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Originally written by Max Planck Society  in MedicalXpress on  January 9, 2026, edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan   The brain continuously calculates how likely it is that something will happen within the next three seconds. It uses this assessment to prepare quick and accurate responses. Credit: Max Planck Society Humans respond to environments that change at many different speeds. A video game player, for example, reacts to on-screen events unfolding within hundreds of milliseconds or over several seconds. A boxer anticipates an opponent's moves—even when their timing differs from that of previous opponents. In each case, the brain predicts when events occur, prepares for what comes next and flexibly adapts to the demands of the situation . A study by neuroscientists from the Ernst Strüngmann Institute of the Max Planck Society, Goethe University Frankfurt , the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, and New York University , explains how th...

Originally written in Genetic Engineering and Bitotechnology News on January 2, 2026                       Credit: TefiM / iStock / Getty Images Plus Air sacs in the lungs called alveoli are crucial for gas exchange and provide an important barrier against inhaled viruses and bacteria that cause respiratory diseases like flu and tuberculosis (TB). However, there remains a gap in developing immunocompetent and experimentally accessible alveolar systems to study human respiratory diseases.  In a new study published in  Science Advances  titled, “ Autologous human iPSC–derived alveolus-on-chip reveals early pathological events of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection ,” researchers from the  Francis Crick Institute and  AlveoliX have developed what they describe as the first human lung-on-a-chip model using stem cells taken from a single human donor . The chip can simulate breathing motion...

Hibernation helps animals survive periods of harsh conditions. Studying this behavior could uncover clues to treating obesity, preserving organs, and more in humans. Originally written in the Scientist by Stephanie DeMarco, PhD, on Nov 28, 2025  Hibernating animals go into a state of torpor wherein they lower their metabolic rate and internal temperature. Image credit:© iStock.com, Edwin_Butter As leaves fall off the trees and temperatures grow bitingly cold, many animals prepare to hibernate for the winter. During this period, animals enter a state of torpor wherein they reduce their metabolic activity and lower their body temperature , which helps them conserve energy . Organisms can also enter other kinds of dormancy or adaptations to stressful environments that resemble hibernation. While studying these behaviors can teach scientists more about the unique biology of these animals , it can also inform human health and disease . These include neurodegeneration mechanisms...

Originally published by Chris Kocher,  Binghamton University , in MedicalExpress on December 10, 2025 Edited by  Stephanie Baum , reviewed by  Andrew Zinin Credit:  Theranostics  (2026). DOI: 10.7150/thno.123633 No matter where cancer cells grow in the human body, they are a threat to our health and our lives . But instead of treating them with chemotherapy or radiation —which have undesirable side effects—what if we could train our own immune systems to kill the rogue cells ? That's the idea behind mRNA cancer vaccines , which build on science learned from COVID-19 vaccines to address an even larger health concern. Writing in  Theranostics , Binghamton University Associate Professor Yuan Wan and his collaborators   outline a better way  to target mRNA treatments . It builds on Wan's work over the past five years to develop a better delivery method for chemotherapy medications. Read more

Originally written by Torsten Lauer Central Institute of Mental Health , published in Medicalexpress.com on November 28, 202 Edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan     Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116599 Researchers around the world are studying how the human brain achieves its extraordinary complexity. A team at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim and the German Primate Center—Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen has now used organoids to show that the ARHGAP11A gene plays a crucial role in brain development . If this gene is missing, key processes involved in cell division and structure become unbalanced. The human brain distinguishes us from other living beings like no other organ. It enables language, abstract thinking, complex social behavior, and culture. But how can this extraordinarily powerful organ develop, and how is it ensured that nerve cells and supporting cells for...