The increasing resistance to antibiotics may not only lead to an increase in deaths but may also surge treatment costs from the current $66 billion per year to $159 billion per year by 2050, according to a study.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria or superbugs, which emerge due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, can increase the number of hospital admissions and lead to longer and more intensive hospital stays. Resistant infections are roughly twice as expensive to treat as those for which antibiotics are effective, posing a significant threat to global health and economic stability. However, its impact would be more pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, noted the study.

The study by the think tank Center for Global Development integrates human health burden projections with economic models to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of AMR on global economies and health systems.

More than a lack of exercise, a higher caloric intake may be the primary driver of obesity worldwide, finds a study.

While many experts have offered that rising obesity rates are due to declining physical activity as societies become more industrialised, the findings led by researchers from Duke University in the US, show that people in wealthier countries expend just as much -- or even more -- energy daily.

“It’s clear that changes in diet, not reduced activity, are the main cause of obesity,” said Herman Pontzer, principal investigator and Professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the varsity.

In an article recently published in the journal PNAS, the researchers analysed thousands of measurements of daily energy expenditure, body fat percentage, and body mass index (BMI) from more than 4,200 adults aged 18 to 60 across 34 populations spanning six continents.

Children who own a smartphone before the age of 13 are more likely to experience poorer mental health and well-being in early adulthood, according to a global study of more than 100,000 young people released on Monday.

The study, published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, found that 18- to 24-year-olds who had received their first smartphone at age 12 or younger were more likely to report suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, poorer emotional regulation, and low self-worth.

Smartphones give early social media access and increase the risks of cyberbullying, disrupted sleep, and poor family relationships by adulthood, the team said.

"Our data indicates that early smartphone ownership -- and the social media access it often brings -- is linked with a profound shift in mental health and well-being in early adulthood," said lead author neuroscientist Dr. Tara Thiagarajan, the founder and Chief Scientist of US-based Sapien Labs.

As Chennai braces for the peak dengue season, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has intensified vector control and source reduction measures across the city following a sharp rise in dengue cases this year.

From January to July 8, 2025, the city recorded 522 cases -- up from 381 during the same period in 2024.

The civic body’s vector control department has ramped up efforts, especially in high-incidence zones.

Adyar emerged as the worst-affected area this year, reporting 111 cases, followed by Shollinganallur with 63.

In June alone, over 23 tonnes of waste, including 2,690 kg of used tyres and 20,455 kg of water-holding containers like broken pots and drums, were cleared citywide to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are rising at alarming rates worldwide in adults younger than 50 years, according to two studies.

The first study, published in JAMA, showed that the surging cancer cases go beyond colorectal, and include gastric, oesophageal, and pancreatic.

"Colorectal cancer is the most common early-onset GI cancer worldwide, accounting for more than half of the cases, but it is not the only GI cancer that is rising in younger adults. Unfortunately, pancreatic, gastric, and oesophageal cancers are also increasing in young people," said Dr. Kimmie Ng, from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the US.

"The rising incidence of early-onset GI cancers is alarming and underscores the need for enhanced prevention strategies and early detection methods," Ng added.

As more laboratory-confirmed mpox cases continue to be detected in South Africa, the National Department of Health has announced plans to commence vaccination to curb the spread of the disease.

"Vaccination helps control the spread of this preventable and manageable disease, with vaccinated individuals being protected from infection and from developing severe complications," Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale said on Wednesday.

Following the recent detection of two new cases in the Western Cape and Gauteng, the department said the mpox vaccine would be made available in the three most affected provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal.

Environmental factors such as the temperature, the water level in lakes and ponds in winter, and the presence of mute swans (Cygnus olor) could be key reasons that predict the potential of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu (HPAI) occurring in Europe, according to a study.

The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, are derived from a machine learning model trained on the characteristics of 21st-century European HPAI outbreaks and could help improve future monitoring programmes.

The model showed that the coldest recorded temperature in autumn had the greatest effect on the likelihood of an outbreak occurring.

However, the actual effect varied considerably by region. In some areas, warmer minimum temperatures were associated with a higher likelihood of an outbreak; while in others, they were associated with a lower likelihood.

Scientists have identified a key gene essential for vitamin D absorption, which may also boost treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

The gene, called SDR42E1, is crucial for taking up vitamin D from the gut and further metabolising it -- a discovery with many possible applications in precision medicine, including cancer therapy.

"Here we show that blocking or inhibiting SDR42E1 may selectively stop the growth of cancer cells,” said Dr Georges Nemer, Professor at the University of College of Health and Life Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.

Previous research showed that a specific mutation in the SDR42E1 gene on chromosome 16 is associated with vitamin D deficiency.

In a remarkable breakthrough, scientists in the UK used a three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF) technique to bring to life eight children and spared them from genetic mitochondrial disease.

The infants -- four girls and four boys, including one set of identical twins -- were born using DNA from three people.

The babies were born to seven women at high risk of transmitting serious disease caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA, said the researchers from Newcastle University in the UK.

“All babies were healthy at birth, meeting their developmental milestones, and the mother’s disease-causing mitochondrial DNA mutations were either undetectable or present at levels that are very unlikely to cause disease,” the researchers said.

Diarrhea has claimed four lives in just eight days in Bedia, a tribal-dominated village in the Jarmundi block of Jharkhand’s Dumka district.

Several other residents have taken ill, prompting urgent medical intervention from the district administration.

The medical crisis came to light after former state minister and senior Congress leader Badal Patralekh informed Dumka Deputy Commissioner and Jharkhand Health Minister Dr Irfan Ansari about the outbreak and the rising number of fatalities on Thursday.

The first casualty was Sangeeta Marandi, who died on July 7, followed by her son Arvind Soren on July 10. On Thursday, July 17, two more deaths were reported -- Lakhiram’s wife and Bablu Kisko.

Taking cognisance of the situation, Dr Ansari immediately directed the Deputy Commissioner and Civil Surgeon to rush a medical team to the village with life-saving medicines and essential supplies.