A new study reveals how people worldwide turn to song lyrics—not just melodies—as a powerful tool for coping with grief, loss, and emotional distress. Researchers found a strong connection between lyrical themes and emotional goals like reducing loneliness or finding comfort. Unlike musical elements such as tempo or harmony, lyrics were consistently linked to listeners’ psychological needs. The study underscores the vital emotional role of words in music and suggests practical applications for mental health support and therapeutic settings.

Older adults with cancer respond just as well as younger patients to immune checkpoint inhibitors despite age-related immune system differences, according to a study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and the Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute. The study was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, including the National Cancer Institute’s Specialized Programs of Research Excellence.

A new study has uncovered how stress experienced by mothers during pregnancy leaves a molecular imprint on their babies—starting before birth. The research shows that prenatal stress alters the expression of tiny RNA molecules in newborn blood, particularly in female children, and affects key enzymes in the brain's stress-regulation system. These changes may help explain why some children are more vulnerable to developmental or psychiatric challenges. The study opens new possibilities for early diagnosis and interventions targeting stress-related health risks.

A new technique to mark peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) before surgical resection was studied by Ganesh Krishna, M.D., a pulmonary/critical care medicine specialist, researcher and interventional pulmonologist at Sutter’s Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF).