Between Saturdays
This week: what Alzheimer’s research finally got right, how stress leaves a mark on your hair, why dads doing dishes matters more than we think, and what cutting boards can teach us about cleanliness.
Science doesn’t always move in straight lines. Sometimes, progress looks like a loop—old ideas revisited, new patterns revealed. A diabetes drug might help memory. A dad washing dishes might raise a future scientist. A wooden cutting board might outsmart plastic. And a single week of research can make us rethink what we thought was obvious.
Let’s get into it.
Caught My Eye…
A new kind of hope in Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s research is finally moving past the amyloid-only model. A recent article in Medscape (July 3, 2025) outlines a wave of new clinical trials—182 in total—testing 138 different drugs across multiple approaches. It’s a hopeful shift after years of slow progress. While the anti-amyloid theory hasn’t been abandoned, researchers are now expanding their attention toward tau pathology, inflammation, and neuroprotection.
Among the most promising candidates:
Semaglutide, originally a diabetes and weight loss drug, is now in phase 3 trials for Alzheimer’s-related cognitive decline.
Xanomeline + Trospium, a drug combo targeting Alzheimer’s psychosis—a symptom without any current FDA-approved treatment.
BIIB080, which reduces tau accumulation in early-stage data.
Trontinemab, using a “brain shuttle” to cross the blood-brain barrier more efficiently than previous amyloid drugs.
The FDA is also granting fast-track designations to several of these, potentially accelerating the timeline for public access. We don’t have a cure yet, but for the first time in a long while, the landscape feels expansive.
Stress turns hair gray. And it’s not just in your head.
The idea that stress causes gray hair has long been dismissed as an old wives’ tale—but researchers at Harvard say it’s biologically true. A study published in Nature shows that stress triggers the fight-or-flight response, flooding the body with norepinephrine.
This surge of norepinephrine causes melanocyte stem cells (the ones that give your hair color) to rapidly activate and leave their safe home in the follicle. Once they’re gone, they don’t regenerate—meaning no more pigment. In other words, one high-stress episode can potentially gray a strand permanently.
The graying isn’t reversible—but it’s a compelling reminder that the body keeps score. Chronic stress doesn’t just weigh us down emotionally—it leaves visible, lasting markers on our physical appearance.
When dads do dishes, daughters dream bigger
One of the most quietly powerful studies I’ve come across is from Psychological Science: Fathers who regularly help with household chores are more likely to raise daughters who aspire to high-powered, non-traditional careers.
Even when both parents said they believed in gender equality, daughters’ ambitions aligned more closely with what the father did, not what he said. The strongest predictor of whether a daughter wanted to be a doctor or CEO (vs. a teacher or stay-at-home mom) was how much her dad participated in domestic work.
It’s a particularly important finding for traditional households. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself helped at home—mending clothes, cleaning, serving his family. That wasn’t just humility—it was prophetic leadership. This study backs up what Islam has long taught: When fathers model equity, children—especially girls—carry that example into the wider world.
Why wood beats plastic in the kitchen
Here’s a practical one that made me rethink my own kitchen tools. Several studies now suggest that wooden cutting boards may be safer than plastic ones when it comes to bacteria.
Hardwoods like maple or walnut are naturally antimicrobial. In fact, more than 99% of bacteria die within 3 minutes on a clean wooden board. The porous surface traps bacteria, which die off as the wood dries.
Plastic, on the other hand, gets scarred easily by knives. Those grooves trap bacteria—and since plastic isn’t antimicrobial, the germs often survive, even after washing.
The takeaway: Wooden boards aren’t just aesthetic—they may actively reduce your risk of foodborne illness, especially when properly cleaned and maintained. (And yes, that includes sanitizing after raw meat.)
Until next Saturday,
Summaya
Detailed Readings
New Trials, New Targets: New Hope for Alzheimer’s