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    Study identifies key driver of inflammation, opening door to potential new treatments

    September 7, 2026, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Lung inflammation
    Credit: Anna Shvets from Pexels

    Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have uncovered a critical biological mechanism that helps explain how inflammation is triggered and sustained in a wide range of diseases—highlighting a promising avenue for future therapeutic development.

    The study, published in PLOS One, identified human resistin as a central driver of immune system activation. Researchers found that this protein plays a key role in turning on a powerful inflammatory pathway known as the NLRP3 inflammasome, which has been linked to numerous health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and autoimmune disorders.

    “Chronic inflammation plays a role in everything from heart disease to autoimmune disorders, yet the underlying triggers have remained unclear,” said...

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    A Black Hole as light as 40 tons can exist inside a star if dark matter helps

    September 7, 2026, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    A black hole as light as 40 tons can exist inside a star if dark matter helps
    Schematic illustration of the competing processes governing the evolution of an endoparasitic black hole (EBH) inside a compact star. The EBH simultaneously accretes baryonic matter from the stellar medium (black arrows) and captured dark-matter particles (blue arrows), while losing mass through Hawking radiation (red arrows). The three panels illustrate the possible regimes: (a) accretion dominates and the EBH grows, (b) accretion and Hawking evaporation balance and the EBH remains at approximately constant mass, and (c) Hawking evaporation dominates and the EBH shrinks and ultimately evaporates. The relative number of arrows schematically represents the balance between the corresponding mass-flow rates. In case (b), EBH can have a mass as small as 40 metric tons. Credit: H. A. Adarsha
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    Diabetes drug metformin could be repurposed to help slow aging mechanisms

    September 4, 2026, Categories  Biology/Biotechnology, Health/Medical

    Can a diabetes drug be repurposed to help slow aging mechanisms?

    Metformin, a widely prescribed, safe and inexpensive drug for type 2 diabetes, is a first-line treatment that lowers blood sugar and improves the body’s response to insulin. The drug appears to trick cells into sensing an energy shortage, similar to what happens during fasting or dieting. This activates a key cellular energy sensor called AMPK, which helps trigger cellular waste cleanup and supports cellular repair. Now, a recent review suggests metformin might also help counter some effects of aging.

    The researchers compiled decades of global research, from cellular and molecular studies to animal and human studies, to provide a comprehensive, unified picture of how metformin might affect aging and longevity...

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    More than 120 molecular species found in giant cloud near Milky Way’s center

    September 4, 2026, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Astronomers have discovered a second interstellar cloud near the center of the Milky Way that is extraordinarily rich in complex molecules, including several molecules associated with prebiotic chemistry. The newly studied cloud, G+0.633-0.0604, or G+0.633, contains more than 120 identified molecular species and is the first confirmed chemical twin of another famous molecule-rich cloud. Their paper, posted to the arXiv preprint server on Aug. 14, outlines the chemistry of the newfound cloud.

    Under the right conditions
    Finding molecules in space isn’t new. So far, astronomers have found almost 350 different molecules in interstellar space...

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