Science · 2026-10-19 · Afternoon briefing

Science briefs: Ovarian aging, microplastics and bee stings

Ovaries continue to function for decades after menopause, according to research in the journal Aging Cell. A study of ovarian tissue from 28 women aged 50 to 75 analyzed nearly 6,000 different protein groups. The findings track how the organs change over decades of post-reproductive life, indicating they are more than simply reproductive organs.

Other recent research focused on health risks from plastics. One study, published in npj Science of Food, found that brewing tea from a bag can expose a person to more than one-fifth of the European Food Safety Authority’s tolerable daily intake for BPA. A separate paper in Nature suggests that even plastics without leached chemical additives could cause health problems.

Meanwhile, the mechanics of a honeybee's sting have been clarified. Using high-speed video analysis, researchers detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences how a detached stinger continues to pump venom into its target long after the bee has flown away.

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• Gut Microbes and the Aging Ovary: Why Probiotic Hype Outpaces the Evidence
• Briefs: Study hints at test for ovarian cancer

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