Sexual Health News

September 3, 2026

Top Headlines

Shingles Vaccine Linked to 24% Lower Dementia Risk

Aug. 25, 2026 Older adults who received the Shingrix shingles vaccine were 24% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over four years in a study of more than 500,000 people. Researchers estimate the difference could amount to roughly one dementia case ...

AI May Know How You’ll Respond to a Vaccine Before You Get It

Aug. 21, 2026 AI may be able to predict how strongly someone will respond to a vaccine before they receive it. By analyzing antibody patterns in more than 4,000 people, researchers found signs of “immune readiness” that helped distinguish strong responders ...

More Than 1,000 Genetic Switches Reveal Why Female Immunity Is Different

Aug. 20, 2026 More than 1,000 genetic switches behave differently in male and female immune cells, helping explain why women are much more vulnerable to autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Female immune systems appear genetically tuned for stronger inflammatory ...

A Surprising Triple Treatment Completely Clears Hiv in Newborn Primates

Aug. 13, 2026 Researchers have found a striking new way to potentially eliminate HIV soon after infection using a one-time combination of three therapies. In newborn nonhuman primates treated within three days of exposure, the regimen—standard antiretroviral ...

3,500-year-old Skeletons Challenge What Scientists Thought They Knew About Syphilis

Aug. 12, 2026 Ancient remains from Vietnam suggest diseases like yaws may have been passed from mother to child thousands of years ago, a form of transmission often assumed to indicate syphilis. The discovery ...

Cancer-fighting Chewing Gum Cuts HPV Levels by Up to 93%

Aug. 4, 2026 A specially engineered chewing gum reduced HPV by up to 93% and nearly eliminated two bacteria linked to head and neck cancer. The treatment preserved beneficial mouth bacteria, raising hopes for a safer and more affordable ...

Johns Hopkins Scientists Develop Nose Spray DNA Vaccine for Tuberculosis

July 4, 2026 A new intranasal DNA vaccine may give the immune system an extra weapon against tuberculosis by targeting bacteria that can hide from antibiotics. In animal studies, it helped clear infections faster, reduced lung inflammation, and prevented relapse ...

New Fentanyl Vaccine Blocks Deadly Overdoses Before They Start

June 13, 2026 A new experimental vaccine developed by Scripps Research could offer a powerful new way to prevent fentanyl overdoses by stopping the drug before it reaches the brain. Rather than targeting only fentanyl itself, the vaccine trains the immune system ...

AI-designed Universal Coronavirus Vaccine Passes First Human Trial

June 5, 2026 Scientists have successfully tested an AI-designed universal coronavirus vaccine in humans for the first time, finding it to be safe and well tolerated. The vaccine generated immune responses against multiple coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, ...

Hidden Weak Spots in HIV and Ebola Revealed with Breakthrough Nanodisc Technology

Apr. 12, 2026 A new nanodisc-based platform lets scientists study viral proteins in a form that closely mimics real viruses, revealing how antibodies truly recognize them. This approach uncovered hidden ...

Scientists Discover Reversible Male Birth Control That Stops Sperm Production

Apr. 7, 2026 Scientists at Cornell University may be closing in on the long-sought “holy grail” of male contraception: a safe, reversible, nonhormonal method that completely halts sperm production. In a ...

This Common Vaccine Cuts Heart Risk Nearly in Half in New Study

Mar. 20, 2026 A shingles vaccine might double as a powerful heart protector. In people already at high risk, it cut major cardiac events by 46% and deaths by an impressive 66% within a year. Scientists think preventing shingles may also stop clot-related ...

Latest Headlines

updated 9:43am EDT

DNA Origami Vaccines Could Be the Next Leap Beyond mRNA

Mar. 17, 2026 mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during COVID-19 but have limitations like waning immunity and complex production. Scientists are now testing a new platform called DoriVac, which uses folded DNA ...

Scientists Create Universal Nasal Spray Vaccine That Protects Against COVID, Flu, and Pneumonia

Feb. 23, 2026 Scientists at Stanford Medicine have unveiled a bold new kind of “universal” vaccine that could one day protect against everything from COVID-19 ...

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 ...

Common Pneumonia Bacterium May Fuel Alzheimer’s Disease

Feb. 21, 2026 A common bacterium best known for causing pneumonia and sinus infections may also play a surprising role in Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the retina ...

This Reengineered HPV Vaccine Trains T Cells to Hunt Down Cancer

Feb. 18, 2026 Northwestern researchers have shown that when it comes to cancer vaccines, arrangement can be just as important as ingredients. By repositioning a small fragment of an HPV protein on a DNA-based ...

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 ...

This Breakthrough Could Finally Unlock Male Birth Control

Feb. 14, 2026 Scientists at Michigan State University have uncovered the molecular “switch” that powers sperm for their final, high-speed dash toward an egg. By tracking how sperm use glucose as fuel, the team ...

Hearing Aids Didn’t Boost Memory Tests but Dementia Risk Dropped

Feb. 10, 2026 A long-term study of older adults with moderate hearing loss found that hearing aids did not lead to better performance on memory or thinking tests, but the story did not end there. Over seven years, ...

New Nasal Vaccine Shows Strong Protection Against H5N1 Bird Flu

Feb. 5, 2026 As bird flu continues to circulate in animals and spill over into humans, researchers are racing to stop it before it adapts to spread widely between people. A new nasal spray vaccine showed strong ...

A Lost Disease Emerges from 5,500-Year-Old Human Remains

Jan. 26, 2026 A 5,500-year-old skeleton from Colombia has revealed the oldest known genome of the bacterium linked to syphilis and related diseases. The ancient strain doesn’t fit neatly into modern categories, ...

New Antibiotic Pill Shows Promise Against Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea

Jan. 3, 2026 A one-dose oral drug called zoliflodacin has proven highly effective against gonorrhoea in a major international trial. The pill matched the success of current treatments while avoiding injections ...

Stanford Scientists Uncover Why mRNA COVID Vaccines Can Trigger Heart Inflammation

Dec. 27, 2025 Stanford scientists have uncovered how mRNA COVID-19 vaccines can very rarely trigger heart inflammation in young men — and how that risk might be reduced. They found that the vaccines can spark a ...

A Routine Shingles Shot May Offer Powerful Defense Against Dementia

Dec. 3, 2025 A unique vaccine rollout in Wales gave researchers an accidental natural experiment that revealed a striking reduction in dementia among seniors who received the shingles vaccine. The protective ...

Simple Light Trick Reveals Hidden Brain Pathways in Microscopic Detail

Dec. 9, 2025 Microscopic fibers secretly shape how every organ in the body works, yet they’ve been notoriously hard to study—until now. A new imaging technique called ComSLI reveals hidden fiber orientations ...

Common Antidepressant Found to Work in Just Two Weeks

Nov. 8, 2025 Sertraline (Zoloft) may relieve emotional symptoms of depression and anxiety within two weeks, while physical side effects stabilize later. The research highlights how antidepressants can act on ...

Millions Are About to Choose the Wrong Medicare Plan

Nov. 29, 2025 Millions face Medicare decisions each year, but many don’t take advantage of tools that can save them money and stress. Insurance marketing often overshadows unbiased options like SHIP, leaving ...

Scientists Discover COVID mRNA Vaccines Boost Cancer Survival

Oct. 28, 2025 Researchers found that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines significantly increased survival in lung and skin cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy. The vaccine appears to prime the immune system in a powerful, ...

Cancer Patients Who Got a COVID Vaccine Lived Much Longer

Oct. 19, 2025 A groundbreaking study reveals that cancer patients who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived dramatically longer than those who didn’t. Researchers from ...

This Experimental “super Vaccine” Stopped Cancer Cold in the Lab

Oct. 13, 2025 UMass Amherst researchers have developed a groundbreaking nanoparticle-based cancer vaccine that prevented melanoma, pancreatic, and triple-negative breast cancers in mice—with up to 88% remaining ...

Why Women Live Longer Than Men, Explained by Evolution

Oct. 28, 2025 An international team of researchers led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, working with 15 collaborators around the world, has conducted the most ...

This New Blood Test Can Catch Cancer 10 Years Early

Oct. 13, 2025 Scientists at Mass General Brigham have created HPV-DeepSeek, a blood test that can detect HPV-linked head and neck cancers nearly a decade before diagnosis. By finding viral DNA in the bloodstream, ...

Ozempic’s Hidden Pregnancy Risk Few Women Know About

Sep. 9, 2025 Thousands of women are using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for weight loss without contraception, leading to unintended pregnancies and potential risks for unborn babies. Experts warn clearer medical ...

This Vaccine Uses Dental Floss Instead of Needles

Aug. 3, 2025 Scientists have discovered that flossing between your teeth could one day help vaccinate you. By targeting a uniquely permeable gum tissue called the junctional epithelium, this new method stimulates ...

A Deadly Virus No One Talks About — and the HIV Drugs That Might Stop It

July 24, 2025 HIV antivirals may be the key to stopping HTLV-1, a deadly virus with no cure. In a decade-long study, researchers successfully suppressed the virus in mice and discovered a way to kill infected ...

A New Cancer Vaccine Just Wiped out Tumors in Mice

Aug. 19, 2025 A breakthrough mRNA cancer vaccine has shown the ability to supercharge the effects of immunotherapy in mice, sparking hope for a universal “off-the-shelf” treatment that could fight multiple ...

One Pregnancy Shot Slashes Baby RSV Hospitalizations by 72% — and Shields for Months

July 21, 2025 A new UK study shows that vaccinating pregnant women against RSV has led to a staggering 72% drop in hospitalizations of newborns with severe lung infections. By passing virus-fighting antibodies to ...

Three-Person DNA IVF Stops Inherited Disease—eight Healthy Babies Born in UK First

July 18, 2025 In a groundbreaking UK first, eight healthy babies have been born using an IVF technique that includes DNA from three people—two parents and a female donor. The process, known as pronuclear ...

Not Just Hot Flashes: The Hidden Depression Crisis in Early Menopause

July 17, 2025 Premature menopause isn t just a hormonal issue it s a deeply emotional one for many women. A new study reveals that almost 30% experience depression, and it s not just about hormone loss but also ...

Not Just Diabetes: How Slightly High Blood Sugar Wrecks Men’s Sexual Health

July 13, 2025 Aging men aren't just battling time—they're up against rising blood sugar. New research reveals that subtle increases in metabolic markers like glucose have more influence on declining ...

This Virus Infects Millions—and We Just Discovered Its Secret Weapon

June 30, 2025 Scientists have discovered a stealthy mechanism that cytomegalovirus (CMV)—the leading infectious cause of birth defects in the U.S.—uses to infiltrate blood vessel cells while evading immune ...