https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from New York University Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with international partners, have uncovered new insights into how apples became the fruits we know today, showing that their evolution has been shaped by continuous exchange with wild apple trees. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-wild-apple-genes-modern-fruit.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:00:01 EDT news696070561 As long as there's been an internet, there's been a way to hack it. Scientists have spent decades imagining a different kind of network, one where the laws of physics make eavesdropping physically impossible, not just technically difficult. They call that dream a quantum internet. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-quantum-internet-york-city.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news696004142 The appearance of predictive text in writing an email or text message has become, for better or worse, a regular feature of our lives, saving us time by seamlessly filling in a word before we can type it or frustrating us by repeatedly doing the same with an unrelated term. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-brain-llm-words-complicated.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:10:01 EDT news696006962 Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have uncovered the secret behind the remarkable toughness of the marri nut, the hard seed of the marri tree native to Western Australia. The nut's shell is so strong that even natural predators struggle to break it. By studying how it absorbs impact and resists cracking, the team discovered a clever natural design that could inspire new materials for protective gear and other safety applications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-tough-australian-seed-reshape-helmets.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:00:04 EDT news695486821 Children who don't go to the dentist are less likely to participate in school-based cavity prevention programs, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. The paper is titled "School-Based Caries Prevention Programs and Recruitment of High-Risk Pediatric Medicaid Populations." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-kids-dental-benefit-school.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:00:02 EDT news694880221 There's a growing consensus that your ZIP code is a strong predictor of your health and lifespan. Now, researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health have determined that neighborhood conditions may be driving aging at the cellular level. Their study, published in Social Science and Medicine, finds that people living in neighborhoods with fewer social and economic opportunities such as jobs and stable housing are more likely to have an abundance of CDKN2A RNA, a measure of cellular aging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-neighborhood-aging.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:40:03 EDT news694798861 Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed smart molecules that can both detect and treat cancer, offering a safer and more precise approach to care. The research, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, focuses on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a widely used tool that allows doctors to see tumors inside the body. While MRI agents are commonly used for diagnosis, they do not typically play a role in treatment. The NYU Abu Dhabi team designed molecules that combine both functions in a single system. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-smart-mri-molecules-cancer.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:20:03 EDT news694796521 Debates over how geometry is understood and learned date back at least to the days of Plato, with more recent scholars concluding that only humans possess the foundations of this understanding. However, a new analysis by New York University psychology professor Moira Dillon concludes that geometry's foundations are shared by humans and a variety of other animals—from rats to chickens to fish. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-analysis-geometric-human-math-module.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:10:06 EDT news694709581 A team of researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi and the University of Denver has identified a promising small molecule that could help slow or halt the progression of serious brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease, offering new hope for treatments that go beyond managing symptoms. These diseases, which also include Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy, are caused by aggregation and spread of a neuronal protein, which damages brain cells over time. Currently, there are no approved treatments that can stop or slow this process. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-small-molecule-parkinson-disease-brain.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:00:07 EDT news694192861 Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have discovered new large-scale waves moving deep inside the sun, driven by magnetic fields far below the surface. These waves provide a window into parts of the sun that are otherwise inaccessible, giving scientists a new tool to study how its magnetic field is formed and evolves over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-scientists-magnetic-deep-sun-solar.html Sat, 28 Mar 2026 16:00:04 EDT news693760626 Scientists have long studied the role of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that helps control learning and movement, in order to better understand Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and depression—afflictions caused, in part, by a disruption or alteration of dopamine activity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-neuroscientists-eye-brains.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:00:11 EDT news693576601 Researchers have determined how a key protein activates brown fat by expanding blood vessels and nerves in the heat-generating tissue. The findings, published in Nature Communications, point to a potential strategy for treating obesity that deviates from the current approach of suppressing appetite. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-discovery-pathway-brown-fat-obesity.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:00:06 EDT news693584941 Inflammation markers may signal depression in women with type 2 diabetes, but vary based on depression symptoms and measures, according to a new study led by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. The findings, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, highlight both the promise and challenge of identifying biomarkers for depression. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-inflammation-linked-depression-women-diabetes.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:00:01 EDT news693498841 Green clay tennis courts are able to absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide via enhanced rock weathering, according to a new study in Applied Geochemistry. Enhanced rock weathering—the process of using silicate rocks like basalt to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the rocks' chemical reaction with rainfall—has emerged in recent years as a promising method of reducing carbon emissions. Green clay tennis courts in the US are made of metabasalt, a type of basalt with similar properties allowing for carbon sequestration. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-green-clay-courts-environmental-solutions.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:40:03 EDT news693483389 Among the primary concerns surrounding artificial intelligence is its tendency to yield erroneous information when summarizing long documents. These "hallucinations" are problematic not only because they convey falsehoods, but also because they reduce efficiency—sorting through content to search for mistakes of AI outputs is time-consuming. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-flocking-birds-ai-noise.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 01:00:01 EDT news692871362 Early life stress may lead to digestive issues later in life, driven by changes in the gut and sympathetic nervous systems, according to a new study published in the journal Gastroenterology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-early-life-stress-linked-digestive.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:00:06 EDT news692872561 Past civilizations have been significantly affected by climate change, but how they adapted to new conditions centuries ago is less clear. In research newly published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of archaeologists and geographers describes a new excavation at the Birds of Paradise wetland field complex in northwestern Belize—one that provides insight into how the Maya civilization responded to both societal and environmental change from the years 800 to 1500. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-newly-excavated-maya-wetland-settlement.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:40:02 EST news691751402 No "sticky ends"? No problem. A new study by NYU chemists finds that DNA tiles can assemble into 3D structures without the sticky cohesion of hydrogen bonding. This finding, published in Nature Communications, turns a fundamental paradigm in the field of DNA self-assembly on its head. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-chemists-complex-dna-hydrogen-bonds.html Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:50:04 EST news691690861 Language barriers are a major obstacle to accessing mental health care for those in the US who have difficulty communicating in English. But despite increasing demand, mental health services in Asian languages are rare—and in some places, in decline, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-mental-health-asian-languages-scarce.html Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:20:08 EST news691687022 It's rare to make it through an episode of your favorite show without seeing a commercial for a prescription drug that includes a lengthy list of side effects and a prompt to speak with a doctor. And while these familiar direct-to-consumer ads have been on TV since the 1980s, today's drug marketing now extends farther than ever before, thanks to targeted social media, online pharmacies, and influencers paid for their endorsements. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-qa-prescription-drug-ads-doctor.html Fri, 27 Feb 2026 07:40:01 EST news691395895 A new study from NYU Abu Dhabi has found that small coral reef fish in the Arabian Gulf are facing a hidden but growing source of stress. When oxygen levels drop at night, a common occurrence on some of the world's hottest reefs, these fish must use extra energy just to recover the next day. Over time, this additional strain could impact their growth, survival, and the overall balance of reef ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hidden-stress-coral-reef-fish.html Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:50:03 EST news691174141 NYU scientists are using light to precisely control how tiny particles organize themselves into crystals. Their research, published in Chem, provides a simple and reversible method for forming crystals that can be used to develop a new generation of adaptable materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-flip-scientists-harness-particles-interact.html Tue, 24 Feb 2026 11:00:10 EST news691150814 Patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) who complete computerized cognitive games show improved neuroplasticity and cognitive performance, according to new research published in Journal of Neurotrauma. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-brain-games-boost-white-chronic.html Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:00:06 EST news690715176 NYU researchers have found a microbial signature of pediatric Crohn's disease that differs from the makeup of gut bacteria in children with other gastrointestinal conditions, with Crohn's patients harboring more pro-inflammatory bacteria and less protective bacteria. The study of recently diagnosed children also reveals different bacteria in those with more severe Crohn's disease symptoms and activity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-distinct-gut-bacteria-newly-children.html Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:20:03 EST news690132931 Cash transfer programs, which provide money directly to recipients, are growing in the United States, but face significant scrutiny, with questions over their value. In addition, some contend that these payments can lead to harm—recipients, they claim, will use the cash to immediately buy alcohol or drugs, leading to injury or death. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-eleven-year-alaska-analysis-spike.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:00:01 EST news689855762 Having anxiety about aging—particularly fears about declining health—may manifest on a cellular level and contribute to accelerated aging among women, according to a study by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health. "Our research suggests that subjective experiences may be driving objective measures of aging," said Mariana Rodrigues, a Ph.D. student at NYU School of Global Public Health and the first author of the study, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. "Aging-related anxiety is not merely a psychological concern, but may leave a mark on the body with real health consequences." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-older-links-health-faster-epigenetic.html Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:00:01 EST news689860919 Rising sea levels along coastlines not only threaten populations, but also pose a danger to agricultural crops, which may be damaged by surging amounts of saltwater. Researchers have, in response, sought to improve salt-tolerance in plants. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-video-science-saltwater-tolerating-coastlines.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:00:09 EST news689607782 Time crystals, a collection of particles that "tick"—or move back and forth in repeating cycles—were first theorized and then discovered about a decade ago. While scientists have yet to create commercial or industrial applications for this intriguing form of matter, these crystals hold great promise for advancing quantum computing and data storage, among other uses. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scientists-levitating-crystals.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:29:24 EST news689603342 Spotted lanternflies are adapting to the pressures of city life such as heat, pollution, and pesticides, according to genomic analyses of the invasive insects in the US and their native China. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, show how urbanization may be shaping the spotted lanternfly's spread into new environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cities-primed-lanternflies.html Wed, 04 Feb 2026 09:27:34 EST news689419622 Twisting upwardly on trees and other plants—along with houses and even lampposts—vines are a wonder of nature. However, their marvels mask their parasitic behavior: in attaching to other life forms, vines block sunlight necessary for growth and strangle their hosts, preventing the flow of water and other nutrients. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-formula-unravels-vines-parasitic-nature.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:00:03 EST news689247685