Science & Nature

How Ozempic Is Quietly Becoming a Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder

Semaglutide cut heavy drinking days by 41% in a 2026 Lancet trial of 108 people with alcohol use disorder. Here is the science and why doctors are prescribing it off-label.

Caleb Verstegen · 8 min read
Science & Nature

How the Firefly Petunia Glows: The Science of a Bioluminescent Houseplant

The Firefly Petunia glows on its own - no substrate, no charging. Here is the four-gene fungal cycle that put bioluminescence on a windowsill.

Saskia Vermeulen · 11 min read
Science & Nature

The Quiet Engineering Revolution Inside High-Speed Hair Dryers

The brushless 110,000 rpm motor, the airfoil nozzle, the 150°C cap, and the closed-loop heat control together make a real engineering revolution in your hair dryer.

Theo Marchetti · 10 min read
Science & Nature

Yellow Oleander Hidden in Weight Loss Supplements: The FDA's Ongoing Alert on Tejocote Root and Brazil Seed Products Sold on Amazon

The FDA has confirmed 29 Amazon weight loss products labeled as tejocote root or Brazil seed contain toxic yellow oleander, including a documented pediatric hospitalization.

Sienna Hartwell · 8 min read
Science & Nature

Methylene Blue: What Science Actually Says About the Viral Brain Supplement Biohackers Are Dropping in 2026

Methylene blue is the 2026 biohacker brain supplement darling, but the FDA has warned since 2011 that it can trigger fatal serotonin syndrome. Here is what the evidence actually says.

Sienna Hartwell · 6 min read
Science & Nature

2026-27 Bushfire Risk: Three La Niñas Built a Black Summer Fuel Load

After three La Niña wet seasons, a Black Summer-scale fuel load is curing across southeastern Australia. Here is how households in four states can prepare ahead of the 2026-27 fire season.

Lachlan Mercer · 11 min read
Science & Nature

PaedNEO-VAX: How Australia Is Leading a World-First Trial of Personalised mRNA Cancer Vaccines for Children with Brain Cancer

PaedNEO-VAX, the world's first paediatric trial of personalised mRNA neoantigen vaccines, will enrol up to 70 Australian children with relapsed brain cancer across eight hospitals from 2026, offering a vaccine designed from each child's own tumour.

Cora Hartley · 10 min read
Science & Nature

AF From Age 55: The 30-Second Test That Could Save Indigenous Lives

A new MJA review recommends dropping the atrial fibrillation screening age for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults from 65 to 55, after finding AF arrives almost 16 years earlier in this population.

Imogen Whelan · 7 min read
Science & Nature

CRISPR's New 'Kill Switch': How Cas12a2 Could Change Cancer Treatment

A May 2026 Nature paper shows Cas12a2, a new CRISPR variant, can selectively shred cancer cells and virus-infected cells while leaving healthy tissue untouched. Here is what makes it different from the CRISPR most people know.

Wren Calloway · 6 min read
Science & Nature

GLP-1 Microdosing: What the Evidence Actually Shows

One in seven GLP-1 users is microdosing. Telehealth giants are selling microdose programs. Clinical researchers say the practice is not supported by evidence. Here is what the data actually show.

Hadley Quentin · 6 min read
Science & Nature

Dementia in Younger Adults: What Is Behind the Rise in Early-Onset Cases

New research is reframing dementia as a problem of working age, not just retirement. Here is what the latest evidence says about causes, missed diagnoses, and the midlife steps that may help.

Idris Pemberton · 7 min read
Science & Nature

Microplastics in Your Arteries: What the 2024 NEJM Study Actually Means for Your Heart

In March 2024, a group of Italian researchers published the most consequential paper on microplastics and human health in years. They had taken carotid artery plaque , the fatty deposits that build...

Aria Voss · 10 min read