A recent study suggests that individuals with a rare genetic condition known as growth hormone receptor deficiency (GHRD), also referred to as Laron syndrome, may enjoy certain cardiovascular health benefits. This research, published in the journal Med on April 26, 2024, adds a new layer to our understanding of how genetic mutations can influence overall health, particularly heart health.

After almost a decade of work and an almost detective-like search for cases around the world, an international consortium of doctors and scientists has identified a genetic cause of the most common nervous system malformation in newborns, myelomeningocele. This condition is the most serious form of spina bifida, a set of congenital defects in the nervous system that require surgery and cause lifelong disability.

Biologists have observed a Sumatran male orangutan using the sap and chewed leaves of a medicinal plant to treat an open wound on his face. While there has been previous evidence of self-medication behaviors in animals, it is the first known incident of an animal in the wild treating a wound with...