In a step forward for patient-centered cancer research, a new pilot project reveals that 84% of participants had a positive experience using a newly developed online tool created by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology called the Participant Engagement Portal (PEP). Alliance created PEP to foster direct connection between cancer researchers and the individuals who volunteer for clinical studies. The goal was to make it easier for patients and clinicians to share information, deliver trial updates, and self-report on social risk factors. The results of this national project are published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum.  

A Virginia Tech study found that the female brain forms fear memories using a molecular process not seen in the male brain. The findings suggest that treatments for PTSD may need to be tailored differently for men and women, said the study’s lead researcher, Timothy Jarome, an associate professor of neurobiology in the School of Animal Sciences located within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

A research and scientific dissemination project by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), carried out with the support of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) and in collaboration with the Leganés City Council, uses surveys conducted by high school students, interviews with experts, and historical documentation to analyze how the municipality transitioned from being an agricultural and neighborhood-oriented environment to a city dominated by large commercial areas and housing. Furthermore, the report reveals a loss of youth leisure spaces and local retail networks, which have been replaced in recent decades by supermarkets and real estate developments.

Researchers characterized the oral microbiomes of the Japanese population across time by analyzing the DNA preserved in dental calculus of human skeletal remains. The researchers compared microbial composition in dental calculus primarily from Edo-period individuals with that of modern dental calculus, and identified differences associated with time period, region, and the phylogeny of several oral bacterial species. The findings show that dental calculus can provide new avenues for examining human history and the relationships between humans and microorganisms.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary amid deep political division, a major new bipartisan report from the State of the Nation Project asks a fundamental question: How are we really doing as a country? The first-of-its-kind State of the States report analyzes more than three decades of data and 4,000 indicators across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., ranking states on 31 measures of well-being, trust, education, health, inequality, the economy and more. The findings point to an increasingly unhappy nation: Despite sharp political divides, red and blue states are facing many of the same struggles, including worsening mental health, declining trust, rising social isolation and falling life satisfaction. No state is improving on eight key measures, including life satisfaction, adult and youth depression, fatal overdoses, trust in the federal government, income inequality, long-term unemployment and hourly earnings growth.

The June 2026 National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report reveals a large increase in job seeking among people with disabilities, signaling that more individuals are entering the labor force as economic pressure intensifies