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The flesh eating New World screwworm has returned to the United States, threatening livestock, wildlife, pets and potentially people as it spreads north. A new UC San Diego tracking system aims to predict where the parasite could strike next while officials revive the eradication strategy that defeated it decades ago.

Among the more than 90 identified genetic risk loci for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias, the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene ɛ2/ɛ3/ɛ4 polymorphisms remain the longstanding benchmark for genetic disease risk with a consistently large effect across studies^(1-10). Despite this massive signal, the exact mechanisms by which ɛ4 increases and ɛ2 decreases dementia risk remain poorly understood. Notably, recent trials of anti-amyloid therapies suggest less efficacy and higher...

Understanding the molecular basis of neurodegeneration requires a comprehensive map of the genome's protein-coding output. Although thousands of small open reading frames (ORFs) are translated in the human brain, proteomic evidence for their encoded microproteins (MPs) (≤150 amino acids (aa)) remains limited. Here, we present a brain MP atlas that integrates transcriptomics, mass spectrometry and deep-learning-predicted spectra across more than 600 postmortem frontal cortex samples with and...

Understanding the molecular basis of neurodegeneration requires a comprehensive map of the genome's protein-coding output. Although thousands of small open reading frames (ORFs) are translated in the human brain, proteomic evidence for their encoded microproteins (MPs) (≤150 amino acids (aa)) remains limited. Here, we present a brain MP atlas that integrates transcriptomics, mass spectrometry and deep-learning-predicted spectra across more than 600 postmortem frontal cortex samples with and...

Somatic mosaicism is increasingly recognized as a pervasive feature of the human brain and a potential contributor to neurological disease across the lifespan. Unlike germline variants, somatic variants arise post-zygotically and are unevenly distributed across regions, cell types and even individual neurons, enabling focal biological effects that can scale to network-level dysfunction. In this Review, we synthesize current evidence that developmental timing, clonal architecture and...

Sleep is increasingly recognised as a potentially modifiable factor in cognitive ageing, but evidence is often limited by cross-sectional designs, single sleep measures and global cognitive outcomes. This study examined whether multiple sleep characteristics (device-based and self-report) were associated with domain-specific cognitive function across repeated observations in community-dwelling adults aged 55 years and older. Adults aged ≥ 55 years were assessed at three time points over 2 years...

Tobacco smoking is a critical modifiable risk factor for age-related diseases and mortality. Although smoking cessation is known to improve health outcomes, whether smoking-induced biological aging is reversible upon cessation remains unclear. We investigated the associations of smoking status and cessation duration with epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) using multi-generational DNA methylation clocks. We analyzed data from 1,911 adults aged 50-84 years in the National Health and Nutrition...

Chronic occupational stress is increasingly recognized as a modifiable accelerator of biological aging, yet it remains underappreciated as a target of geroscience-informed public health intervention. This review reframes workplace stress as a life-course determinant of aging trajectories and introduces a translational framework that positions occupational environments as platforms for promoting healthy aging. Drawing on insights from the Semmelweis Study, a large longitudinal occupational...

A major analysis of 139 clinical trials involving nearly 10,000 people suggests that some of the simplest treatments may work best for knee osteoarthritis. Knee braces ranked highest overall for reducing pain, stiffness, and mobility problems, while water-based therapy was especially effective for pain and regular exercise consistently improved both pain and physical function. More high-tech approaches, including ultrasound, generally performed worse.

A newly discovered communication system in the microscopic “antennae” of cells may help explain how some congenital heart defects develop. When genetic mutations disrupt this system, the effects may extend beyond the heart to organs including the brain, kidneys, and skeleton.

Ancient DNA reveals that plague was already killing hunter-gatherers in Siberia 5,500 years ago, long before cities and flea-driven epidemics. The prehistoric strains may have been especially dangerous because they carried a genetic factor capable of provoking severe immune reactions.

Cancer rates are rising in adults under 55, and new research suggests accelerated biological aging may be one piece of the puzzle. Scientists found that people from more recent generations tended to have bodies that appeared biologically older than those of earlier generations at the same chronological age. Greater biological age acceleration was linked to a higher risk of early onset cancers, with specific patterns seen for lung, gastrointestinal, uterine and colorectal cancers.

Scientists have discovered that the brain’s short-range wiring may help protect cognition even as gray matter shrinks with age. Healthier connections just beneath the brain’s surface were linked to better language skills and appeared to weaken the impact of gray matter loss.

A wearable device has revealed nighttime hormone surges that may expose a frequently missed cause of high blood pressure. The discovery could help explain why primary aldosteronism often escapes standard blood tests and point toward a more accurate way to diagnose it.