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Struggling to afford food today could mean heart problems tomorrow. Young adults experiencing food insecurity have a 41% greater risk of developing heart disease in midlife, even after accounting for demographic and socioeconomic factors, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. Food insecurity — struggling to get enough nutritious food to stay healthy — affects one in eight households in the U.S. each year.

When they weave their webs, spiders pull their silk threads. New simulations show stretching during spinning causes the protein chains within the fibers to align and the number of hydrogen bonds between those chains to increase. Both factors increase the silk fibers’ overall strength and toughness. Insights could be applied to designing stronger, tougher synthetic materials.

Northwestern University infectious disease expert Dr. Tina Tan said it’s likely the measles outbreak in West Texas and on the border of New Mexico will continue to spread due to a large unvaccinated population that is highly susceptible to “one of the most contagious viruses.”
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A new Northwestern Medicine study in mice, published today in Science Advances, suggests that muscle injuries heal faster when they occur during the body’s natural waking hours.

Using two species of flies from different climates — one from the cool, high-altitude forests of Northern California, the other hailing from the hot, dry deserts of the Southwest — Northwestern scientists discovered remarkable differences in the way each processes external temperature.

Researchers find iron oxides are incredibly efficient catalysts — capable of converting organic phosphorus into inorganic phosphorus at rates comparable to the reactions of enzymes.

A new Northwestern Medicine study in human clinical-trial brains with Alzheimer's Disease found the brain’s immune cells (called microglia) can not only clear toxic amyloid plaques — they also help restore a healthier brain environment.

EVANSTON, Ill. --- President Donald Trump is expected to proceed with plans to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada set to go into effect Tuesday, according to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Even though there has been much talk, a decision on an exact number — or if it will happen at all — has not been reached.
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A first-of-its-kind study from Northwestern University’s School of Communication, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Wisconsin-Madison reveals a region of the brain, long known for early auditory processing, plays a far greater role in interpreting speech than previously understood.

A platform developed nearly 20 years ago previously used to detect protein interactions with DNA and conduct accurate COVID-19 testing has been repurposed to create a highly sensitive water contamination detection tool.