Birth Defects News

May 23, 2026

Top Headlines

“Zombie Cells” Aren’t Always Bad and That Could Transform Anti-aging Medicine

May 22, 2026 Scientists are uncovering a surprising truth about aging cells: some may damage the body, while others help protect it. The discovery is fueling a new wave of precision anti-aging therapies aimed at ...

May 21, 2026 A huge international review found that GLP-1 weight-loss drugs significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and premature death over the long term. Researchers say these ...

Common Pesticide Linked to Hidden Brain Damage, Scientists Warn

May 21, 2026 Scientists have uncovered alarming new evidence that a common insecticide may leave lasting marks on the developing brain before a child is even born. Researchers studying New York City children found that prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos — a ...

Is Cannabis Safe After 65? Stanford Experts Reveal 5 Risks Older Adults Should Know

May 15, 2026 Cannabis use among older adults is rising fast, but today’s marijuana is far more potent than many people realize — and experts warn the risks may be underestimated. Stanford Medicine specialists ...

Breakthrough Biomaterial Heals Tissue from the Inside Out

May 5, 2026 Scientists have developed a breakthrough injectable biomaterial that travels through the bloodstream to repair damaged tissue from within, reducing inflammation and jumpstarting healing. In animal studies, it successfully treated heart attack damage ...

This Simple Blood Test Might Detect Depression Before Symptoms Appear

May 4, 2026 A new study suggests depression may soon be detectable through a simple blood test—by tracking how certain immune cells age. Researchers found that accelerated aging in monocytes, a type of white blood cell, is closely tied to the emotional and ...

Weight Loss Drug Ozempic Linked to Lower Depression and Anxiety Risk

May 4, 2026 GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide—best known for treating diabetes and driving weight loss under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy—may also deliver a surprising mental health boost. In a massive study tracking nearly 100,000 people over more than a ...

Alzheimer’s Drugs May Not Work and Could Raise Brain Risks

May 4, 2026 Drugs designed to clear amyloid beta from the brain—once seen as a promising path to slowing Alzheimer’s—may not actually help patients in any meaningful way, according to a major review of over 20,000 participants. Even more concerning, they ...

A Forgotten Drug Is Giving New Hope to Kids with a Rare Disease

Apr. 29, 2026 A decades-old drug once used to treat sleeping sickness is now showing surprising promise against an ultra-rare and life-threatening genetic disorder called Bachmann-Bupp syndrome (BABS). Early patient treatments suggest the drug, DFMO, may ease ...

Two Common Drugs May Reverse Fatty Liver Disease, Study Finds

Apr. 22, 2026 Scientists have discovered that combining two existing drugs can dramatically reduce liver fat linked to a common and often silent disease. The treatment not only improved liver health in animal models but also showed potential to lower ...

Scientists Discover Gene That Helps the Brain Repair Itself

Apr. 15, 2026 A surprising discovery from high-altitude animals like yaks and Tibetan antelopes could reshape how we treat nerve damage in humans. Scientists found that a genetic mutation helping these animals survive low-oxygen environments also protects and ...

Early Weight Gain Is Linked to Lifelong Health Consequences

Apr. 11, 2026 Putting on weight earlier in life may be more dangerous than previously thought. Researchers found that early adulthood obesity significantly raises the risk of premature death, especially from major diseases like heart disease and diabetes. The ...

Latest Headlines

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Brain Study Reveals Hidden Link Between Autism and ADHD

Apr. 9, 2026 Scientists are uncovering a surprising connection between autism and ADHD that goes deeper than labels. Instead of diagnoses, it’s the severity of autism-like traits that seems to shape how the ...

Scientists Discover Spice Synergy That Boosts Anti-Inflammation 100x

Apr. 9, 2026 Chronic inflammation often works quietly in the background but can fuel serious diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. New research reveals that everyday plant compounds—like menthol ...

Your Brain Could Help Solve Autism and Most People Don’t Know It

Apr. 8, 2026 A new survey reveals a striking disconnect in how Americans think about autism research. While nearly everyone agrees that studying the autistic brain is essential, most people are unaware that brain ...

Binge Drinking Just Once a Month May Triple Your Risk of Liver Scarring

Apr. 4, 2026 Many people think that occasional binge drinking is harmless if they otherwise drink in moderation, but new research suggests that assumption may be dangerously wrong. A large U.S. study found that ...

This 5-Day Diet Helped Crohn’s Patients Feel Better Fast

Apr. 3, 2026 A new clinical trial suggests that what people eat could finally offer real relief for Crohn’s disease, a condition that has long lacked clear dietary guidance. Researchers found that a ...

A Gene Mutation May Trap the Brain in the Wrong Reality in Schizophrenia Patients

Apr. 3, 2026 A newly identified gene mutation may help explain why schizophrenia patients struggle to update their understanding of reality. The mutation disrupts ...

This Viagra Ingredient Just Did Something Remarkable for a Deadly Childhood Disease

Mar. 31, 2026 A surprising breakthrough suggests that a drug best known as Viagra could help treat a devastating childhood disease. Researchers found that ...

Your DNA Is Constantly Moving—and It May Explain Cancer

Mar. 31, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising secret about our DNA: it’s not a static blueprint, but a constantly shifting, folding structure that helps control how genes turn on and off. Researchers at ...

Just a Few Minutes of Effort Could Lower Your Risk of 8 Major Diseases

Mar. 30, 2026 Just a few minutes of getting out of breath each day could dramatically cut your risk of major diseases—including heart disease, dementia, and diabetes. A large study of nearly 100,000 people found ...

New Cholesterol Guidelines Could Change When You Get Tested

Mar. 29, 2026 A major new U.S. cholesterol guideline is shifting the focus toward earlier, more personalized prevention of heart disease. It urges people to start screening sooner—sometimes even in ...

Scientists Just Discovered Bees and Hummingbirds Are Drinking Alcohol

Mar. 25, 2026 Flower nectar often contains small amounts of alcohol, meaning pollinators like hummingbirds are drinking it all day long. Despite consuming human-equivalent amounts, they show no signs of ...

Fathers Face Rising Depression Risk a Year After Baby Arrives

Mar. 24, 2026 New fathers appear to have fewer mental health diagnoses during pregnancy and the early months after birth. But that early stability does not last. About a year later, depression and stress-related ...

Weight Loss Drug Ozempic Cuts Depression, Anxiety, and Addiction Risk

Mar. 22, 2026 GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Ozempic) may offer unexpected mental health benefits alongside weight loss. A large study found major drops in depression, anxiety, and psychiatric-related ...

Belly Fat Linked to Heart Failure Risk Even in People With Normal Weight

Mar. 19, 2026 Carrying extra fat around the waist may be more dangerous than the number on the scale suggests. Researchers found that belly fat was more strongly linked to heart failure risk than BMI, even in ...

Huge Study Finds No Evidence Cannabis Helps Anxiety, Depression, or PTSD

Mar. 20, 2026 The largest review of medicinal cannabis to date found it doesn’t effectively treat anxiety, depression, or PTSD—despite millions using it for those reasons. Researchers warn it could even make ...

Scientists Link Childhood Stress to Lifelong Digestive Issues

Mar. 17, 2026 Early life stress may set the stage for long-term digestive problems by disrupting the gut-brain connection. Studies in both mice and thousands of children found links to symptoms like pain, ...

New Drug Protects Liver After Intestinal Surgery and Boosts Nutrient Absorption

Mar. 18, 2026 A risky but often lifesaving surgery that removes damaged parts of the small intestine can leave patients facing a new threat: serious liver damage with no available treatment. Now, scientists have ...

Scientists Discover a Brain Signal That May Trigger Autism’s Domino Effect

Mar. 7, 2026 Researchers have uncovered a surprising molecular chain reaction in the brain that may play a role in some forms of autism. The study suggests that nitric oxide, a tiny signaling molecule normally ...

Boosting a Key Brain Protein Could Help Treat Rett Syndrome

Mar. 6, 2026 Researchers have discovered a new way to increase a key brain protein damaged in Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects thousands of children worldwide. Early studies in mice and ...

New Drug Cuts Seizures by Up to 91% in Children With Rare Epilepsy

Mar. 4, 2026 A new experimental drug is showing remarkable promise for children with Dravet syndrome, a severe genetic form of epilepsy. In clinical trials, the treatment zorevunersen cut seizures by as much as ...

Ozempic-Like Weight Loss Drugs May Help the Heart Recover After a Heart Attack

Mar. 4, 2026 Popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro may do more than help people shed pounds. New research suggests these GLP-1 medications could also help protect the heart after a heart ...

American Heart Association Warns 60% of US Women Will Have Cardiovascular Disease by 2050

Feb. 27, 2026 Heart disease is on track to tighten its grip on American women. New projections from the American Heart Association warn that over the next 25 years, cardiovascular disease will rise sharply, driven ...

Simple Blood Test Can Forecast Alzheimer’s Years Before Memory Loss

Feb. 23, 2026 Scientists have created a blood test that can estimate when Alzheimer’s symptoms are likely to begin. By measuring a protein called p-tau217, the model predicts symptom onset within roughly three ...

Babies Exposed to Far More “forever Chemicals” Before Birth Than Scientists Knew

Feb. 23, 2026 Babies born in the early 2000s were exposed in the womb to far more “forever chemicals” than researchers once realized, according to a new study. By using advanced chemical screening on umbilical ...

Generative AI Analyzes Medical Data Faster Than Human Research Teams

Feb. 21, 2026 Researchers tested whether generative AI could handle complex medical datasets as well as human experts. In some cases, the AI matched or outperformed teams that had spent months building prediction ...

Large Study Finds No Link Between mRNA COVID Vaccine in Pregnancy and Autism

Feb. 15, 2026 Researchers tracked more than 400 toddlers to see whether mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during or just before pregnancy was linked to autism or developmental delays. After detailed assessments of speech, ...

Massive Study Finds Most Statin Side Effects Aren’t Caused by the Drugs

Feb. 15, 2026 A massive review of 23 randomized trials found that statins do not cause the vast majority of side effects listed on their labels. Memory problems, depression, sleep issues, weight gain, and many ...

Scientists Find a Clue to Human Brain Evolution in Finger Length

Feb. 10, 2026 Human evolution has long been tied to growing brain size, and new research suggests prenatal hormones may have played a surprising role. By studying the relative lengths of index and ring fingers — ...

Mar. 27, 2026 A new study reveals that high doses of antioxidants—often seen as harmless or beneficial—may actually impact future generations. Male mice given common supplements like NAC produced offspring ...

Everyone Thought Autism Mostly Affected Boys. This Study Says Otherwise

Feb. 10, 2026 Autism has long been thought of as a condition that mostly affects boys, but a massive study from Sweden suggests that idea may be misleading. Tracking nearly 3 million people over decades, ...