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Today:
Humans Age Faster at 2 Sharp Peaks, Study Finds
NEWS | 17 February 2026
Getting older might seem like a slow, gradual process – but research suggests that this is not always the case. According to a 2024 study into the molecular changes associated with aging, humans experience two abrupt lurches forward, one at the average age of 44 and the other at around age 60. So they wanted to take a closer look at the biomarkers of aging to see if they could identify related changes. Several previous studies have found non-linear changes in molecular abundances that can be linked to aging in rats and humans. Studies of fruit flies, mice, and zebrafish have also pointed to a stepwise aging process in these species.

Top Stories:
We Were Wrong About Fasting, Massive Review Shows
NEWS | 17 February 2026
Or that intermittent fasting would make you irritable, distracted, and less productive? Yet time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting have become hugely popular wellness practices over the past decade. To find out, we conducted the most comprehensive review to date of how fasting affects cognitive performance. Adults showed no measurable decline in mental performance when fasting. What this means for youFor most healthy adults, the findings offer reassurance: you can explore intermittent fasting or other fasting protocols without worrying that your mental sharpness will vanish.

World:
DNA Mutations Discovered in The Children of Chernobyl Workers
NEWS | 17 February 2026
Rather than picking out new DNA mutations in the next generation, they looked for what are known as clustered de novo mutations (cDNMs): two or more mutations in close proximity, found in the children but not the parents. These would be mutations resulting from breaks in the parental DNA caused by radiation exposure. What's more, a higher radiation dose for the parent tended to mean a higher number of clusters in the child. To put this in perspective, we know that older dads are more likely to pass on more DNA mutations to their children. As the initial radiation exposure happened decades ago, the researchers had to estimate people's exposure using historical records and decades-old devices.

Current Events:
Breakthrough Study Reveals The Secret of How Exercise Fights Osteoporosis
NEWS | 17 February 2026
Knowing this previously hidden process means scientists might be able to adapt it to combat the bone fragility caused by osteoporosis. While it's been well established that exercise boosts bone health, until now it wasn't fully clear how. When activated, it promotes bone growth and reduces fat buildup. In their initial form, they can go in two directions: becoming bone-forming cells called osteoblasts or fat cells called adipocytes. The researchers also identified the exact signaling pathways used by Piezo1, revealing how its absence leads to inflammation and fat growth.

News Flash:
First-of-Its-Kind Map of Alzheimer's Reveals Hidden Gene Activity
NEWS | 17 February 2026
A new Alzheimer's study has produced a first-of-its-kind genetic map, which could provide vital insights into the cause-and-effect sequences of gene activity that may be driving the disease in the brain. This blueprint shows not only snapshots of gene activity in specific brain cells, but also connections between genes showing potential paths of chain reactions. "Our work provides cell type-specific maps of gene regulation in the Alzheimer's brain, shifting the field from observing correlations to uncovering the causal mechanisms that actively drive disease progression." Six main brain cell types were studied: excitatory neurons, inhibitory neurons, astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes, and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. These previously hidden communications give scientists a much more detailed look at how Alzheimer's changes the expression of genes in the brain.

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Remote Monitoring App
SPONSORED | 17 February 2026
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Latest:
Can You Really Feel The Cold 'In Your Bones'? An Anatomy Scientist Explains
NEWS | 17 February 2026
Comments such as "I am so cold, I can feel it in my bones" are a common greeting in wintertime. And there are variations around this body temperature dependant on sex, age and health status. Older people tend to feel the cold more, and women are more sensitive to the cold than men. How cold affects our bonesOur bones don't actually feel the cold as we sense it. However, just because bones don't "feel" the cold, it doesn't mean the cold doesn't have an affect on them.

Breaking:
Should Weight-Loss Drug Users Take Supplements? An Expert Explains
NEWS | 17 February 2026
A recent review of evidence suggests that some people taking GLP-1 medications may not be getting enough key nutrients. For instance, many GLP-1 support supplements include biotin, a vitamin often promoted for improving hair and skin health. There is also no strong research showing that biotin offers specific benefits for people taking GLP-1 medications. However, this does not justify the routine use of expensive GLP-1 support supplements. Taking supplements without a clear need is unlikely to provide any benefit and may simply be a waste of money.

Trending:
This Diet Change Cuts Over 300 Calories a Day, Without Decreasing Meal Size
NEWS | 17 February 2026
The key is eating completely unprocessed wholefoods, like fruit and vegetables, rather than the ultra-processed foods (UPFs) that dominate many diets. It seems that a more natural diet helps prevent us from overloading on calories, even when we eat as much as we please. In that month-long trial, 20 participants were free to eat as much as they liked of two randomly allocated diets, either unprocessed or ultraprocessed. In this new study, the researchers wanted to understand why unprocessed-food diets led people to consume more food but fewer calories. The idea is that when we're eating food in its natural, unprocessed state, we prioritize micronutrient-rich foods, like fruits and vegetables.

This Just In:
Humans Used to Sleep Twice Each Night. Here's Why It Vanished.
NEWS | 17 February 2026
Instead, people commonly slept in two shifts each night, often called a "first sleep" and "second sleep." The quiet interval gave nights a clear middle, which can make long winter evenings feel less continuous and easier to manage. The midnight interval was not dead time; it was noticed time, which shapes how long nights are experienced. Biologically, bright light at night also shifted our internal clocks (our circadian rhythm) and made our bodies less inclined to wake after a few hours of sleep. In multi-week sleep studies that simulate long winter nights in darkness and remove clocks or evening light, people in lab studies often end up adopting two sleeps with a calm waking interval.

Today:
Single Dose of DMT Rapidly Reduces Symptoms of Major Depression
NEWS | 17 February 2026
Those given a single intravenous dose of dimethyltryptamine (DMT) showed significant improvement within a week compared to those who received a placebo. Neither the researchers nor the participants were informed which participants received the DMT. In the second, open-label stage, two weeks after the first dose, all participants were given the opportunity to receive a dose of DMT. Just a week after the first dose, participants who had received DMT had improved scores compared to the placebo group, and improvements were sustained during follow-up assessments. Two weeks after the first dose, the participants who received DMT scored about seven points lower, on average, than those who received a placebo.

Top Stories:
Antarctica Will See a Rare 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse This Week
NEWS | 17 February 2026
NEW YORK (AP) – The first solar eclipse of the year will grace Antarctica, and only a lucky few will get to bask – or waddle – in its glow. Tuesday's annular solar eclipse, known as a "ring of fire," will only be visible in the southernmost continent, home to research stations and diverse wildlife. Two partial eclipses happened last year, and the last total solar eclipse swept across North America in 2024. Related: Forest's Strange Response to an Eclipse May Have a More Mundane ExplanationThere is a total solar eclipse in the cards in August for skygazers in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and parts of Portugal. Swaths of Europe, Africa, and North America will be treated to a partial eclipse.

World:
Depression May Warn of Parkinson's or Dementia, Years Before Diagnosis
NEWS | 17 February 2026
The researchers found a significantly higher risk of depression in individuals with Parkinson's disease or Lewy body dementia compared to those with the other conditions. "Following a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease or Lewy body dementia, the persistent higher incidence of depression highlights the need for heightened clinical awareness and systematic screening for depressive symptoms in these patients," the authors write in their published paper. The researchers looked at 17,711 people over 12 years (2007 to 2019), all of whom developed Parkinson's disease or Lewy body dementia during that period. In this study, the median age of diagnosis with Parkinson's disease or Lewy body dementia was 75. "Our comparison with other chronic conditions should, at least to some extent, control for the disability associated with the development and manifestation of Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia."

Current Events:
'Dream Engineering' Can Boost Your Puzzle-Solving, Study Suggests
NEWS | 17 February 2026
We've seen dream engineering in blockbuster movies like Christopher Nolan's Inception, and a new study shows that the science-fiction-style idea may be much closer to science fact than we realized. A team led by researchers from Northwestern University has been able to prompt sleeping volunteers to dream about specific unsolved puzzles by using certain sounds. What's more, the study participants (for whom the prompts worked) were much more likely to be able to find solutions to the same puzzles upon waking. In the experiement, the researchers recruited 20 participants, most of whom were lucid dreamers – that is, regularly able to realize they're dreaming during dream sequences. It might also be useful to look more closely at why some people responded to dream prompts, and others didn't.

News Flash:
Sea Levels Are Rising Globally. Around Greenland, They're Projected to Fall.
NEWS | 17 February 2026
Around the world, sea levels are rising. But experts say melting ice sheets will play a large role in Greenland's future sea levels, which are forecast to fall rather than rise. The sea surface is pulled toward the ice sheet because of that gravitational pull," Lewright says. "As the ice sheet loses mass, its gravitational pull on the sea surface decreases. That translates into sea level fall."