Pregnancies do not weaken a woman’s skeleton. Breastfeeding, however, can reduce bone density considerably. These are findings from a research report produced at Lund University in Sweden. But breastfeeding women need not worry. “There is a dip, but the body is absolutely fantastic at making up the loss,” says Kristina Åkesson, professor of orthopedics.

According to World Health Organization data, more than one billion people live with a mental disorder. Depression alone affects 5.7% of adults. Bipolar disorder affects about 1 in 150 adults (40 million). Against this backdrop, researchers are using large genetic studies to flag who is at higher risk years before the first clinical sign. A recently posted study in the journal Genes outlines how precision medicine—combining genomics with environment and lifestyle—can move care from reaction to prevention.

Flower fertility depends on an exquisite hormonal balance. 

Cucumber fruits vary strikingly—from long, slender East Asian varieties to short, round pickling types—and this diversity underpins their global popularity. 

A team of researchers has successfully generated the first telomere-to-telomere (T2T), gap-free genome of mung bean (Vigna radiata), unveiling how structural variations have influenced its domestication and adaptation. 

A high-quality genome of a clubroot-resistant Chinese cabbage line has revealed the key resistance gene Crr5, offering vital insights into disease defense in Brassica rapa. 

A team of plant scientists has uncovered how a small yet powerful organ—the rootstock cotyledon—governs the success of graft healing in watermelon. 

Using bone‐histology methods typically applied to dinosaurs, researchers found that the endangered Amami rabbit takes approximately five years to reach maturity—about five times longer than closely related rabbits. This extreme growth delay, previously seen only in extinct island mammals, makes this the first known case in a living mammal. The dense, robust bones suggest skeletal adaptation to the island’s steep terrain.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children, often resistant to treatment in advanced cases. Researchers have identified thiostrepton (TST), a ribosome-targeting antibiotic, as a potent inhibitor of RMS progression.