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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Dec-2025 00:11 ET (31-Dec-2025 05:11 GMT/UTC)

Interbreeding with Neanderthals may be responsible for modern-day brain condition, SFU study finds

Simon Fraser University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new Simon Fraser University-led study reveals interbreeding between humans and their ancient cousins, Neanderthals, as the likely origin of a neurological condition estimated to impact up to one per cent of people today.

The study, published this week in the journal Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, was led by Kimberly Plomp, a recent postdoctoral fellow at SFU and Mark Collard, the Canada Research Chair in Human Evolutionary Studies and a professor in the Department of Archaeology. Their findings suggest that Chiari Malformation Type 1, a serious and sometimes fatal neurological condition, may be linked to Neanderthal genes that entered the human gene pool through interbreeding tens of thousands of years ago.

Journal: Evolution Medicine and Public Health

Center for BrainHealth receives additional $1 million match gift from Adm. William McRaven (ret.), recipient of Courage & Civility Award

Center for BrainHealth
Grant and Award Announcement

Admiral William McRaven (ret.) and his wife Georgeann have championed Center for BrainHealth causes for years, recently announcing an additional $1 million challenge grant to support Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters. Like last fall's $2 million challenge (which the center met in record time with the help of private philanthropy), this effort invites the public to give and double their impact in supporting brain health among active duty and veteran warriors.

Texas A&M launches clinical trial to measure health benefits of ‘agrihood’ living

Texas A&M University
Grant and Award Announcement

At the center of the study is Indigo, a 235-acre master-planned community in Fort Bend County, Texas, where residents will begin to move later this month. The neighborhood will have 42 acres dedicated to agriculture, including crop fields and a livestock pasture. Plans also emphasize walkability, with more than half of the land dedicated to car-free green spaces. The study will recruit 350 participants total, comprised of 175 Indigo residents and 175 residents of a comparison community in Fort Bend County. Located about 20 miles away from Indigo, the comparison neighborhood has similar demographics but is a traditional planned community without the features of an agrihood. Participants will complete a comprehensive survey about their lifestyle before moving in to establish a baseline and will be surveyed again at three and six months.

Funder: Department of Agriculture

Snacking on avocado before bed may be linked to health impacts the next morning in adults with prediabetes

Hass Avocado Board
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Findings from a newly published randomized controlled trial offer surprising insights for the one in three adults at greater risk of heart disease because of prediabetes. The study explored how snacking on avocado at night affects health markers the next morning and the results suggest snacking on avocado at night may promote healthier triglyceride metabolism the next morning.

Inflammation triples depression risk for older adults with insomnia

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Chronic inflammation, already tied to heart disease and cancer, may also worsen the emotional toll of poor sleep. A new UCLA Health study found that older adults with insomnia who experience inflammatory exposure face triple the risk of developing depressive symptoms compared to sound sleepers.

Journal: JAMA Psychiatry

Living near St. Louis-area Coldwater Creek during childhood linked with higher risk of cancer from radiation

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Living near Coldwater Creek—a Missouri River tributary north of St. Louis that was polluted by nuclear waste from the development of the first atomic bomb—in childhood in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s was associated with an elevated risk of cancer, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The researchers say the findings corroborate health concerns long held by community members.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health

Prevalence of extremely severe obesity and metabolic dysfunction among US children and adolescents

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this nationally representative cross-sectional study of U.S. children and adolescents, prevalence of extremely severe obesity significantly increased over time, particularly among older adolescents and non-Hispanic Black participants. Extremely severe obesity was associated with severe metabolic and cardiovascular complications, including metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease, prediabetes or diabetes, severe insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. These findings emphasize the urgent need for public health interventions and policies to address pediatric obesity broadly.

Journal: JAMA Network Open