Today’s r/science lineup spotlighted three intertwined fronts: microbes and materials reshaping cancer care, the gut-brain-behavior nexus in mental health, and evidence that challenges how society perceives itself. The conversations were punchy, data-driven, and eager to separate signal from noise.
Microbes and materials are reimagining cancer therapy
A standout was the report on a frog gut bacterium eliminating cancer tumors in mice, which described Ewingella americana’s single-dose eradication and lasting protection. In parallel, early clinical work on a personalized, biomaterial-based cancer vaccine demonstrated feasibility, safety, and immune activation, while case reports added a provocative note with cannabis oil associated with tumor regression in advanced liver cancer.
"Japan is killing it on scientific discoveries lately..." - u/TheHumanoidTyphoon69 (5439 points)
Across these threads, the immune system is the common denominator—whether bacteria prime it, biomaterials orchestrate it, or cannabinoids potentially modulate it. The evidence tiers differ dramatically, though: mouse results and case reports invite cautious curiosity, while the vaccine’s first-in-human signal points toward combinations with checkpoint inhibitors to translate immune activation into durable clinical benefit.
The gut-brain-behavior map comes into focus
Fresh findings suggested the biological footprint of adolescent social anxiety may partly reside in the gut, echoing a decade-long shift toward microbiome-informed psychiatry. Complementing that, a systematic review highlighted that 83% of autistic children and adolescents face life-disruptive sleep disorders, and behavioral science chimed in with an analysis indicating that cheaters’ thought processes resemble those of criminals, from calculated risk management to guilt-ameliorating justifications.
"With all this gut bacteria research that has come out in the decade or so, I’m starting to think we are just puppets for them." - u/Cararacs (574 points)
Taken together, these studies argue for multidimensional care—addressing sleep to potentially ease autistic symptom severity, probing gut-brain pathways in adolescent anxiety, and recognizing cognitive patterns that drive harmful behavior. The community’s responses also flagged likely comorbidities and the need for robust, longitudinal designs to untangle causality from correlation.
Perception, narrative, and the discipline of evidence
One social-science thread argued that a loud minority makes the internet seem more toxic than it is, skewing how Americans view one another online. In parallel, researchers mapped how members of the 117th US Congress framed mass shootings on social media, revealing consistent partisan patterns that shape public discourse around guns, victims, and policy.
"Most people don't comment at all. Vocal minorities control Internet culture." - u/VideoPup (558 points)
The day also underscored the value of publishing negative results, as a randomized trial found that valacyclovir worsened cognitive decline in early Alzheimer’s compared to placebo—a necessary correction in the scientific record. And curiosity stayed alive with a striking natural history update: the discovery of bees nesting in fossil bones in a Caribbean cave, a reminder that evidence can upend assumptions not just about society, but about nature itself.