Kyoto, Japan -- Giving birth is hard enough; postpartum depression can make adjusting to parenthood all the more difficult. A healthy diet is essential for new mothers to build strength after such a taxing ordeal, but what if what they eat could also lower the risk of baby blues?

While studies in Western countries have linked gut microbiota to depressive symptoms, little is known about this association in healthy postpartum mothers, particularly in Japan, where cultural barriers often prevent mothers from seeking psychiatric help.

This inspired a team of researchers at Kyoto University to design a cross-sectional study of 344 women from across Japan raising young children. The team assessed participants' depressive and physical symptoms as well as their dietary habits, and analyzed their stool samples.

Soil contamination by heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) poses a growing threat to global food security and human health. A new study published in Biochar reports that combining arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) with biochar can reshape soil microbiomes, reduce cadmium uptake, and dramatically improve plant growth, offering a sustainable strategy for farmland restoration.

Microplastics are no longer just an ocean pollutant—they are increasingly found in agricultural soils and even inside plants, according to a new review published in New Contaminants. The study highlights how microplastics can enter crops, impact plant health, and ultimately raise risks for global food security and human exposure.

The Longevity Education Hub is proud to announce the official launch of its Brazilian chapter, marking an important milestone in providing credible, high-quality education in Healthy Longevity Medicine. The flagship course of Longevity Education Hub - the Healthy Longevity Medicine 101, has been fully updated, translated, and recorded in Portuguese by Dr. Fabiano Serfaty and Fernanda Calvo-Fortes.

Triterpenes, a diverse family of plant-derived molecules, are increasingly recognized for their potential in medicine, food, and sustainable industry.

Salk Institute scientists developed an improved workflow for characterizing capsids (genome-containing protein cones) in HIV-1 (the most common form of HIV). This novel workflow incorporates advanced technology that will allow scientists to better understand how capsid morphology changes in response to distinct pressures and to pinpoint new, more effective ways to target capsids and treat HIV-1. Importantly, the workflow can also be used to study structural changes in other, non-HIV viruses.