Tiny fragments of plastic have become ubiquitous in our environment and our bodies. Higher exposure to these microplastics, which can be inadvertently consumed or inhaled, is associated with a heightened prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases, according to new research being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25).

Compared with those who spent most of their time in a single room, people with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) who were able to travel outside of their home without assistance were significantly less likely to be hospitalized or die within a year, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25). The findings underscore the value of supporting holistic care and encouraging people with heart failure to maintain an active lifestyle and engage with others in their community to the extent possible, researchers said.

In addition to causing several types of cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV) appears to bring a significantly increased risk of heart disease and coronary artery disease, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25).

The global average for countries to report genetic information about bird flu, crucial to tracking and preventing a human pandemic, was seven months, and Canada came in last, a new study has found.

Authors of the non-peer reviewed commentary published today in Nature Biotechnology say the work highlights the urgent need for Canada and other countries to speed up the pipeline from sampling an infected creature, analysis of the genetic information, and submission to a global scientific database.

Dr. Sarah Otto (SO), professor in the department of zoology, and Sean Edgerton (SE) (he/him), zoology doctoral student, discuss why getting this information quickly is crucial, and how Canada has pulled its socks up once before

Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); DeepSeek; catfish effect; open source; medical applications                                                                During the 2025 Chinese Spring Festival, a topic that garnered widespread attention was DeepSeek. On January 20, the Hangzhou-based DeepSeek company released its latest large language model, DeepSeek-R1. This release sent shockwaves through the technology sector and attracted attention from top scientific journals such as Nature and Science (1,2). With its powerful performance and open-source characteristics, DeepSeek-R1 has created substantial pressure on existing artificial intelligence (AI) competitors, exemplifying the “catfish effect” in the AI domain. This concept originates from a classical management theory: Norwegian fishermen placed catfish, a natural predator, in sardine transport tanks, significantly reducing mortality rates by triggering the sardines’ survival instincts. By analogy, in other fields, the introduction of strong competitors often activates industry innovation dynamics. DeepSeek’s emergence has injected new momentum into the AI field, driving rapid technological iteration and innovation.