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Scientists discover why Ozempic and Wegovy weight loss eventually plateaus
New NIH research reveals that semaglutide sparks different responses inside appetite-controlling brain cells, offering fresh insight into why GLP-1 weight-loss drugs don’t work the same for everyone. Scientists also found a possible way to extend the drugs’ effects, potentially helping patients push past weight-loss plateaus.
Carolyn Hax: High-schooler is an artist but feels pressure to keep up with sport
Teen may want her temporary break from water polo to become permanent — but what will her dad and coach say?
Report: NIH, NASA Restrict Co-Authoring With Foreign Scientists
The National Institutes of Health and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are targeting collaborations between U.S. scientists and foreign researchers, Science reports.
Opinion | Get the Federal Science Money Flowing
The NIH has been holding back grants from funds Congress has already approved.
NIH awards $50 million to UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science
The UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science has been awarded a seven-year, $50 million renewal of its Clinical and Translational Sciences Award.
There's a leadership vacuum at NIH, too
USAID cuts have painful outcomes for the Ebola outbreak, states sue over a new professional ed loan rule, and other health news
Scientists spur growth of implanted liver tissue
Researchers developed a way to control the growth of lab-grown liver tissue after it was implanted into mice.
Effects of early exposure to toxic metals
Scientists found that toxic metal exposures during specific time windows increased the risk of brain and mental health symptoms a decade later.
Team-based care improves blood pressure control
A team-based approach including home blood pressure monitoring and health coaching reduced blood pressure in a high-risk group.
Stories, scheduling & spectacle - five takeaways from 2025-26 WSL
With the 2025-26 season in the books, BBC Sport answers five pertinent questions from the Women's Super League.
Scientists create detailed map of odor receptors
Researchers uncovered surprising details about how smell receptors are organized in the nose.
Treating newborns with opioid withdrawal
Giving opioid withdrawal medications based on an infant’s symptoms rather than a set schedule can shorten hospital stays.
Tool sparking creativity or hindrance for artists?
To create a beautiful sculpture, one needs wood extracted from a strong, solid trunk. To forge a fine blade, one needs high-quality steel. The Latin adage “Ex nihilo nihil fit,”
Last Night in Baseball: Athletics Annihilate the Phillies
The Athletics blew out the Phillies, the Cubs had a seven-run inning, the Yankees won their sixth consecutive series, the Marlins walked it off and more from Thursday's MLB action.
Stefon Diggs responds to Washington DE about playing for Commanders
Stefon Diggs responds to Charles Omenihu about potentially playing for the Commanders in 2026.
Nihar Gala Scholarship Program for American Entrepreneurs Launches to Support Emerging American Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders
Seaford, Delaware--(Newsfile Corp. - May 8, 2026) - The Nihar Gala Scholarship for American Entrepreneurs officially opens its application cycle, offering a strategic opportunity for undergraduate students and aspiring business professionals across the United States. This initiative focuses on identifying the next generation of innovators who demonstrate resilience and a clear vision for the future of the American economy. By providing financial support and a platform for creative thought, Nihar
Commanders' defender busy trying to recruit two prominent free agents
Charles Omenihu is busy trying to recruit more help for the Commanders.
Digital archive reveals how NIH built the field of genomics
Study details how taxpayer-funded agencies choose what science to support, previously a ‘black box’
College of Health and Human Development ranked first in NIH-funding category
According to The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the Penn State College of Health and Human Development received more funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2025 than any other school of allied health in the nation.
University Health Network recruits senior NIH investigator, more than 70 global scientists
Campaign to attract best and brightest aims to bring in 100 early- to mid-career scientists from other countries
Neuroinfectious Diseases Research Workshop: Advancing Translational Science and Clinical Innovation
The Neuroinfectious Diseases Research Workshop will be a two-day scientific meeting designed to accelerate research, foster collaboration, and build capacity in the field of neurological infections. Hosted at the NIH Neuroscience Center (NSC, Executive Boulevard), this meeting will bring together clinician-scientists, laboratory investigators, translational researchers, government partners, and trainees committed to advancing understanding of neuroinfectious
Incorporation of the National Institute of Health (NIH) sex as a biological variable policy by R01 grant awardees
Communications Medicine - Warden et al. analyze 574 NIH-funded publications (2017–2024) to assess implementation of the Sex as a Biological Variable policy. They find that most studies...
Road Trip Close to Home: Jazz On Main brings live music, entertainment to Mount Kisco
News 12’s Scott Cohen visited the club for this week’s Road Trip Close to Home.
Life sciences lab real estate is clawing back from disaster. Here’s what that means for investors
Life science laboratories saw a massive drop in demand last year after the NIH was forced to cancel billions of dollars in research grants.
Key GOP senators push back on Trump’s plan to cut NIH, reorganize HHS
Lawmakers seem poised to reject cuts to biomedical research and public health spending for a second straight year.
The Death of Public Health
During the recent measles outbreak, the largest in more than 30 years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to clearly recommend the measles vaccine, saying instead that it was a “personal decision,” and that parents should “do their own research.” Similarly, during her recent confirmation hearing for United States Surgeon General, Casey Means was questioned by Senator William Cassidy (R, La). “You’re the nation’s doctor,” said Cassidy. “Would you encourage [a mother] to have her child vaccinated!” “I’m not an individual’s doctor,” Means said. “And every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body.” In June 2025, Marty Makary, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said that COVID vaccines for pregnant women should be a “personal choice”, even though every other country in the world recommended the COVID vaccine during pregnancy due to a higher risk for severe disease. It doesn’t end there. On January 5, 2026, RFK Jr. reduced the number of routinely recommended vaccines from 18 to 10. For vaccines that protected against influenza, COVID, and rotavirus, parents were urged to speak with their doctors—to make an individual choice. (On March 16, 2026, in a ruling by a federal court in Boston, RFK Jr.’s revised schedule was invalidated.) What’s happening? Why are public health officials moving away from making recommendations for the public? The origin of this change might be rooted in the first two years of the COVID pandemic. In 2020, during the first year on the pandemic, we didn’t have anything to stop a virus that was killing hundreds of people a day and could be spread asymptomatically. We didn’t have antivirals until October, monoclonal antibodies until November, and vaccines until December. All we could do was restrict travel, close businesses, shutter schools, and mask, isolate, quarantine, test, and social distance. During the second year of the pandemic, when we had vaccines to prevent COVID, people couldn’t go anywhere without their vaccine cards. They couldn’t go to their favorite bar or restaurant or sporting event or place of worship without proof of vaccination. Some people were fired from their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated. For many, this was seen as massive government overreach and energized what has been called the “medical freedom movement.” Indeed, a headline in the New York Times declared, “How Health Freedom Became a Winning Rally Cry.” As expressed in the comments of RFK Jr., Casey Means, and Marty Makary, the medical freedom movement focuses on the individual not the community—the opposite of public health. In an article titled “Ethics and Social Value Judgments in Public Health,” ethicists from Yale University distinguished public health from medical freedom. “Public health policies,” they wrote, “are population oriented. Because individual health affects the health of others, public health measures regulate individual behavior to achieve population health goals. All raise questions about how individual autonomy and freedom should be balanced against public health interests…which respects individuals’ sovereignty over their bodies and actions as long as their actions do not harm others.” The medical freedom movement fails to recognize that it often limits the freedom of others. For example, a parent who is afraid to send a child to school where many of the students are unvaccinated. Or immune compromised children who depend on those around them to for protection. The question then becomes “Freedom for whom?” Is it your right, in the name of medical freedom, to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection—and in so doing, take away the freedom of others? In Four Essays on Liberty, Isaiah Berlin sums it up best. “Liberty for the wolves,” he wrote, “is death to the lambs.” Thanks for reading Beyond the Noise! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe
The Case for Pull Funding at the National Institutes of Health
The White House’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, released earlier this month, would cut the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding by ~$5 billion. This is a meaningful cut, though far smaller than the roughly $18 billion reduction proposed for 2026, which Congress ultimately rejected in favor of a modest increase. Whether Congress holds the line again remains uncertain.
Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu blasts Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson comes under fire from Chiefs defensive end.
Trump uses the language of annihilation to threaten Iran ahead of deadline
The president who yearned for a Nobel Peace Prize and once reveled in the appearance of solving conflicts has turned to the language of annihilation as he struggles to find a resolution to his war of choice in Iran.
THE WEEK OF APRIL 6, 2026
- Trump budget repeats call for science cuts - NIH and NSF issue fewer grants - Jefferson Lab contract winner announced
Hiryu no Ken Collection announced for PC
NihonGame has announced Hiryu no Ken Collection, a collection of four early games from the Hiryu no Ken series. It includes Hiryu no Ken, Hiryu no Ken II: Dragon no Tsubasa, Hiryu no Ken III: Gonin…
AVAC: Global Health Watch
AVAC Global Health Watch: Zambia’s bilateral MoU, NIH budget cut, LEN pricing & access, new HIV Prevention Access Framework
NIH would get $5 billion cut under Trump’s 2027 budget, but Congress unlikely to go along
The White House is asking Congress to cut $5 billion from the National Institutes of Health and downsize the number of institutes and centers from 27 to 22
Trump budget calls for another sharp cut to NIH
It shows how biomedical research remains a lightning rod for criticism from the right.
UC San Diego School of Medicine Ranked No. 4 Nationally for NIH Funding Among Public Institutions
The University of California San Diego School of Medicine ranked No. 4 among public institutions and No. 14 overall nationwide for NIH funding in 2025 as reported by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR).
NIH awards $15.8 million to University of California for study of Latino brain health
A multisite study led by UC San Diego and UC Davis will examine changes in brain imaging, blood biomarkers and cognition over time in Latino and Hispanic people.
NIH awards $15.8 million to UC Davis Health for major Hispanic-Latino brain health study
The NIH has awarded neurologist and dementia expert Charles DeCarli a $15.85 million grant to support one of the nation’s most extensive studies on brain aging in Hispanic-Latino communities.
Mental health reporter Allen Siegler named finalist for national health reporting award
Allen Siegler, mental health reporter at Mississippi Today, has been named a finalist for the 2025 National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Awards for his investigation into how Mississippi officials spent the state’s opioid settlement funds.
Finalists Selected: The 2026 NIHCM Awards in Health Care Journalism and Policy Research
Announcing the finalists for the 32nd Annual NIHCM Awards in health care journalism and policy research. Learn more about the insightful work from the...
‘No kings, just vaccines!’: demonstrators gather at NIH headquarters to protest against cuts to medical research
Protesters decried Trump administration healthcare policies and direction of HHS under leadership of RFK Jr
Science funding loosens but uncertainty remains at NKU
NKU researchers face uncertainty after federal cuts to NIH, NSF and NASA funding disrupt grants, labs and student research opportunities.
Glyphosate: A story of science, risk, and nuance
In the summer of 2014, a California groundskeeper named Dewayne Johnson started noticing patches of raw, weeping skin spreading across his body. He had spent years applying Roundup, Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide, for a school district, sometimes drenched in it when equipment malfunctioned. By 2014, he had a diagnosis: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 2018, a jury awarded him $289 million in damages, later reduced on appeal. Tens of thousands of lawsuits followed. The story hasn’t quieted down. It’s all over the internet, swinging between “this will kill you, buy organic” and “relax, you’re fear-mongering.” Some of that recent chatter stems from an Executive Order protecting glyphosate and its production, which set off intense infighting within the MAHA movement. Some of it reflects a deeper truth: Americans genuinely care about harmful chemicals in their environment (see poll below). And the conversation isn’t going anywhere, with a Supreme Court case involving Monsanto set for this April. Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. But does glyphosate cause cancer? And how much exposure is actually risky? With so much mistrust in institutions and corporations (and some genuine conflicts of interest), making sense of the actual scientific evidence is genuinely hard. Here is a translation of what the scientific evidence actually says. Does glyphosate cause harm? Glyphosate is an herbicide that kills most plants it contacts rather than targeting specific species. It works by blocking an enzyme pathway (EPSPS) that plants and many microorganisms need to produce essential amino acids. Without those amino acids, the plant can’t grow and dies. Glyphosate was first developed by Monsanto in the 1970s and became ubiquitous after the company introduced “Roundup Ready” crops in the 1990s. In 2024, Bayer removed glyphosate from residential Roundup-branded products due to litigation pressure. But today it is still the most widely used herbicide in the world. Farmers also discovered they could spray it directly on crops like oats, lentils, beans, and peas just before harvest to dry them out faster and make harvesting easier. Because of its widespread use, it’s obviously really important to understand if it’s harmful to humans. The key principle: The dose makes the poison The most important concept in toxicology is that “the dose makes the poison.” Sixteenth-century physician Paracelsus articulated what remains the foundational principle of toxicology: sola dosis facit venenum. Water will kill you if you drink enough of it. Aspirin saves lives at 81 milligrams and causes internal bleeding at higher chronic doses. So, at what dose is glyphosate poisonous? The LD50 in rats (the dose that kills half the test animals) is around 5,600 mg/kg body weight. Table salt is roughly 3,000 mg/kg. By that classic measure, glyphosate is less acutely toxic than salt. But some people are exposed to a lot of glyphosate through their work. And among the general public, there are many questions about low-dose, cumulative exposure from multiple sources over long periods. Does glyphosate cause health problems? Cancer Correlation maps are striking, with one analysis finding that 60% of counties that spray the most glyphosate have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma rates above the national average. But correlation alone doesn’t establish cause, which is why animal and human studies matter. In animals: Rat studies are typically what most fear is rooted in, but most people don’t know the study details on the dosage given to rats. A pooled analysis of the 13 most rigorous rat studies found evidence that very high doses, around 55,000 times greater than typical food residue exposure, can cause certain cancers. In humans: One of the strongest studies followed 55,000 herbicide users over 20 years and found no overall increased cancer risk. There was one signal: among those with the highest use, rates of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) appeared elevated. A broader meta-analysis of 18 human studies also found no overall cancer risk, though a separate meta-analysis focused specifically on non-Hodgkin lymphoma found that people with high cumulative glyphosate exposure faced a 41% higher relative risk compared to those with low or no exposure. These human studies are observational studies (randomized controlled trials would be unethical), and meta-analyses are only as reliable as the studies they pool. But the story seems consistent: at very high exposure levels, there may be some cancer risk. But that’s about as far as the science currently takes us. Emerging research: gut and reproductive health Gut: Because glyphosate targets a pathway that exists in some gut bacteria, scientists have questioned whether it could affect the microbiome. In mice, a 2023 University of Iowa study found that glyphosate altered gut bacterial composition and raised markers of intestinal inflammation. A 2024 systematic review found similar patterns: disrupted gut bacteria and problems with the mucus layer that protects the intestinal wall in mice. Whether this translates to humans is an open question. The human gut is highly variable and resistant, and we don't yet have strong studies confirming the same effects in people. Reproductive health: Animal studies have found that glyphosate-based herbicides can interfere with reproductive hormones, including disrupting egg cell development in mice and reducing the number of eggs available in sheep’s ovaries. However, the doses used in these experiments were high, so it’s not yet clear whether the same effects would occur in humans. On the human side, a 2021 pilot study led by Mount Sinai researchers tested urine samples from pregnant women across the U.S. and found glyphosate in 95% of them. The study also found a possible connection between higher glyphosate exposure during pregnancy and a subtle physical difference measured in female newborns. That said, some connections weren’t statistically reliable and this was a small study. The researchers themselves said more and larger studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions. What do regulators say about glyphosate safety? In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A). The classification is worth taking seriously. But, there’s an important distinction: IARC classifies hazard, meaning the potential to cause harm under some conditions. It does not assess risk, which accounts for actual exposure levels and the real-world probability of harm. The U.S. EPA, the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada, and regulatory agencies in Australia and Japan have all concluded that glyphosate is “unlikely to be carcinogenic to humans” at realistic exposure levels. They’re asking a different question: given how much of this people actually encounter, what is the probability of harm? Your actual exposure is what determines your actual risk. What does glyphosate mean for your daily life? At the grocery store: Food residues are small. The EPA’s acceptable daily intake is 1.75 mg/kg of body weight per day. To hit that threshold from oatmeal alone, a 150-pound adult would need to eat roughly 50 pounds of oats every day. But this calculation addresses only one pathway (food), and we don’t yet have robust tools to measure people’s actual total exposure. If reducing exposure matters to you, organic certification prohibits synthetic herbicides, and organic oat products generally test at lower or undetectable levels. Either way, a diet rich in whole grains, conventional or organic, is far better for your health than one that omits them out of fear of residues. On the farm: Occupational exposure is orders of magnitude higher than consumer exposure. Farmers and farm workers who mix, load, and apply glyphosate-based herbicides, especially without protective equipment, face meaningfully different risk profiles. Proper PPE isn’t optional. Integrated weed management strategies that rotate chemical modes of action are also worth taking seriously, both for health and for long-term effectiveness. If you live near a farm: Spray drift is real. Concentrations near field edges can spike during and after application, particularly on windy days. This is an area where I think public health could really step up and empower rural communities with buffer zones, rather than placing the onus on individuals. But for now, knowing your local agricultural calendar and keeping windows closed during application are the first steps. Bottom line Dewayne Johnson was exposed to glyphosate at levels most people will never encounter, and a jury decided he deserved compensation. That outcome is not evidence that the oatmeal in your pantry is dangerous. But it is a reminder that the dose, the context, and the person doing the exposing all matter enormously. Glyphosate is a chemical tool with benefits, trade-offs, and genuine open scientific questions. Learning to hold that complexity without collapsing into panic or dismissal is, honestly, one of the most useful and hardest things to do in navigating modern health science. Love, YLE Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is founded and operated by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. Hannah Totte, MPH, is an epidemiologist and YLE Community Manager. YLE reaches more than 425,000 people in over 132 countries with one goal: “Translate” the ever-evolving public health science so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Subscribe
Caldara overlooked facts in slamming utilities
Normally, I appreciate the variety of perspectives published on Colorado Politics. But regarding Jon Caldara’s recent column on Xcel, he irresponsibly neglects key facts to the point of annihilating credibility (“Are our overlords normalizing power outages?” March 15). He neglects any discussion regarding the nuance of safety (or fiduciary responsibility) versus inconvenience, for example: Is […]
Treating addiction
Alcohol and drug addiction can cause many harms. This Research in Context feature looks at research into the causes of addiction and new ways to treat it.
On the Road With Antiprotons: CERN Runs Delicate Test on Transporting Ultrasensitive Antimatter
GENEVA (AP) — Scientists in Geneva are taking some antiprotons out for a spin — a very delicate one — in a truck, in a never-tried-before test drive. If this so-called antimatter comes into contact with actual matter — even for a fraction of an instant — it will be annihilated in a quick flash of ...
NIH grant terminations affected women scientists more than men, study finds
A new paper shows that women, particularly those early in their careers, have been disproportionately affected by NIH grant terminations
Your Thymus and Your Healthspan
Our thymus gland plays a central role in the development or our immune system, specifically for supporting T cell development (how these cells got their name, maturation and differentiation in the thymus) and discriminating between self and foreign, non-self antigen proteins with production of dendritic cells. As we age, our thymus gland shrinks—the process known as involution—with progressive change from spongy to fatty tissue, with loss of functionality. But this process, with respect to timeline and extent, markedly varies from one person to the next. And to make things even more complicated, our thymus gland anatomy and precise location in the chest also is highly variable. So the famous Frank Netter diagrams from the 1960s (such as at left below) don’t capture the remarkable heterogeneity that a random set of 12 chest CT scans (below at right). What I consider as 2 landmark papers in Nature this week (here and here) used AI to quantify health of the thymus in 2 large cohorts, and then correlate the metric to a broad array of health outcomes. In this edition of Ground Truths, I’m going to cover three questions: (1) How was thymus health determined by AI?; (2) How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? and (3) Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? Subscribe 1. How was thymus health determined by AI? This was accomplished by extensive work developing and validating an AI pipeline for 2 stages, the first for localization and segmentation of the thymus bed, and the second to quantify a digital marker, termed the thymic health score. There’s a lot to this algorithmic development, so I won’t go into all the details, but just provide a rudimentary outline of what was done. The 1st stage used supervised learning with 2 radiologists reviewing 2,461 chest CT scans. That work trained a 3D U-Net model to automatically identify the thymic bed’s 3D cropped region using center of mass coordinates, which reached 99.8% accuracy. The 2nd stage used a foundation model that was pre-trained with SwAV (which stands for Swapping Assignment between multiple Views), a self-supervised model, that generated a high-dimensional thymus representation of 4,096 features. That compares to the radiology reductionist and subjective scoring of 0 to 3 where 0 means the thymus is fully degenerated and fatty, and 3 is considered dense, intact glandular soft tissue. Notably, the self-supervised learning (SSL) performance was superior to supervised (AUC ~0.75 vs 0.55, respectively) reflecting the shallowness of the 0-3 classifier vs SSL’s holistic, self-taught AI. The thymic health score ranged from 0 to 100, with the highest number indexed to fully preserved thymic health. The algorithmic work extended to explainability with both Shapely value distribution, meaning the model was holistic not relying on any “magic” pixel, and occlusion sensitivity, demonstrating the model’s performance was not affected by ribs, sternum, lung tissue, but rather focused on the thymic bed directly. Below are a few saliency maps from the occlusion sensitivity that indicate the thymic bed focus, not affected by neighboring structures, using the jet color scale. Now the AI was ready for processing ~25,000 CT scans, each over 30 MB files, from the 2 large participant cohorts to provide a thymic health score, it did so in less than 14 hours, which is less than 2 seconds per scan! Share 2. How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? The two cohorts were the National Lung Screening Trial, NLST (N=25,031) and the Framingham Heart Study, FHS (N=2,581) each with baseline demographics and long term follow up of >12 years for health outcomes. From the NSLT, you can see below that increased age and body-mass index were correlated to reduced thymic health. And, overall, men had reduced thymic health scores compared with women. There are a lot of graphs in the paper for outcomes, for both the NLST and FHS cohorts. To simplify the major outcomes, below is a composite Figure with striking reduction of all-cause mortality and for the different causes of death. The results were consistent between the 2 cohorts. For example, the cardiovascular mortality hazard ratio average was 0.57 in NLST and 0.38 in FHS (weighted to be 0.53 for the aggregate). The reduction of mortality also extended to digestive diseases and pulmonary disease (data not shown below). Lung cancer incidence was reduced by 36% for high vs low thymic health (Figure below, with a panel -incidence and b panel-mortality, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking status). Notably, there was a smoker’s paradox: lower incidence and improved survival for lung cancer in smokers who had a high thymus health score. Smoking was associated with lower thymic scores whereas alcohol was not. Higher thymic health was linked to higher HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower fasting blood glucose, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Inflammation biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, were elevated in the people with lower thymic health scores. In their second paper, the same team looked at the relationship between thymic score and outcomes for 3,476 patients receiving cancer immunotherapy. The non-small cell lung cancer progression-free survival was reduced in patients with low thymic health score. A parallel relationship for survival was seen for other types of cancer including melanoma, breast, and kidney with a 44% lower risk among high thymic scores (Figure). A similar pattern was seen with different immune checkpoint inhibitors. The thymus health score outperformed programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)and tumor mutation burden (TMB) assay of the tumor and was an independent prognostic marker of progression-free survival. In this dataset, a direct connect with thymus score and adaptive immune function was noted with a correlation before cancer treatment for both T-cell diversity and thymus T-cell production (a metric known as T cell receptor excision circles). Thymus Removal Study There is a highly relevant citation about thymus function before moving onto ways to rejuvenate it. In 2023, a very important study of thymus removal during cardiothoracic surgery was published, with 1146 patients undergoing thymus removal vs 1146 matched controls (mean age 55 years). The adverse outcomes for thymus removal were striking, with a 2.9 higher risk of all-cause mortality and doubling of cancer incidence, 1.5 fold increase in cancer mortality, and 1.5-fold increase in autoimmune diseases. The immune function showed marked compromise after thymus removal, as reflected by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Figure below) Share Ground Truths 3. Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? In recent months we’ve learned a lot about the process of thymus involution and the pathways by which this may be modulated. Thymus involution is primarily due to loss to thymus epithelial cells (TECs) and there are 2 subtypes with different functions: the cortical, responsible for positive selection of T cells, and the medullary, for negative selection. When adipose tissue infiltrates the thymus, thymic adipocytes are pro-inflammatory, knocking out T-cell output. Likewise, systemic inflammation, or “inflammaging,” from smoking, obesity, and chronic stress promote thymic adipocytes. Now, from preclinical studies, we know about key pathways that account for these processes. Historically, back in 2014, FOXN1 was recognized as a single master transcription factor essential for TEC function, with studies in mice with forced FOXN1 upregulation leading to thymus regeneration. That laid the foundation for potential regrowth of quiescent thymus cells. It took awhile to find pathways to accomplish this goal and to even refute its role as the master regulator. The Liver-Thymus Axis Feng Zhang and his team recently showed that injection of an mRNA vaccine to the liver encoding DLL1, IL-7 and FLT3-L in combination, factors known to support thymopoiesis (Figure), successfully enhanced immune function in aged mice. However, the effect was transient. The FGF21 Story Two reports in 2025 addressed the thymus gland’s production of FGF21, a growth factor (fibroblast growth factor 21) and its control of thymus involution. This growth factor is also produced by the liver, but it doesn’t have impact on the thymus in aged rodent models. In contrast, The liver’s hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to reverse senescent TEC structural changes. Growth hormone stimulates production of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the liver and the thymus. Two small studies in human participants (TRIIM, for Thymus Regeneration, Immunorestoration, and Insulin Mitigation) of 6 and 50 people, respectively, treated with combined human growth hormone, metformin and DHEA, suggested the potential of slowing epigenetic aging and improving thymus mass and function. But the combination of drugs, small sample, and lack of controls make conclusions murky. Increased thymus FGF21 led to increased CD8 T cells in old mice and extended healthspan and improved physical performance. Building on the previous FOXN1 data, ablation of β-klotho, the obligatory co-receptor for FOXN1, accelerated thymic aging. The benefit to FGF21 was confirmed in a companion paper using an FGF21 knock-in mouse model showing thymus enlargement and increased TECs throughout the lifespan. (schematic Figure below). The accompanying editorial for these 2 papers speculated: “The proposed link between age-associated thymus involution and organismal aging is intriguing, and suggests we might seek to achieve systemic rejuvenation by counteracting thymic involution.” Other Factors Lessons from the Axolotl (Mexican Salamander) In an elegant set of experiments of the axolotl (Figure), known for its complete thymus regeneration after total surgical removal, mediators were identified. Surprisingly FOXN1 was dispensable. But midkine, a growth factor, appeared to be the driver, the initiator of thymus cell growth, survival, and repair. Other components that contributed were Postn+ (periostin-expressing mesenchymal niches) and Ccl19, a chemokine protein from the bloodstream. RANK and RANKL RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor κB its ligand (RANKL) have been considered key regulators of medullary TECs. In a study of both aged mice and human thymus cell cultures, their key role was confirmed, with multiple benefits of resorting TEC function, recruitment of progenitor cells, and T cell development. Subscribe Summing Up This body of work strongly supports the health of the thymus gland as a critical regulator of human healthspan, not just a correlate or link. The new landmark studies are reinforced by the regenerative biology experimental models that have shown, via an array of mediators, that healthspan of aged mice is at least in part dependent on thymus gland function and its critical role for maintaining adaptive immunity. It sure seems that we’d be better off having an immune reservoir of naive T cells instead of a profile in older adults of exhausted, low quality, memory T cells, with a senescent phenotype. It is striking that we ignored the importance of the thymus gland for many decades. A wake-up call was the results of the thymectomy matched control study reviewed here, with the opposite of high thymic health score improved health outcomes. The convergence of AI and healthspan here is notable. The exceptional and laborious work for developing and validating (no less explaining) the AI to quantify thymus health set the foundation for probing the connect the major health outcomes in two cohorts with extensive follow-up. We’ve never had a way to meaningfully quantify the thymus gland before, so this represents important leverage of supervised, self-supervised, and transformer models. The study wouldn’t have been possible without AI. And it begs the question as to whether there are ways we can maintain our thymus at a high health score. But it’s not so simple to rejuvenate our thymus. There are multiple risks including the induction of autoimmunity, increasing the risk of cancer, and inducing a pro-inflammatory state. For example, factors that increase TEC proliferation could compromise the medulllary negative selection process and leak out auto-reactive (self-attacking) T cells. Thymic cells could be induced to proliferate, but we know, for example, that growth hormone and IGF-1 are associated with an increase risk of cancer. If thymus rejuvenation doesn’t clear out the accumulated senescent cells in older adults, then inflammation within the gland could block the production of TECs. Keeping these risks in mind, we now have identified many ways to keep our thymus healthy as we age that undoubtedly will be tested in clinical trials going forward. Ultimately, the benefit-to-risk tradeoffs will be defined. In the meantime, we have desperately needed an immunome. As I’ve stressed in multiple prior Ground Truths, we have no test in the clinic to assess a patient’s immune status! It was very encouraging for me to get an email from Hugo Aerts, the senior author of the landmark papers in the days after they were published: “I also wanted to say that your Substack on “Why We Need an Immunome” was inspiring for this work. We found it a very compelling perspective and greatly enjoyed reading it.” Just having an assessment of a person’s immune status via a chest CT scan, with millions of these performed per year, might help in guiding the right immunotherapy for cancer (e.g. more intensive, combinations for those with low thymic health scores) and help define people who are increased risk for age-related diseases of cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative. The main theme of Super Agers is that we now have many layers of data (genetics, proteins, biomarkers, organ clocks that can be integrated via multimodal AI) for us to define a person’s specific risk decades before one of these age-related diseases leads to symptoms, enabling prevention. From the new studies this week, we can add thymus health score as yet another way to understand a person’s risk, a window into their adaptive immune system and healthspan. And perhaps someday we will be able to safely rejuvenate the thymus, or maintain its health through one’s life, and use the thymus health score to monitor. NB: I wrote this post (No A.I.) A Quick Poll Loading... ********************************************************************* Thanks to Ground Truths subscribers (now > 200,000) from every US state and 212 countries. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. Please join! If you found this interesting PLEASE share it! Share Ground Truths Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don’t hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered. Leave a comment Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. It enabled us to accept and support 47 summer interns in 2025! We aim to accept even more of the several thousand who will apply for summer 2026.
Afternoon Update: Why is the NIH abandoning science? (opinion)
Plus, a conversation with the Harvard historian Annette Gordon-Reed.
National survey of NIH-funded researchers shows precarious state of U.S. science — ‘This is like the Titanic’
A nationwide STAT survey of NIH-funded researchers reveals that, a year after Donald Trump's return to the White House, many scientists are reeling
Machine learning analysis of CT scans
An AI-powered tool can interpret 3D images from CT scans and diagnose certain disorders.
WATCH LIVE: Dr. Jay Bhattacharya testifies at NIH oversight hearing before House panel
THE WEEK OF MARCH 16, 2026
- Plans to break up NCAR take shape - Senate HELP chair pushes DETERRENT Act - Budgetary delays slow spending at NIH
The Trump White House's Vision of War As Nihilist Entertainment
In a new X post building on an earlier Hollywood action-clip montage, the White House tries to render the horrors of war as a Wii game.
Researchers develop AI tool to predict patients at risk of intimate partner violence
NIH-funded, automated clinical decision support could facilitate timely interventions for at-risk patients years before they might otherwise seek help.
Irish comic David Nihill used storytelling to overcome stage fright
Irish comedian and storyteller David Nihill brings his conversational 'Taking Tangents' show to Irvine, Pasadena and Los Angeles from March 13 to 17.
An NIH whistleblower warning
The doctors behind the telehealth GLP-1 boom, a men's health office moment, and other health news
I’m an NIH whistleblower. The scientific community cannot afford to avoid politics
“Scientists are often encouraged to avoid politics. But this advice is outdated, if it was ever correct in the first place,” writes Jenna Norton, NIH whistleblower.
Commanders sign Super Bowl champion defender from Chiefs
The Commanders have become aggressive defensive spenders, this time adding Super Bowl winning defender Charles Omenihu.
Red states hit hardest by reduced NIH funding
Epstein's "great friend" returns to biotech, sex differences in suicide, and other health news from Morning Rounds
3D human liver reconstruction reveals changes in cirrhosis
A new 3D reconstruction of human liver tissue revealed changes to the liver’s internal structure in liver disease.
US science budgets have been spared. So why is no one celebrating?
The Trump administration’s proposals to eviscerate the NIH and NSF have been overturned in Congress after a year of cancelled programmes and legal wrangling. Yet as funding continues only to dribble out of downsized and politicised agencies, few believe that US science is out of the woods yet
San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering draws thousands of kids amid federal funding concerns
The free event in its 18th year comes as the Trump administration proposes deep cuts to federal science agencies, including a 40% reduction for the NIH and a 47% cut for NASA.
The Best Time To Drink Dandelion Tea for Detox and Digestion
Dandelion tea is an herbal tea that may support digestion and support your liver's natural detox processes. Drinking it around meals may be beneficial.
Pittsburgh 'Stand Up for Science' rally to bring attention to impacts of immigration crackdowns
The National “Stand Up for Science” day of action returns to Pittsburgh tomorrow for the second year in a row to protest government actions and policies affecting scientific institutions, research and researchers. This year’s rally will be at Allegheny Landing Park on the North Shore.
Six federal scientists run out by Trump talk about the work left undone
Federal data shows the NIH lost about 4,400 people — more than 20% of its workforce. Scientists say the departures harm the U.S.’ ability to respond to disease outbreaks, develop treatments for chronic illnesses, and confront the nation’s most pressing public health problems.
Tuscaloosa student earns scholarship to study at home of famed Tuskegee Airmen
One of Parker Evans’ relatives was a Red Tail, known for serving with distinction during World War II.
Driving large-scale hearing and balance research through data science investments, and an update on NIDCD’s January Advisory Council meeting
Enabling access to large-scale multimodal databases is essential to advancing science across all institutes at NIH. As both datasets and analytical methods become more complex, proper data infrastructure can enable multidisciplinary research efforts at a scale greater than that of individual studies alone. In line with NIH-wide strategic plans, NIDCD is making investments in data science that address long-standing research gaps, provide important resources for the research community, and preserve and protect participant privacy and data security.
NIH-supported trial reduces HIV incidence by 70% in rural populations
Study used technology to extend reach of existing infrastructure, linking people to care.
Manipulating gene activity to reverse aging
By altering levels of molecules called transcription factors in mice, researchers were able to reverse some of the effects of aging.
New ranking highlights NIH’s impact on breakthrough science at Duke
Duke University School of Medicine received more than $514 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2025, ranking 9th nationally among medical schools, according to new data from the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research
Bhattacharya’s growing power in Trump’s HHS worries health experts
Public health experts and former federal staffers are uneasy over National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya’s rising influence over U.S. health policy as he temporarily takes on…
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine claims two national Top 10 rankings in NIH funding
Two USF Health Morsani College of Medicine departments now rank among the Top 10 nationally for NIH funding, with nine programs among the Top 50 in the latest Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings.
NIH's Bhattacharya will also run the CDC while Trump administration looks for a permanent director
The director of the National Institutes of Health is also taking over as acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an administration official.
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya will take over leadership of CDC temporarily
The transition is the latest in a monthslong series of leadership shakeups across federal health agencies.
National Institutes of Health facing widespread vacancies in director roles
More than a dozen key director positions at the National Institutes of Health are unfilled. All but two of these vacancies opened after President Trump took office last year. NBC News' Aria Bendix explains how this leadership vacuum could impact public health.
Beeghly Fellows Program connects WCBA students with real-world business impact
Through a unique fellowship that blends applied learning with direct service to regional businesses, five Williamson College of Business Administration students have been selected as the Spring 2026 John D. Beeghly Fellows at Youngstown State University.Aaron Lesner, Jan Harter, James Slessor, Tanishka Agnihotri and Moritz Bayer will serve as paid fellows supporting the Ohio Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Ohio SBDC Export Assistance Network (EAN), and the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU.
National Institutes of Health faces leadership vacuum as director positions sit open
More than half of the NIH's institutes and centers don’t have permanent directors, giving the Trump administration an unusual opportunity to reshape the agency. The latest departure came on Friday.
Rain Annihilation in Reign of the Warlock
Play the newest class in Diablo: II Resurrected. Fight your way through Terror Zones, face Colossal Ancients, and more.
Understanding obesity-induced inflammation
NIH-funded researchers detailed a chain of events through which obesity promotes harmful inflammation.
Melania Trump to craft valentines with families at The Children's Inn
The First Lady made similar holiday visits to the NIH facility during Donald Trump's first term.
New survey points to falling public confidence in Trump’s public health team
Trump’s NIH director said the administration is trying to “re-establish trust in public health.” There’s fresh evidence that it’s failing badly.
Killers without a cause: The rise in nihilistic violent extremism
Amid a burst of high-profile targeted violence, authorities have identified a new source of terror.
NIH opens East Palestine Health Research Office to study train disaster
Three years ago, a train derailment spilled hazardous chemicals into the Ohio community.
NIH Opens East Palestine, Ohio Health Research Office to Study Train Disaster
NIH opened the East Palestine Train Derailment Health Research Program Office to assess and address the long-term health outcomes stemming from the 2023 train derailment in the community.
THE WEEK OF FEB 2, 2026
- Partial shutdown hits NIH and DOD - DOD merges DSB and DIB - DOE shares reorg details
NIH announces first strategic plan for disability health research
And other health news from the Morning Rounds newsletter
Defining Lung Health Through the Lifespan
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is hosting the virtual workshop "Defining Lung Health Through the Lifespan" on March 4–5, 2026.
National Institutes of Health Need Agencywide Strategy to Prioritize and Fund Pediatric Research, Says New Report
Childhood health is foundational to lifelong well-being. A new National Academies report makes recommendations on how NIH and Congress can best support pediatric health research and improve health outcomes through childhood and beyond.
January 27, 2026: Workshop Materials Available From ‘Dissemination and Implementation in Embedded Pragmatic Trials: Science-Powered Strategies to Sustain and Spread Effective Interventions'
Complete materials are now available from the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory’s recent workshop, “Dissemination and Implementation in Embedded Pragmatic Trials: Science-Powered Strategies to Sustain and Spread Effective Interventions.” The full-day […]
The 'Nihilist Penguin' Trend: Unpacking Internet Psychology And Science Behind The Viral Meme
The video shows a lone penguin quietly walking away from its colony towards the mountains
Chicopee business seized by state over tax delinquency
Sign Techniques fabricated and installed signs for many local businesses.
NIH says it will stop funding research using human fetal tissue
Scientists denounced the move, arguing that fetal tissue is crucial for understanding human development and diseases.
The Abrupt Loss of Science Leaders from Government Will Have Real-world Consequences
I spent a lot of time debating with NIH IC Directors, but we should all mourn their loss.
Alarm as US mulls prioritising citizens in research funding
A senior White House official said the Trump administration is considering ways to prioritise research funding to American citizens, triggering alarm in the research community that the country could destroy its century-long status as a magnet for overseas talent.Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), said last week that it is “important for us to continue to emphasise the use of federal R&D dollars towards American scientists and technologists that are staffed by Americans in their labs.” Asked about support for Chinese students during a Congressional hearing, Kratsios went on to say that in future funding announcements, the OSTP would “emphasise” that “we're funding American students.”The precise meaning of his impromptu comments, and what they could mean in policy terms, isn’t yet clear. The OSTP did not respond to multiple requests for clarification from Science|Business.But given that US science and technology has relied on overseas talent for the past century, Kratsios’s words have alarmed former US science officials.Immigrants have made up around 30-40% of US Nobel Prize winners since the 1940s, for example. Except for some sensitive projects, countries typically grant research funding on a nationality-blind basis, lest they deter foreign scientists from immigrating. “If director Kratsios’s statements are taken literally and become official policy of the White House, [research-intensive] universities will likely have to close labs if not entire research divisions,” said David Biggs, a former science and technology official in the US State Department. In their most extreme interpretation, Kratsios’s comments would imply that foreign scientists established in the US would see access to funding curtailed. This would “result in many world-leading professors who work in the United States in fields that this administration considers a priority (like fusion energy, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing) leaving the country,” said Cole Donovan, a former US science diplomat, and now associate director at the Federation of American Scientists.CripplingHowever, given the context of the conversation, Kratsios may have been referring more narrowly to funding for doctoral or postdoctoral students. At the hearing, he said he wanted to see labs staffed by US citizens. But even this would have devastating consequences for the US science system, say former officials, because the country is so dependent on early-career foreign researchers. Recent statistics show that nearly half of those in the US with a PhD in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) are considered short-term visitors, or non-residents in the official terminology. If this included residents who are not yet citizens, the proportion would likely be even higher. “Foreign PhD students are really a significant and core part of the university STEM workforce, and postdocs is similarly large,” said Donovan. Preventing US-based academics from hiring them from overseas would be a serious blow, he said. “If it's the case that this administration intends to limit funding to labs staffed only with US citizens, the effect will be to cripple the American scientific enterprise,” said Chris Marcum, a former OSTP official. “To think that these researchers can simply be replaced is a pipe dream. The labs will close,” said Marcum. Go elsewhereAround half of US-trained postdocs are foreign-born, said Biggs. “If these top international students cannot get funding to do their research, or even if they hear that funding for foreign students has been greatly restricted and will be super competitive, they will no longer choose to study in the US and will go elsewhere.” It’s unclear for now if Kratsios’s comments will translate into a real policy shift. But they could add to turmoil in the US science system since Donald Trump took over as president one year ago. Related articlesNIH turmoil risks reciprocal EU-US access to health research fundingUS set to close office responsible for global science and technology dealsTrump halts new NIH grants to international health-research partnersSince then, nearly 8,000 grants at the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation have been frozen or terminated, Naturereports. Courts have overturned most of these cancellations, but the disruption caused remains significant. Both those agencies have also dished out around a quarter fewer grants this year than normal, the journal reported. International student enrolment is also down by 17%. The Trump administration also proposes to cut research budgets by around a third, although Congress may mollify the cuts.
The Disconnected Present: Neoliberal Fascism and the Politics of Erasure
In this political climate, outrage is incessantly manufactured and then swiftly displaced, replaced by the next shock before the public can assemble the fragments into a coherent political picture. Each incident appears as an isolated rupture rather than as part of an unfolding structure of power, severed from the conditions that produce it and from the larger architecture of domination it sustains. This fragmentation is not accidental. It is a calculated strategy to drain meaning from public life, exhaust critical attention, and foreclose any sustained democratic reckoning or resistance. In the age of escalating fascism and a nihilistic worship of greed and raw power, American politics has devolved into a theater of violence aligned with a ceaseless stream of spectacles severed from history and emptied of systemic meaning.
The Disconnected Present: Neoliberal Fascism and the Politics of Erasure
In this political climate, outrage is incessantly manufactured and then swiftly displaced, replaced by the next shock before the public can assemble the fragments into a coherent political picture. Each incident appears as an isolated rupture rather than as part of an unfolding structure of power, severed from the conditions that produce it and from the larger architecture of domination it sustains. This fragmentation is not accidental. It is a calculated strategy to drain meaning from public life, exhaust critical attention, and foreclose any sustained democratic reckoning or resistance. In the age of escalating fascism and a nihilistic worship of greed and raw power, American politics has devolved into a theater of violence aligned with a ceaseless stream of spectacles severed from history and emptied of systemic meaning.
Pentagon’s “Arsenal of Freedom” tour borrows name from Star Trek episode—about killer AI
AI weapons systems may annihilate their creators.