In a survey study of U.S. teens, more than half (55.3%) reported that they had created at least one image using nudification tools, which use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to show what an individual may look like without clothing. Chad Steel of George Mason University, Virginia, U.S., presents these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on March 18, 2026.

Neanderthals probably used birch tar for multiple functions, including treating their wounds, according to a study published March 18, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by a team of researchers led by Tjaark Siemssen of the University of Cologne, Germany, and the University of Oxford, U.K.

Fear-eliciting images of modern and ancestral threats are equally likely to evoke physiological reactions, despite their distinct evolutionary origins, according to a study published March 18, 2026, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Eva Landová from Charles University, the Czech Republic, and colleagues. However, ancestral threats such as heights and venomous snakes trigger greater skin resistance responses, a measure of sweating, compared to modern threats and harmless stimuli.

Mental health is an important issue for U.S. voters, ranking above border security, TikTok bans and the Billionaire Tax, in hypothetical voting study of salient policy issues

Road traffic noise is annoying during walks in both urban forests and built urban environments and is a ‘significant health-related stressor,’ according to a randomized controlled trial in Zurich, Switzerland