A new look at how depression is treated
In this book the author, Joanna Moncrieff, argues that deficiencies in brain chemicals such as serotonin have never been substantiated by relevant scientific research. She believes the time is ripe for a new debate about the understanding and treatment of depression.
What a waste!
Plastic waste has become a ubiquitous phenomenon around the world. From the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to Antarctica, and from the mountain tops to the depths of the Mariana Trench, humanity has covered the planet with plastic debris such as food packaging and discarded fishing gear.
Antarctic ozone hole shrinks
The Antarctic ozone hole, which appears over the Antarctic every spring, was smaller in 2024 than in recent years, according to a new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report published on the 40th anniversary of the Vienna Convention, which recognised stratospheric ozone depletion as a global problem.
Sunscreen application and the effect on Vitamin D
An Australian study has found that people who used SPF50+ sunscreen daily for about a year were more likely to be Vitamin D deficient than those who used it less frequently. However, researchers stress that this does not mean people should stop using sunscreen.
How weight-loss drugs are changing healthcare
Drugs originally designed to treat diabetes are now being used by people seeking to lose weight. Other reported benefits are also emerging, including protecting against dementia and stroke, Maria Burke reports
Outlook: Live biotherapeutic products
Live biotherapeutic products (LBPs), which harness live microorganisms to restore or modulate human health, are being explored across a growing range of indications, from gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders to CNS and oncology. FDA approvals of Rebyota and Vowst have validated the category but for most biotech sponsors, the journey remains uncertain.
AI and its potential impact on peer review
Peer review remains the core quality control mechanism of science, the cornerstone of validating scientific research determining what gets published and funded, but the process of selecting reviewers is outdated, slow and flawed.
The bees needs: A sterol cocktail
Honeybees do better when they are fed a diet enriched with a handful of essential sterols, according to research led by the University of Oxford, UK.
An overlooked carbon storage opportunity
Researchers have identified a potentially useful option for storing carbon in geologic fold-and-thrust belt systems.