Health

Indians have for the longest time been eating with their hands but somehow it always seems to be troublesome in the West, as is the case of Indian-origin Zohran Mamdani, who has been in the news for his role in the New York mayoral candidacy. Amid his growing popularity as a favourite to get the post, the politician who is the son of much-loved filmmaker Mira Nair, was subject to unnecessary criticism because of his way of eating food.  Amid heated competition, Republican Brandon Gill slammed Mamdani for eating rice with his hands in an old video. In a post on X, he said, “Civilized people in America don’t eat like this. If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World." Civilized people in America don’t eat like this.If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to...

In a significant achievement for identifying neurodegenerative diseases early, a team of US researchers has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that helps clinicians detect brain activity patterns linked to nine types of dementia using a single and widely available scan.  The tool, StateViewer, not only helped in early detection but also provided accurate diagnosis -- it identified the dementia type in 88 per cent of cases, including Alzheimer`s disease. It also enabled clinicians to interpret brain scans nearly twice as fast and with up to three times greater accuracy than standard workflows, according to the research, published online in the journal Neurology. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic trained and tested the AI on more than 3,600 scans, including images from patie...

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), conducted a series of scientific experiments on Monday focused on muscle health, digestion in space, and astronaut mental well-being. According to NASA, Shukla worked inside the Kibo laboratory`s Life Sciences Glovebox to study how muscle stem cells behave in microgravity. He also recorded an educational video for Indian school students explaining how the human digestive system adapts in space. NASA said, "Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla filmed a video targeted to young Indian students discussing how the digestion system adapts to space. Next, Shukla worked in Kibo`s Life Science Glovebox checking muscle ...

Amid rising mental health challenges such as stress, burnout, and attention deficits, a new study by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi on Monday showed that Indian classical ragas can potentially enhance levels of attention, emotional regulation, and mental stability.   The study, conducted in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, provides scientific validation for music as a therapeutic tool: one that is culturally resonant and non-invasive. The research, which involved 40 participants exposed to the ragas, utilised advanced electroencephalogram (EEG) microstate analysis -- a real-time brain-mapping technique that captures momentary yet significant patterns of neural activity. The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, suggests that listening to Raga ...

As health becomes a priority among people, a new study has revealed that approximately 8.1 per cent of urban corporate employees show elevated cardiac risk, with the 31–40 age group being the most vulnerable.  The findings, published by Indian largest digital healthcare company MediBuddy, are based on cardiac risk stratification and diagnostic reports collected from 11,779 individuals – 9,404 males and 2,370 females – between April 2024 and March 2025.  91.9 per cent of urban corporate employees were found to be at low cardiac risk, while only 2.82 per cent fell under the moderate risk category. In contrast, a recent ICMR-led national study reported that out of the 4,500 adults tested, just 84.9 per cent were at low risk and 14.4 per cent were at moderate risk of developing heart disease...

The crew of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) -- Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu "Shux" Shukla, and Mission Specialists Slawosz "Suave" Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu -- completed their third day aboard the International Space Station, advancing research and global outreach efforts, Axiom Space reported.Peggy Whitson continued work on the Cancer in LEO investigation by capturing imaging samples aimed at uncovering how cancer behaves in microgravity.The study, in collaboration with the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, could lead to new treatment approaches for aggressive cancers on Earth, Axiom Space stated.She also documented student hardware and experiments for the Saudi Space Agency`s Microgravity Challenge, which saw over 80,000 submissions from students across the Arab wor...

A new study on Monday warned that a single pellet of recycled plastic can contain over 80 different chemicals, adding that recycled polyethylene plastic can leach chemicals into water causing impacts in the hormone systems and lipid metabolism. The plastic pollution crisis has reached global levels, threatening both planetary and human health, and recycling is proposed as one of the solutions to the plastics pollution crisis. However, as plastics contain thousands of chemical additives and other substances that can be toxic, and these are almost never declared, hazardous chemicals can indiscriminately end up in recycled products, said researchers from University of Gothenburg and Leipzig. In a new study published in Journal of Hazardous Materials, researchers bought plastic pellets recy...

Sleep patterns are significantly influenced by the day of the week, the season, and geographic locations, according to a study. The study, led by researchers from Flinders University in South Australia, is based on data from more than 116,000 adults and over 73 million nights of sleep. The team used an under-mattress device to objectively track sleep duration and timing across 3.5 years, Xinhua news agency reported. The study finds that sleep is shaped not just by personal habits, but by environmental factors like daylight, temperature, and weekly routines. "Our findings underscore the seasonal nature of human sleep, and that it is influenced by demographics and geography," said Hannah Scott, a sleep health expert at Flinders University. People in the Northern Hemisphere sleep 15 to 20...

Love your morning cup of coffee? A new study has shown that it may not only energise you but also help slow down ageing and boost longevity. Caffeine has long been linked to potential health benefits, including reduced risk of age-related diseases. However, the study led by researchers from Queen Mary University of London in the UK revealed how caffeine works inside human cells, and what exactly its connections are with nutrient and stress-responsive gene and protein networks. The researchers found that caffeine affects ageing by tapping into an ancient cellular energy system. They showed that caffeine works by activating an important system called AMPK -- a cellular fuel gauge that is evolutionarily conserved in yeast and humans. “When your cells are low on energy, AMPK kicks in to h...

Even as the latest Lancet paper marked India among eight countries with a high burden of zero-dose children, those who had never received a routine childhood vaccine, the Union government on Saturday said that the country’s large population size, and high vaccination coverage rate must be considered when making such comparisons. The government noted that “India’s antigen-wise immunisation coverage surpasses global averages across all antigens”. In other words, the vaccination strategy deployed in India is targeted against antigens, which can trigger an immune response resisting pathogens (like a virus or bacteria). The global study, led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, US, showed that in 2023, more than half of the world’s 15.7 million ...