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Scientists have figured out how two famously poisonous plants create chemicals with surprising medical potential. After tracking thousands of genes in wolfsbane and larkspur, they identified six enzymes needed to build a complex compound called atisinium. The team recreated the process inside tobacco plants, offering a sustainable way to produce and test these rare molecules in larger amounts.

A protein once thought to mainly protect chromosome ends may also be essential for keeping muscle stem cells ready to repair injuries. Researchers found that TRF2 helps these cells maintain their identity and coordinate the cycle of rest, repair, and renewal.

The first transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) developed in the 1990 s were hailed as a major breakthrough. As newer generations of models have emerged over the decades after, they still face growing criticism for translating poorly into clinical outcomes, even if the effects of newer therapeutic compounds, including monoclonal antibodies, align well with those seen in mice. Like any disease model, AD mice have substantial limitations. The real issue is that they are often treated...

Brain aging represents a critical risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive decline, yet the measurement of biological brain age remains challenging. Brain aging clocks, which quantify the discrepancy between predicted brain age and chronological age, have emerged as powerful tools for assessing brain health and predicting disease outcomes. Recent advances have transformed these clocks from simple global metrics to sophisticated, multi-modal approaches that capture regional...

Global population aging challenges acute, disease-centric healthcare models and highlights the need for functional markers of aging. The World Health Organization's intrinsic capacity (IC) framework, encompassing cognition, vitality, locomotion, psychological well-being, and sensory function, provides a multidimensional measure of functional reserve. However, most longitudinal studies have collapsed IC into a single score, limiting insight into domain-specific trajectories and...

Skeletal muscle aging is associated with increased lipid accumulation, or myosteatosis, leading to lipotoxicity and loss of muscle function. Here, we report that loss of the lactate receptor GPR81 in cellular and progeroid models of muscle aging is associated with impaired lipid oxidation and enhanced lipid accumulation. Knockdown of GPR81 in young healthy myoblasts led to an increase in senescence hallmarks such as DNA damage, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), impaired...

A surprisingly small dose of exercise may deliver major health benefits for adults carrying excess fat around the waist. In a four-month trial involving 315 adults with central obesity, researchers found that completing 75 minutes of brisk interval walking in a single weekly session reduced body fat, trimmed waistlines, and improved cardiovascular fitness about as effectively as splitting the same exercise across three days.

A sweeping review of more than 350 studies suggests that the protein boom may be overselling what many people actually need. Eating less protein appears to improve metabolism, reduce inflammation and cellular damage, and activate pathways linked to healthier aging and longer life.