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Your new therapist: Chatty, leaky, and hardly human

Vince Lahey of Carefree, Arizona, embraces chatbots. From Big Tech products to "shady" ones, they offer "someone that I could share more secrets with than my therapist."

17 Apr 2026

New federal Medicaid rules require one month of work. Some states demand more.

Millions of people who apply for Medicaid in the coming years will have to prove they've been working, going to school, or volunteering for at least a month before they can gain or retain health insurance through the government program.

17 Apr 2026

As US birth rate falls, feds’ response may make pregnancy more dangerous

The number of babies born in the United States fell again last year.

17 Apr 2026

Study highlights voluntary disengagement from technology in later life

Differences in how often older people use the internet is less driven by a person's age and more by cognitive ability and socioeconomic factors such as education and employment status, a new study reveals.

17 Apr 2026

UCL study urges clinician vigilance when prescribing gabapentinoids for pain

People who take gabapentinoids, a medication prescribed increasingly frequently worldwide, particularly for chronic pain, face a much greater risk of drug poisoning if they are also taking another medication, finds a new study by University College London (UCL) researchers.

17 Apr 2026

US Medicaid data finds buprenorphine safe for long-term child development

Children born to mothers who used buprenorphine for opioid addiction during pregnancy do not have a greater risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD and autism, compared with children whose mothers took methadone, finds a large US study published by The BMJ today.

17 Apr 2026

Scientists warn of a silent surge in resistant Aspergillus and Candida

An increasing number of fungi are becoming resistant to medication, posing serious risks for patients with weakened immune systems. That is why fifty researchers from around the world, led by Radboudumc, are calling for action against drug‑resistant fungi. Their call has been published in Nature Medicine.

17 Apr 2026

Fast answers and extra research drive AI healthcare use in America

One in four U.S. adults - the equivalent of over 66 million Americans - report having used artificial intelligence tools or chatbots for physical or mental healthcare information or advice, according to new research released today from the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America.

17 Apr 2026

Academic stress weakens mental resilience and triggers a reliance on gaming

China's highly competitive education system is known for its strict evaluation, rigorous intensity, and academic pressure. A recent study has highlighted the growing problem of this academic pressure leading to burnout amongst Chinese adolescents, which is pushing them towards online gaming.

17 Apr 2026

Researchers debunk the existence of the childhood "adiposity rebound" phenomenon

In new research to be presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) and published in The Journal of Nutrition, a 42-year old theory as to why children's body mass index (BMI) decreases post-infancy before then rising continuously from age six years –'the adiposity rebound' is refuted using new analyses – rather than decreasing body fat, the real reason is proposed as increasing muscle mass.

17 Apr 2026

Study explains the link between NDMA-contaminated water and childhood cancer

A new study from MIT suggests that a carcinogen that has been found in medications and in drinking water contaminated by chemical plants may have a much more severe impact on children than adults.

17 Apr 2026

Scientists discover how the immune system signals the brain to avoid germs

Researchers from the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn uncover vital mechanism for survival

16 Apr 2026

Scientists discover a biological "memory" of breastfeeding in child blood samples

Babies who are exclusively breastfed for at least three months carry markers in their blood that differ from babies who are not breastfed.

16 Apr 2026

Researchers discover a molecular signature to flag dysfunctional aging cells

UCLA researchers have identified a rogue population of immune cells that quietly accumulates in aging tissues and in the livers of people with fatty liver disease. Clearing these cells, they found, dramatically reduced inflammation and reversed liver damage in mice - even while the animals remained on an unhealthy diet.

16 Apr 2026

Sunlight exposure via windows risks infant dehydration and skin damage

Researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Francesc de Borja University Hospital in Gandia and the La Ribera University Hospital, through the Fisabio Foundation, have found that sunlight passing through windows in homes is neither a safe nor a recommended alternative for preventing or treating neonatal jaundice, a condition affecting more than half of all newborns.

16 Apr 2026

BMI increases in early childhood may reflect muscle growth, not fat

A new study published in The Journal of Nutrition, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Society for Nutrition, offers new insights into a decades-old puzzle in childhood obesity. The study found that while body mass index (BMI) starts to rise in early childhood during a stage known as adiposity rebound, when BMI increases after an initial decline, the waist-to-height ratio, a measure that better reflects body fat, continues to drop. This suggests that the BMI increase at this age mainly reflects growth in lean tissues such as muscle and bone, rather than extra body fat.

16 Apr 2026

New findings explain why eccentric training prevents common sprinting injuries

Hamstring injuries are among the most common injuries in sports, particularly in activities involving sprinting and rapid acceleration. They account for roughly 10 % of injuries in field-based sports and often result in significant time away from competition. Despite their frequency, the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of certain training programs in preventing these injuries remain poorly understood.

16 Apr 2026

Older adults show high willingness for Alzheimer’s blood tests

Northwestern University psychologist Andrea Russell sees older adults with early cognitive impairment riddled with anxiety. Some worry a missed word or forgotten appointment could signal Alzheimer's disease.

15 Apr 2026

Middle-aged Americans face rising loneliness and mental health challenges

Frank Infurna first started thinking about the plight of middle-aged adults 10 years ago. He conducted a monthly survey, asking about their health, well-being, relationships, and life events.

15 Apr 2026

Popular chatbots often provide inaccurate and incomplete medical information

A substantial amount of medical information provided by 5 popular chatbots is inaccurate and incomplete, with half of the answers to clear evidence based questions "somewhat" or "highly" problematic, show the results of a study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

15 Apr 2026