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EISCAT_3D will paint a new picture of the upper atmosphere as it is roiled by solar outbursts

Going to the cinema, visiting museums, or attending concerts may do more than entertain. Researchers found that older adults who regularly participated in cultural activities tended to have bodies that functioned like those of people about three years younger. They believe stronger social ties, better mental health, and healthier habits could help explain the link, although more research is needed to determine whether cultural activities directly slow aging.

The Atlantic Ocean’s Balerion Lava Field doesn’t fit any established model of volcanic eruptions

A deadly fungus has wiped out amphibian populations around the globe, yet some mysteriously recover. Researchers discovered that survivors develop powerful immune defenses while they are still tadpoles, giving them a head start before the fungus can attack after metamorphosis. The study also uncovered a vast collection of previously unknown antimicrobial peptides that could someday inspire new drugs to fight infections.

“Likweli” find highlights importance of conservation work, researchers say

A new study found that chewing sugary gum after eating nitrate-rich vegetables or drinking beetroot juice helped the body produce more beneficial nitrite, leading to a temporary drop in blood pressure. Researchers hope the discovery will lead to healthier ways to enhance the cardiovascular and performance benefits of dietary nitrate without relying on sugar.

A major review found that people who consumed the most chili peppers had a substantially higher risk of esophageal cancer, though the evidence was less clear for stomach and colorectal cancers. Researchers emphasize that the findings show an association, not proof of cause and effect, and that more research is needed to determine whether moderate consumption carries similar risks.

Inflammasomes, particularly the NLRP3 complex, play a central role in coordinating innate immune activation and neuroinflammatory responses within the cytosol. Persistent or dysregulated nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) activation promotes caspase-1-dependent maturation of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 and triggers gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis, thereby contributing to the pathogenic cascades underlying Alzheimer's disease...

This longitudinal study including four independent cohorts assessed the spatiotemporal dynamics of tau extent and load changes in Alzheimer's disease using tau positron emission tomography data from 2,459 participants, including 898 followed for up to 7 years. Regional standardized uptake value ratios indexed tau load, whereas the spatial extent of tauopathy (SEOT) (proportion of abnormal voxels) measured tau extent. We observed burden-dependent longitudinal dynamics of tau progression: SEOT...

Middle age is emerging as a turning point in brain ageing, prognostic of future cognitive health and amenable to intervention. Metabolic and proteomic differences during this period are not yet fully understood and may potentially influence functions of the hippocampus, a brain area that regulates memory and anxiety. While the gut microbiota is implicated in brain ageing, the relationship between the gut microbiota, the metabolic state, and hippocampal proteome in middle age has not been...

Aging and chronic inflammation alter hematopoiesis, impacting the hematopoietic progenitor populations in the bone marrow. In this issue of Immunity, Yao et al. show that the canonical type 2 cytokine interleukin 4 reverses age-related hematopoietic and physiologic effects by rebalancing progenitor fates.

Inflammasomes, particularly the NLRP3 complex, play a central role in coordinating innate immune activation and neuroinflammatory responses within the cytosol. Persistent or dysregulated nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) activation promotes caspase-1-dependent maturation of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 and triggers gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis, thereby contributing to the pathogenic cascades underlying Alzheimer's disease...

Cellular senescence is a hallmark of aging and a contributing factor to many age-related morbidity and decline. A key characteristic of senescent cells is a pro-inflammatory secretome known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). When tracked in circulation, SASP factors associate with age-related clinical traits and diseases, raising the captivating possibility that the senescence burden, and concomitant susceptibility to age-related morbidity, can be noninvasively assessed in...

The pursuit of high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries demands high-silicon silicon-graphite composite negative electrodes, yet their commercialization remains hindered by interfacial incompatibility and mechanical instability. While an ideal binder must simultaneously achieve robust adhesion to both silicon and graphite, accommodate substantial silicon volume changes, and maintain high binder bulk stability, existing systems fail to harmonize these requirements. Here, we present a molecularly...

Too much or too less lipid deposition increases mortality, while in contrast, modest lipid deposition during aging is crucial for healthspan. How animals determine the aging state and then promote appropriate lipid deposition for lifespan benefits are largely unknown. In this study, we identified citrulline as a key metabolite driving aging-related lipid deposition for healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans. Citrulline deficiency reduced aging-related lipid accumulation and shortened lifespan, an...

The accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in long-lived proteins is a hallmark of mammalian aging and implicated as a driver of metabolic dysfunction. Among these adducts, N^(ε)-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) is particularly abundant in aging tissues, where it modifies proteins and acts as a ligand for the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), thereby perpetuating chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. While endogenous detoxification systems exist for reactive...

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Understanding the consequences of individual DNA methylation variation is crucial for advancing our knowledge of human biology and disease. Yet, the collective impact of individual traits on DNA methylation and their downstream effects on gene expression across human tissues remain poorly understood. Here, we quantify the contributions of sex, age, genetic ancestry, and BMI on autosomal DNA methylation variation across 9 human tissues and 424 individuals from the Genotype-Tissue Expression...

A significant subset of tumors, including >50% of osteosarcomas-an aggressive bone malignancy affecting children, adolescents, and young adults-relies on alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), a telomerase-independent, DNA repair-based mechanism for telomere elongation. The overall 5 year survival rate for osteosarcoma patients is ∼65%, underscoring the need to develop novel targeted therapies. Through the Cancer Dependency Map, we identified SMARCAL1, a DNA translocase previously shown to...

This study applied Ward's hierarchical clustering to detailed neuropsychological data from a community-recruited sample of 180 older adults to identify naturally occurring cognitive subgroups and characterize multidomain cognitive heterogeneity beyond conventional mild cognitive impairment (MCI) criteria. Twenty-two demographically adjusted z-scores spanning memory, language, executive function, and attention/processing speed were submitted to Ward's method, and the resulting four-cluster...