Latest Releases

Northwestern University scientists have uncovered a hidden molecular “control switch” inside a protein that helps the body sense taste, control blood sugar and defend the gut. The discovery could lead to new drugs that boost insulin release, curb cravings and reduce gut inflammation.

A new survey-based Northwestern University study is the first to break down how frequently and consistently women experience unusual physical and emotional responses during orgasm.

Gestational diabetes rose every single year in the U.S. from 2016 through 2024, according to a new Northwestern Medicine analysis of more than 12 million U.S. births. The condition, which raises health risks for both mother and baby, shot up 36% over the nine-year period (from 58 to 79 cases per 1,000 births) and increased across every racial and ethnic group.

In a landmark effort to understand how the physical structure of our DNA influences human biology, Northwestern investigators and the 4D Nucleome Project have unveiled the most detailed maps to date of the genome’s three‑dimensional organization across time and space, according to a new study published in Nature.

New system successfully transforms simple carbon molecules into acetyl-CoA, a building block of life that can be used to make a variety of materials.

Northwestern University scientists have launched The OD Pulse, a new national, regional and state dashboard designed to track drug overdose deaths between January 1999 to April 2025, with unprecedented timeliness and precision.

Astronomers directly imaged two separate collisions between rocky objects in the Fomalhaut star system.

Scientists tested experimental drug NU-9 in a pre-symptomatic animal model of Alzheimer’s disease. Drug dramatically reduced brain changes that emerge near the disease’s onset.

Northwestern University experts warn the world is entering a destabilizing “post-moderation” era. To confront and analyze the risks this shift poses to democratic societies, the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and the Center for Communication & Public Policy will host Global Disinformation in a Post-Modernation World on Thursday, Jan. 22 and Friday, Jan. 23.

At times, 2025 has felt like a series of sprints in a never-ending news marathon. Amid the deluge of stories coming out of the second Trump administration, the growing presence of AI in nearly every facet of daily life, extreme weather events, global conflicts — to name just a few — it can feel challenging to keep up. Good news: Northwestern researchers have been hard at work bringing new information and discoveries to the fore. Here are a few research highlights over this past year that deserve a second look.