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For decades, scientists have known that mitochondria, which produce energy inside our cells, malfunction in Parkinson's disease. But a critical question remained: do the failing mitochondria cause Parkinson's, or do they become damaged when brain cells die during the course of disease? Many studies have sought to answer this question over the years. Yet, progress has been slow—in large part due to the limitations of animal models used to research this highly complex disease. (Williams, 11/17)

Rita Orr lives in the skilled nursing wing at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing in Springfield, Mass. She can walk around the facility as much or as little as she likes — including going outside. Which is fine with her daughter, Janice Rogers. "She sees freedom, but she's OK," Rogers says. "To have a locked door? That wouldn't go well with her." (Milne-Tyte, 11/17)

While the average age for being diagnosed with heart disease in the United States is typically in the mid-60s for men and early 70s for women, the factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and bad cholesterol levels, can start years, sometimes decades, earlier. A new online heart risk calculator could help younger adults learn whether they're likely to develop heart disease, as much as 30 years in the future, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on Monday. (Sudhakar, 11/17)

Researchers at Indiana University have announced that they developed a molecular test that can simultaneously detect three major disease-causing fungi much faster than traditional methods, speeding treatment. The research was presented at the recent Association for Molecular Pathology 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo in Boston. (Van Beusekom, 11/17)

Dermatologists have criticised an actor’s new skincare brand, calling it “dystopian” for creating face masks for four-year-olds, warning that the beauty industry is now expanding its reach from teenagers to toddlers. It comes as a growing number of brands are moving into the children’s, teenage and young adult skincare market. In October, the first skincare brand developed for under-14s, Ever-eden, launched in the US. Superdrug has just created a range for those aged between 13 and 28. (Marsh, 11/16)

Lead is an essential element in car batteries. But mining and processing it is expensive. So companies have turned to recycling as a cheaper, seemingly sustainable source of this hazardous metal. As the United States tightened regulations on lead processing to protect Americans over the past three decades, finding domestic lead became a challenge. So the auto industry looked overseas to supplement its supply. In doing so, car and battery manufacturers pushed the health consequences of lead recycling onto countries where enforcement is lax, testing is rare and workers are desperate for jobs. (Goodman, Fitzgibbon and Granados, 11/18)