u/sibun_rath

A 2016 study by researchers at Yale University published in Social Science & Medicine investigated the relationship between reading and longevity. The study used data from the Health and Retirement Study , a representative sample of Americans who were surveyed repeatedly between 1998 and 2010. Of the 3,635 Americans surveyed, 50 years old and above, those who engaged in regular reading activities had lower mortality risks than those who did not.

The researchers controlled for age, gender, race, education, wealth, marital status, employment status, self-reported health status, eyesight, depression, and chronic disease. When controlling for all these factors, compared to non-readers, book readers had a 20% lower risk of mortality. Additionally, there was a dose-response association, whereby the higher the number of hours read per week, the lower the risk of dying. Specifically, individuals who read for up to 3.5 hours per week had a 17% lower risk of mortality, while those who read more than 3.5 hours per week had a 23% lower risk.

Compared to newspaper and magazine readers, book readers had the highest risk reduction for all levels of reading frequency. The cognitive stimulation theory may explain the observed correlation between book reading and survival. Controlling for covariates, book reading had a significant association with survival. In the unadjusted model, book readers had an 80% survival chance, 23 months longer than the non-reader group. On average, the survival time for readers was 23 months, and the hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.80 among book readers compared to non-readers.

The study establishes a correlation between book reading and increased survival but does not indicate a causal relationship. Further, the analysis was based on a single measure of the exposure variable. Because the study was observational and relied on self-reported data, residual confounding factors could account for the observed association. Finally, although the results were consistent across various models, the study’s findings only apply to older Americans.

Mice learned to avoid a lever that gave them a shock, but not a lever that only gave food. Researchers found this wasn't controlled by one brain region — it took three working together: the amygdala (learns it fast), the zona incerta (remembers it days later), and the raphe nucleus (adds a smaller effect). Switching off all three stopped the mice from learning, even though they still ate normally and got the same shocks. This suggests punishment learning isn't just "reward in reverse" — it takes a coordinated brain network to identify and suppress the right action.

Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale have developed an experimental method for converting waste materials such as PET plastic and corn residue into food ingredients using engineered microorganisms. The process first breaks down the waste into chemical components that specially engineered yeasts can consume and convert into useful substances, including proteins, fats, flavor compounds, and nutrients such as beta-carotene.

These ingredients are then combined and 3D-printed into small, protein-rich cookies called µBites. The research was originally motivated by the need for sustainable food production in resource-limited environments such as space missions, submarines, and disaster areas.

Although laboratory testing reportedly found the prototypes free from several harmful contaminants and pathogens, the technology is still at an early experimental stage and requires further research on nutritional value, long-term safety, large-scale production, and human acceptance.

Overall, the project demonstrates a promising approach to turning waste carbon into useful food components rather than simply treating plastic and agricultural waste as garbage.

A new study has identified a novel biological mechanism driving cognitive decline and accelerated aging in individuals living with chronic viral infections. The research reveals that the degradation of protective, anti-inflammatory sugar molecules, known as glycans, fuels chronic systemic inflammation in patients with HIV.

By deploying sialidase inhibitors (a class of drugs primarily used to treat influenza, including Tamiflu), investigators successfully preserved these glycan structures in preclinical models, reducing neuro-inflammation, slowing biological aging, and protecting memory circuits.

Anthropic just published data showing Claude wrote over 80% of Anthropic’s own code.

The AI is building the AI.

Engineers at Anthropic haven’t hand-written code in months.

Claude proposed a better research direction than the human 64% of the time.

Anthropic posted this as a warning.

Then filed for a $1 trillion IPO the same week.

The company founded specifically to prevent AI from getting out of control.

Just told the world their AI is getting out of control.

Then asked Wall Street to fund it.

Mice deficient in KIF13A show elevated anxiety-like behavior due to failure in transporting the serotonin 1A receptor to the neuronal surface.

The receptor never reaches where it needs to be not a chemistry problem, a logistics problem.

> Whenever you feel sad, remember tiny kinesin proteins are doing their best to make you happy.

Important context: this is not yet a proven cancer patch being used in people. The study tested a laser-activated graphene/CuO patch for local melanoma/skin tumors in cells and mice. In mice, two 1-hour phototherapy sessions suppressed tumors within 10 days. Very promising preclinical science, but not yet a surgery-replacing treatment.

Sleep clears brain waste through the glymphatic system, removing toxic proteins like amyloid-beta linked to dementia. During non-REM sleep, synchronized brain rhythms drive this cleaning process. Aging, stress, and poor sleep disrupt it, raising dementia risk. Heart rate variability may predict cognitive decline before symptoms appear . Good sleep protects brain health.