Difficulty accessing in-person healthcare can limit screening, diagnosis, and treatment for hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Researchers mailed dried blood spot collection kits to participants and compared these self-collected samples to standard clinic blood draws.

Tran, S. S., Vanderhoff, A., Saunthar, A., Crespi, A., Barber, B., Mendlowitz, A. B., Gingras, A. C., Colwill, K., Qi, F., Delgado-Brand, M., Mazzulli, T., Kim, J., Mizdrak, N., Capraru, C., Biondi, M. J., & Feld, J. J. (2026). Feasibility, Accuracy, and Acceptability of Self-Collected Dried Blood Spots for Hepatitis C Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, and SARS-CoV-2 Testing. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 13(10). https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofag645   Mia Biondi

Scientists do not understand how carbon-based molecules form and change within oxygen-rich gas clouds surrounding dying stars. To investigate, researchers used a space telescope to record and compare light patterns emitted across the Butterfly Nebula.

Clark, N., Peeters, E., Cami, J., Matsuura, M., Tielens, A. G. G. M., Kavanagh, P. J., Barlow, M. J., Kastner, J., Kraemer, K. E., Monteiro, H., Sahai, R., Sloan, G. C., Sterling, N. C., Walsh, J. R., Waters, L. B. F. M., Wright, N. J., Aleman, I., Balick, B., Bernard-Salas, J., ... Bhatt, C. (2026). JWST observations of the planetary nebula NGC 6302 IV: PAH spectral characteristics, formation and evolution. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag1992   Jan Cami

Researchers do not know whether formal thought disorder, or disorganized thinking and speech, exists as a distinct condition or on a continuous spectrum. To investigate, researchers evaluated thought and speech patterns across 520 clinical and non-clinical individuals using standardized assessments and statistical models.

Abboud, F., Ahrens, J., Bambini, V., Deakin, B., Harrison, N. A., Kircher, T., Kuperberg, G., Liddle, P. F., Mackinley, M., Rossell, S. L., Singh, K. D., Sommer, I. E., Voppel, A., Zaher, F., & Palaniyappan, L. (2026). Is there a natural boundary for formal thought disorder? Evidence from taxometric analysis. Psychological Medicine, 56. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291726106084   Lena Palaniyappan

Schizophrenia affects how people perceive the world and express their thoughts, yet researchers usually study these symptoms separately. Researchers measured brain activity during sensory and movement tasks to test whether a specific brain signal connects these different areas.

Wei, H. T., Boutet, D., Dou, R., Ahrens, J., Zeramdini, N., Voppel, A., Gonzales-Aste, F., Abboud, F., Baillet, S., & Palaniyappan, L. (2026). Neurophysiological dynamics related to perception, action, and language in schizophrenia. Science Advances, 12(43). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeh5819   Lena Palaniyappan

Thoughts of suicide affect many Canadians, creating a need to understand how community connection and mental health relate to them. Researchers analyzed a national survey of over 8,000 Canadians and compared computer prediction models using this data.

Lee, J. H., Palaniyappan, L., Kim, S. W., Anderson, K. K., Sharma, V., Hall, P., MacDougall, A. G., Elfakhani, M., & Lee, K. (2026). Psychiatric, Sociodemographic, and Community Belonging Correlates of Suicidal Ideation in Canada: Findings from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1177/07067437261500231   Lena Palaniyappan