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Diabetes cases are likely to skyrocket over the next few decades, new research out this week has found. The study estimates that more than a billion people worldwide will be living with the chronic condition by 2050—roughly double the amount of cases seen today. The prevalence of diabetes is expected to be especially high in parts of Africa and the Middle East, but dozens of countries could experience substantial increases.Mental Health Apps Are a Privacy NightmareIn the simplest terms, diabetes is defined ashaving…

Three cases of plague, a disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, have been found in Bronze Age remains in Britain. They’re the oldest cases yet found in the United Kingdom.Twitter Is Shifting Right | Future TechTwo of the cases were identified in a mass burial in Somerset and the third was found in a cairn in Cumbria, near Scotland. The research team who identified the cases published their findings today in Nature Communications.“These genomes can inform us of the spread and evolutionary changes of pathogens in…

New research this week is the latest to find that ketamine can help people with difficult-to-treat depression. The study has found that people with treatment-resistant depression responded as well to ketamine therapy as those who were given electroconvulsive therapy, a commonly used intervention for these cases.Twitter Is Shifting Right | Future TechKetamine has been employed as an anesthetic in medicine for decades. It can also be used as a recreational drug with euphoric and dissociative effects. But more recently, it’s…

An effective pill for obesity treatment looks to be within reach. This week, Novo Nordisk announced the results of a Phase III clinical trial testing out an oral version of its in-demand drug semaglutide. The once-daily pill not only substantially outperformed a placebo but did as well as the injectable form of the drug—an already-approved medicine called Wegovy—with participants losing 15% of their body weight on average.Mental Health Apps Are a Privacy NightmareSemaglutide belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1…

Research out this month is the latest to bolster regular exercise as a way to prevent illness. The long-term study found that the risk of Parkinson’s disease was noticeably lower in women who reported the most physical activity, compared to those who were the most sedentary.Mental Health Apps Are a Privacy NightmareExercise has proven to be one of the most impactful things you can do to stay healthy throughout any stage of life. Some previous studies have indicated that these benefits extend to preventing Parkinson’s, a…

Chicken eggs are one of the most common food allergens, especially among children. Many people outgrow their egg allergy, but for those who don’t, avoiding eggs and all of the products that contain them can be a lifetime challenge. Adding to the difficulty: Some vaccines are produced using chicken embryos and contain egg proteins as a result, and they can’t be administered to people with egg allergies. But genetic modification could offer a solution.Won’t Virtual Reality Make Me Sick?Using a targeted gene-editing enzyme…

We might be one major step closer toward ending the scourge of the seasonal flu. This week, the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced the start of a phase I clinical trial testing out a potential universal flu vaccine. The safety and immune response of the experimental shotwill be compared to a typical annual flu vaccine.Won’t Virtual Reality Make Me Sick?The candidate was developed by researchers at the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center. It’s a mRNA-based…

New research may provide clues to an enduring mystery about multiple sclerosis and the common germ thought to be its leading cause, the Epstein-Barr virus. Scientists in Sweden have found that some patients with multiple sclerosis produce antibodies against the virus that seem to also mistakenly target a protein found in the brain and spinal cord. The findings provide more evidence that the Epstein-Barr virus can cause multiple sclerosis, the study authors say, and could help explain why some patients experience more…

Scientists in China are hoping to turn Escherichia coli bacteria into a cancer-fighting ally. In a new study, they describetheir creation of genetically engineered E. coli strains that can kill different types of tumors in mice. More studies will be needed, but the authors believe that bacterial therapy for cancer can become a reality.Won’t Virtual Reality Make Me Sick?The idea of cancer-fighting bacteria has been around for decades. Some bacteria are known to naturally infect or kill cancer cells very well. Their small…

Super-ringworm is on the loose in New York City. In a report this week, doctors and health officials have detailed the first known U.S. cases of the itchy infection caused by a contagious and emerging fungal germ—one highly resistant to many existing drugs. The fungus was first identified in South Asia, but it’s possible that it’s now circulating locally in the area.Won’t Virtual Reality Make Me Sick?Despite the name, ringworm has absolutely nothing to do with the worms that can sometimes infest our body. It’s a catch-all…