Â鶹ŮÓÅ

The Supreme Court appeared divided on Monday during arguments in a dispute that could determine the fate of thousands of lawsuits that claim a widely used weedkiller causes cancer. The case is the latest turn in a yearslong legal battle over safety concerns with the weedkiller Roundup. Developed by Monsanto in the 1970s, the herbicide is the focus of the lawsuits, which allege that it causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. (VanSickle, 4/27)

Scientists are wary of glyphosate. MAHA loathes it. And our yearlong investigation shows California is spraying it everywhere. (Halverson, 4/27)

First-time seizures were associated with a higher risk of neurologic and non-neurologic cancers within 1 year and beyond, a study of 50,000 patients in Denmark showed. (George, 4/27)

As heart, kidney and metabolic problems progress to more advanced stages, a person's risk of developing several cancers also rises sharply, a new study finds. Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome is a disorder that occurs when heart disease, kidney problems and metabolic issues including obesity and diabetes all happen together, according to the American Heart Association. About one in three U.S. adults have at least three risk factors for CKM syndrome, the AHA says. (Kekatos and Ajumobi, 4/27)

The drugmaker Erasca said Monday that its RAS-targeting pill shrank tumors in 40% of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and 62% of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, results that the company said exceeded its expectations. (Feuerstein, 4/27)

Why are babies born young? The most natural phenomenon on earth is actually hard to explain — at least on a cellular level. Consider this problem: The components of conception are old. When a woman gets pregnant, she has been carrying her egg cells since birth. The sperm that joins with the egg to form a zygote might have been just a few months in the making, but it inherits markers of age from the man who produced it. It only follows that the zygote would also show signs of age — and at first it does. But then a mysterious metamorphosis begins: The cells of the zygote begin to reverse that damage, shaking off the metaphorical dust that the parents accumulated on their DNA. (Dominus, 4/27)

Humans have — presumably — always aspired to living longer, healthier lives. Now that might be more possible than ever before — especially if you have enough money. Think about the Fountain of Youth. Versions of the promise of a life-giving spring date to Ancient Greek philosophers, with variations through the centuries. But the basic concept was: Find the spring, drink its waters, and you’re young and spry again. Today, people seem more inclined than ever to believe there is a path to better health, increased longevity and an improved healthspan — a term from the 1980s meaning that the quality and quantity of life can more closely align. (Sullivan, 4/27)

A case study of an elderly man exposed to dense smoke from a forest fire in China revealed extensive black bronchial casts in both lungs. Bronchial casts are solid branching structures, made of mucus and other materials, that mirror the shape of the airways they block. Xiangdong Mu, MD, of Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, told MedPage Today the presentation was "extremely rare," while also emphasizing the importance of properly assessing patients for such a possibility. (Firth, 4/27)