We aimed to evaluate the mutual influences between gut microbiota and insomnia. We conducted Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis using genome-wide association studies datasets on insomnia (N=386 533), gut microbiota data from the MiBioGen alliance (N=18 340) and the Dutch Microbiome Project (N=8208). The inverse variance weighted (IVW) technique was selected as the primary approach. Then, Cochrane’s Q, Mendelian randomization-Egger (MR-Egger) and MR Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier test (MR-PRESSO) tests were used to detect heterogeneity and pleiotropy. The leave-one-out method was used to test the stability of the MR results. In addition, we performed the Steiger test to thoroughly verify the causation.

Scientists have created a new type of material that could enable common electronic devices to work faster and use less energy, a study suggests.

Cannabis is increasingly normalized, but biology remains unchanged.
A review of 64 studies by researchers from Wroclaw Medical University shows that THC interferes with the endocannabinoid system — a key regulator of fertility, pregnancy, and fetal development.

THC affects the brain’s hormonal control centers, reproductive organs, and the placenta. In men, it is linked to poorer sperm quality and epigenetic changes; in women, to disrupted ovulation and impaired embryo implantation. During pregnancy, THC crosses the placenta, increasing the risk of low birth weight, prematurity, and neonatal complications, and is also present in breast milk.

There is no proven safe dose or safe form of cannabis. As legalization advances, the authors stress the need for clear guidance: avoiding cannabis when planning pregnancy, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding is the safest choice.

Hundreds of international experts in gambling addiction are urging a more coordinated approach to enhance interventions and therapies, while aligning research priorities to tackle the escalating problem.   

Gambling is now a legal activity in 80% of countries and has expanded considerably in the past decade.  While a very small minority of people who gamble meet the diagnostic criteria of a gambling disorder, the wider harms from gambling include financial, emotional, relationship and other harms, decreased work performance, and criminality.