Health - Thursday, May 14, 2026

The Supreme Court on Thursday preserved women’s access to the abortion drug mifepristone, rejecting lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues.

This week's episode of “The Readout LOUD” is all about health politics, including Marty Makary's departure as FDA commissioner. Listen now.

A daily multivitamin may help slow biological aging, according to researchers studying older adults in a large clinical trial. After two years, participants taking multivitamins showed slower aging in several DNA-based “epigenetic clocks,” with the effect equal to about four months less biological aging. People who started out biologically older than their actual age appeared to benefit the most. The findings hint that a simple supplement could play a role in healthier aging.

Our global health reporter, Apoorva Mandavilli, explains that there is no indication the hantavirus outbreak could turn into a pandemic — but also that the public might not be getting all of the details.

Read Executive Editor Rick Berke's letter to STAT readers on "The Deadliest Drug," a new investigative series into the country's failure to address excessive alcohol use.

The CDC intends to transfer more than 160 macaques to Born Free USA, a nonprofit that runs a large primate sanctuary in Texas, as the agency seeks to phase out…

Marty Makary is out, and the Trump administration has a long wish list for its next FDA commissioner.

At MIT, research has shrunk 10% from a year ago, and the school expects a persistent drop in graduate admissions.

Scientists analyzing the genomes of thousands of people across Japan discovered evidence for a previously overlooked third ancestral group, challenging the long-accepted “dual origins” theory. The newly identified ancestry appears linked to the ancient Emishi people of northeastern Japan. Researchers also uncovered inherited Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA connected to conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

UC Davis researchers created brand-new psychedelic-like compounds by shining UV light on amino acid-based molecules. These compounds activated key serotonin receptors tied to brain plasticity and mental health benefits, but surprisingly did not cause hallucination-like behavior in animal tests. Scientists say the discovery could lead to future treatments for depression, PTSD, and addiction without the intense psychedelic experience.