ageing, according to a study of dancers, musicians, artists and video game players from multiple countries.The analysis used brain clocks — models that measure the difference between a person’s chronological age and the age their brain appears to be — to assess whether creative activities help to maintain neurological youth. In brain regions that are most susceptible to ageing, engaging in creative activities increased connections with different areas of the…