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Decades of scientific work turned the tide on a fatal disease and yielded insights into immunity, vaccines, and more

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Up until recently, habituation — a simple form of learning — was deemed the exclusive domain of complex organisms with brains and nervous systems, such as worms, insects, birds, and mammals. But a new study, published Nov. 19 in Current Biology, offers compelling evidence that even tiny single-cell creatures such as ciliates and amoebae, as well as the cells in our own bodies, could exhibit habituation akin to that seen in more complex organisms with brains.

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At a glance: A new study in mice explains how even a single faulty copy of the BRCA1 gene can fuel tumor growth. The findings suggest the dominant “two-hit” hypothesis of cancer development may not tell the full story behind how cancer arises. Study identifies cellular changes that prime cancer-related genes for action and render cells vulnerable to tumor growth. The findings can inform new treatments that block the priming effect to prevent breast cancer formation.

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An international team led by scientists at Harvard Medical School, the University of Florence, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology analyzed DNA from the remains of five people who died in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE and were cast in plaster nearly two millennia later. Researchers retrieved the DNA in conjunction with the Archaeological Park of Pompeii during restoration of 86 damaged casts in 2015.

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At a glance: Study in mice reveals rapid release of dopamine is not needed for initiating movement but is important for activities related to reward-seeking and motivation. The findings help explain why the widely used Parkinson’s drug levodopa improves movement-related symptoms but often fails to ameliorate some cognitive ones. The work may inform the development of new therapies that restore both slow and fast dopamine action to treat multiple symptoms.

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New AI model identifies possible therapies from existing medicines for thousands of diseases, including rare ones with no current treatments. The AI tool generates new insights on its own, applies them to conditions it was not trained for, and offers explanations for its predictions.

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Three new studies pinpoint challenges and opportunities for closing health disparities for LGBTQ+ people, showing how the convergence of political and social environments, structural inequities, and implicit and explicit bias within the medical system erode LGBTQ+ well-being.

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The new approach marks a major step forward in the design of AI tools to support clinical decisions in cancer diagnosis, therapy. The model uses features of a tumor’s microenvironment to forecast how a patient might respond to therapy and to help inform individualized treatments.

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Harvard Medical School virologist Jonathan Abraham has studied EEE virus in detail. In research published in Nature in 2022 and 2024, Abraham and team mapped the structure and behavior of the cell receptors — the entryways on the surfaces of cells — that allow EEE virus and similar viruses to infect their hosts and cause mischief.

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At a glance: New research explains how herpes simplex virus can develop resistance to antiviral medicines. Study shows that movements in specific parts of a protein that enable viral replication can alter susceptibility to drugs The findings answer long-standing questions about viral drug resistance and can inform new approaches to designing more effective therapies.

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Research in mice sheds light on how thyroid hormone alters wiring in the brain. Findings reveal that thyroid hormone syncs up the brain and body to drive exploratory behavior. Researchers say their work could illuminate new treatments for certain psychiatric conditions.

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In a marked advance over current AI models, the new approach captures how proteins act not in isolation but in their cellular and tissue environments.

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Researchers outline dangers of developing AI-powered autonomous weapons

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Highly localized TB strains are less infectious in cosmopolitan cities and more likely to infect people from the geographic area that is the strain’s natural habitat.

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If current guidelines for cholesterol and high blood pressure treatment remain unchanged, a newly unveiled heart risk calculator would render 16 million people ineligible for preventive therapy.

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Over the last century, a once-deadly mosquito-borne virus has evolved so that it no longer sickens humans. New research shows that changes in the virus’s ability to target human cells paralleled the decline in illness and death. The findings offer important lessons in virology that may help guide better preparedness for future outbreaks of other viral diseases.

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Cell biologist embraces new tools to study human development on the smallest scale

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Harvard Medical School researchers are studying one of the most mysterious — and most essential — senses

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At a glance: The four scientists developed genetically engineered immune cells to combat several blood cancers. CAR T-cell therapy has redefined the treatment of blood cancers, saving the lives of tens of thousands of people.

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Concerns over medical misinformation are not new, but the COVID-19 pandemic magnified long-simmering tensions over two fundamental concepts: Freedom of speech and the federal government’s responsibility to protect people from what it considers false and dangerous claims.