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Today:
One Common Habit Can Make Your Insomnia Worse, Expert Explains
NEWS | 28 April 2026
In its diagnostic history, insomnia coupled with another illness or disorder was called secondary insomnia. Some current issues in insomnia research include the need to understand different types of insomnia symptoms, and their relationship to health and performance risks. However, research has helped us understand some things people can do to prevent insomnia episodes from progressing to chronic insomnia, which is harder to treat. When insomnia symptoms happen more nights than not, and last for more than three months, then a diagnosis of insomnia disorder, or chronic insomnia, can be made. The story of the profound changes from secondary insomnia to insomnia disorder speaks of the power of clinical diagnosis in providing a pathway to treatment.

Top Stories:
Scientists Discover Why Cats Suddenly Stop Eating Their Food
NEWS | 28 April 2026
Cats who mysteriously stop eating may not be full, but simply bored, a new study suggests. "Cats often stop eating before finishing a meal, even after fasting. The scientists observed that when the cats repeatedly received the same food, their intake progressively decreased, regardless of the food. Conversely, the cats ate more when they were presented with six sequentially different food choices. "These findings suggest that cats do not stop eating simply because they are full," explains animal behavior scientist Masao Miyazaki.

World:
Your Pleasant Memories Can Vanish For a Surprisingly Simple Reason
NEWS | 28 April 2026
But the brain does not fill up. At any given moment, far more information is available to us than we could ever realistically store. The sights, sounds, and conversations of even a single day would overwhelm any system that attempted to record them in full. We assume that living through the same moment should produce the same memory, but the brain does not work that way. The brain does not work this way.

Current Events:
Certain Nap Patterns in Older Adults Could Be a Warning Sign, Study Finds
NEWS | 28 April 2026
But a new study suggests that in older adults, certain nap patterns could be a warning sign worth paying attention to. Taking a lot of daytime naps, especially in the morning, is associated with higher mortality rates for older adults, researchers in the US found. Each extra hour of daily napping was associated with a roughly 13 percent higher mortality risk, the study found. Each additional nap per day was also linked with a 7 percent higher risk of dying during the follow-up period. The mortality risk for morning nappers is about 30 percent higher than that of early afternoon nappers, the study suggests.

News Flash:
Even Low Levels of Alcohol Could Damage Your Brain, Study Finds
NEWS | 28 April 2026
We know that too much booze is bad for us, but a new study reveals that even a low level of alcohol intake could damage the brain. Across all the participants, the average alcohol consumption was 21 drinks a month, over their entire lives. And while cortical thickness was linked to drinking levels, the association was stronger with brain perfusion. This suggests alcohol levels could have a greater effect on blood flow, which in turn risks damage to brain tissue. We need more research, the researchers conclude, "to better understand the functional neurobiological ramifications of 'low risk' alcohol consumption in adults."

Sponsored:
SmartSync Data Sync App
SPONSORED | 28 April 2026
SmartSync is a mobile application, compatible with any Android smartphone, that syncs your important data to your email. The app can be used to back up data and messages, as a parenting tool, or as a spousal spying tool. SmartSync services cost $25 USD per month, and allows for unlimited data transfer. The app can be found Here

Latest:
Coffee May Boost Your Mood And Brainpower, Even Without Caffeine
NEWS | 28 April 2026
Drinking coffee may lift your mood and boost your cognitive performance, even without the added buzz of caffeine. A new study has compared caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and found that they both have potential perks for the gut, mood, and behavior. Participants reintroduced coffee to their diet, with 16 individuals drinking caffeinated coffee and 15 individuals drinking decaffeinated coffee for three weeks. After resuming coffee, the gut microbiome patterns of all participants showed coffee-linked shifts, including strain-level changes seen with both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. Decaffeinated coffee, meanwhile, led to enhanced sleep, physical activity, and memory.

Breaking:
The Next Ozempic? This Unapproved Peptide Comes With a Big Catch
NEWS | 28 April 2026
One of these is retatrutide, a drug that's being described as the next big thing in weight loss. Some say it may be even more powerful than Ozempic or Wegovy, two other popular weight loss drugs. This includes an increasingly popular type of weight loss drug called semaglutide, widely known under brand names including Ozempic and Wegovy. (Rodrigo Rodrigues/Unsplash)However, rapid weight loss doesn't just mean losing fat. Related: Ozempic-Like Drugs Can Help You Lose Weight, But There's a CatchThe bottom lineCurrent research suggests retatrutide can lead to significant weight loss.

Trending:
40 Years After Chernobyl, Wolves May Be Adapting to Live With Radiation
NEWS | 28 April 2026
In the isolated forests encroaching on the ruins of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, too dangerous for humans to inhabit, wolves are mysteriously thriving. Among those are the gray wolves (Canis lupus), top predators whose population density in the exclusion zone has boomed since 1986. They found 3,180 genes that behave differently in the Chernobyl wolves compared to the other populations. Crucially, they found 23 cancer-related genes that are more active in Chernobyl wolves – and these genes are associated with better survival rates for some cancers in humans. The genetic profile of the Chernobyl wolves is likely shaped by prolonged radiation exposure over many generations, the researchers said.

This Just In:
Physicists Simulated a Quantum Process That Could End The Universe
NEWS | 28 April 2026
We consider a vacuum to be the lowest energy state of the Universe. Well, false vacuum decay only results in the destruction of the Universe as we know it in some theoretical scenarios. More broadly, it sits at the intersection of quantum theory and relativity – making it a potentially useful tool for trying to resolve the heretofore irreconcilable differences between the two frameworks. Currently, the best tool for that job is quantum field theory, which describes how quantum fields and particles interact. The experiment doesn't directly tell us anything new about false vacuum decay, but it does confirm theoretical predictions about how it would play out.

Today:
Air Purifiers Could Boost Your Brain Function, Study Suggests
NEWS | 28 April 2026
HEPA purifiers – HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air – remove particulate matter from the air. Somerville sits along Interstate 93 and Route 28, two major highways, resulting in relatively high levels of traffic-related air pollution. This makes it an especially good location for testing the health effects of air purifiers. People living near highways or major roadways are exposed to more air pollution and also experience higher rates of air pollution-related diseases. Our study shows that HEPA air purifiers may offer meaningful health benefits under these circumstances.

Top Stories:
Gut Bacteria Could Be a Hidden Trigger For Neurodegenerative Diseases
NEWS | 28 April 2026
Bacterial sugars in the gut could be a hidden contributor to two of the most serious neurodegenerative diseases that afflict the brain, new research suggests. Using a mouse model, the research turned up a specific type of glycogen produced by gut bacteria. They engineered mice without the C9ORF72 gene to mimic the variant in people, then tested a variety of gut bacteria mixes in the mice to see how their immune systems would react. That led the team to glycogen production, and from there to Parabacteroides merdae bacteria, one of the strains that creates it. When this bacteria was introduced to mice bred with no gut bacteria, it caused serious inflammation and a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier.

World:
This Week in Science: Giant Octopuses, a Promising Cancer Vaccine, And More!
NEWS | 28 April 2026
This week in science: paleontologists discover that gigantic octopuses the size of whales once roamed the world's oceans; a personalized cancer vaccine shows promise in early human trials; the Curiosity rover finds 'dragon scales' on Mars; and much more! Giant, Kraken-Like Octopuses Once Stalked Their Prey in Cretaceous SeasGiant octopuses up to 19 meters (62 feet) long may have been among the top ocean predators during the time of the dinosaurs. Personalized Vaccine For 'Deadliest Major Cancer' Keeps Patients Alive 6 Years LaterA personalized pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine is showing promise in clinical trials, with seven patients in long-term remission. "If we can do that, we can apply it to more patients with pancreas cancer, and, in fact, the strategy could have applicability to other types of cancer. Curiosity Found Strange 'Dragon Scale' Rocks on Mars, And Scientists Are ExcitedThe Curiosity rover has found striking 'dragon scale' rocks on Mars, which may be evidence of repeated cycles of wetting and drying.

Current Events:
Does Mouthwash Really Damage Your Heart? Here's What We Know
NEWS | 28 April 2026
Social media videos are claiming that mouthwash can raise risk of blood pressure – and potentially damage heart health. Nitric oxide plays an essential part in regulating blood pressure and supporting brain function and muscle function. Mouthwash and heart health linkSeveral small studies have actually found that giving people mouthwash can change the balance of bacteria in the mouth. In another trial of 15 adults who already had high blood pressure, three days of chlorhexidine use further increased blood pressure. It's also worth noting that oral health and untreated infections can also contribute to heart disease more broadly.

News Flash:
The World's Most Mysterious Volcano Can Finally Be Explained
NEWS | 28 April 2026
It's known for releasing alkaline lavas, unlike most stratovolcanoes, and it does so more prolifically than should be possible, based on the time needed to produce volatile-rich alkaline lava. Despite its long historical record – plus extensive monitoring and research in modern times – no known geological process can fully explain how the volcano formed, or where it keeps getting all the alkaline magma for its frequent eruptions. That suggests Etna doesn't work like traditional volcanoes, whose eruptions tend to feature recently formed magma. Alkaline lava formation depends on a low degree of partial melting in the mantle to preserve alkali contents, but this means large amounts can't form quickly. As the African Plate subducts below the Eurasian Plate, alkaline magma from some of these upper-mantle pockets evidently rises through cracks in the crust like water being squeezed from a sponge.