Micro organisms from our planet could survive on celestial bodies where water is present, such as Mars. That is the conclusion of PhD candidate Tommaso Zaccaria after experiments with simulated space conditions. Our immune system reacts less effectively to pathogens that have undergone such a simulated space journey. According to his supervisors, his dissertation provides extraterrestrial insights that are also useful on Earth.

Blood clotting is one of the body’s oldest survival mechanisms—a biological defense that has protected humans from dangerous bleeding for millions of years. But when severe injuries strike, nature’s solution can sometimes fall short. Now, researchers in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder are helping test a new type of engineered blood clot that forms faster and is more durable than the ones found in nature. The new technique could one day transform how doctors treat traumatic injuries and manage life-threatening blood loss.

People who live together share more oral and gut microbes with each other than with other people in their communities, according to a study publishing June 15 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue. This was true regardless of the cohabitants’ relationships—siblings, parents, and offspring all shared similar numbers of microbial strains, and romantic partners shared even more oral (but not gut) microbes with each other, likely due to kissing. The researchers also found a link between more transmissible microbes and health, particularly type 2 diabetes. The findings could help design more targeted therapies for improving people’s microbiomes. 

In this cohort study, receipt of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine was associated with reduced risk of COVID-19–associated major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), with reductions most prominent in those 75 years or older and those with comorbidities. While the reduction in COVID-19–associated MACE was modest, the substantially larger reduction in all-cause MACE suggests that the vaccine’s protective association extends to the hidden burden of undetected SARS-CoV-2 and its sequelae. 

In this test-negative case-control study, 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccination was associated with reduced likelihood of medically attended COVID-19–associated outcomes among immunocompetent and immunocompromised adults, highlighting the importance of adults receiving recommended COVID-19 vaccinations. 

In this repeated cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 1999 to 2023, supplement use among U.S. adults increased over time, with diversification beyond multivitamin-multiminerals toward products marketed for immune, anti-inflammatory, gut, skin, or joint health. A substantial increase was observed in older adults. Ongoing monitoring of supplement use trends is needed to understand evolving public health implications.

Scientists have revealed striking inequalities and changing trends in medicines dispensing for more than 52 million people living in England during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.