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Senescence is a double-edged sword in cancer therapy, capable of driving tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressive responses. In this issue of Nature Aging, González-Gualda, Reinius and colleagues identify activation of TGFβ signaling as the key protumorigenic activity and a viable therapeutic target within the senescence program triggered by platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian and lung cancers.

González-Gualda, Reinius et al. demonstrate that platinum-based chemotherapy-induced senescence promotes malignancy in ovarian and lung cancer via TGFβ ligands, with evidence in mouse models validated in clinical samples. Concomitantly blocking TGFβ signaling with chemotherapy reduces tumor burden and increases survival in mice.

This study shows that many small RNAs in Capsella rubella pollen originate from maternal tissues. These mobile small RNAs support proper pollen development, revealing that non-cell-autonomous small RNAs are crucial for successful plant reproduction.

By combining satellite observations with ground-based data and expert validation, this analysis demonstrates considerable misestimation of grassland extent and thereby carbon stock estimates in previous global assessments based on remote sensing.

Identifying jets originating from heavy quarks plays a fundamental role in hadronic collider experiments. In this work, the ATLAS Collaboration describes and tests a transformer-based neural network architecture for jet flavour tagging based on low-level input and physics-inspired constraints.

The authors present the results of a phase I/II clinical trial using autologous CD133+ bone marrow stem cell therapy to restore fertility in patients with Asherman Syndrome. The intervention was safe and showed promising results for the restoration of menstruation and reproductive function.

Organisms vary in their nitrogen and phosphorus content, shaping ecological and evolutionary processes. This study shows that nitrogen deposition is a consistent global factor associated with plant and animal stoichiometry.

Polyamines prevent the action of kinases on acidic phosphorylatable motifs in spliceosomal proteins, thus providing a mechanism for metabolite-mediated regulation of alternative splicing in cells.

Researchers studied the blood-based metabolome of over 23,000 people from ten ethnically diverse cohorts. They identified 235 metabolites associated with future risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). By integrating genetic and modifiable lifestyle factors, their findings provide insights into T2D mechanisms and could improve risk prediction and inform precision prevention.

How landscapes are arranged affects soil pathogenic fungi worldwide. The authors reveal the global pattern and pronounced scale-dependency of landscape complexity and land-cover quantity on soil pathogenic fungal diversity.

The combination of JWST and ALMA data here unravel the history of the gas content of a quiescent galaxy, which became quenched through an act of self-sabotage. Black-hole accretion feedback heated the galaxy’s surrounding material, preventing its accretion.

The advantage of living in cities compared with rural areas with respect to height and BMI in children and adolescents has generally become smaller globally from 1990 to 2020, except in sub-Saharan Africa.

Variants in the PSMC5 gene impair proteasome function and cellular homeostasis, altering brain development in children. This study reveals underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to this neurodevelopmental phenotype, and suggests therapeutic leads for neurodevelopmental proteasomopathies.

The effects of current protected areas on freshwater biodiversity are poorly understood. Here, the authors show that European protected areas have overall limited influence on changes in river biodiversity, underscoring the urgent need for improved effectiveness.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy declines with age in skeletal muscle of humans and mice, leading to muscle dysfunction characterized by impaired calcium homoeostasis and mitochondrial function.

By incorporating spatial and social networks, this study captures the real-world spread of electric vehicle adoption across communities more accurately and highlights the substantial uncertainties in long-term adoption forecasts.

Replication fork plasticity upon genotoxic stress is modulated by nuclear architectural components by elusive mechanisms. Here the authors implicate Lamin A/C – best known for its structural support of nuclear periphery – in the control of replication fork restart throughout the nucleus, by supporting heterochromatin establishment and ADP ribosylation levels at replication factories.

The ambiphilic reactivity of alkyl sulfonyl fluorides in stereoselective cyclopropanation under Pd(II) catalysis is reported. The method provides convenient access to cis-disubstituted cyclopropanes that are otherwise challenging to access. A representative carboxylic acid cyclopropane building block is scaled up to 100 mmol, demonstrating the practicality of this transformation.

Kidney organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells are infused in a normothermic machine perfusion system to condition explanted porcine kidneys, and the feasibility and viability of their in vivo engraftment are demonstrated.

Gap junction channels formed by Cx32 enable intercellular communication, and their disruption causes CMT1X disease. Here, authors use cryo-EM and molecular dynamics simulations to show how specific lipids and sterols may directly control Cx32 channel gating

Hiʻiaka is the largest moon of the distant dwarf planet Haumea. Here, the authors report the first multi-chord stellar occultations of Hiʻiaka, revealing its size, shape, and density, suggesting an origin from Haumea’s icy mantle.

Early- and late-onset preeclampsia pose serious maternal-fetal risks, yet non-invasive early prediction remains challenging. Here, the authors show that cfRNA signatures reveal distinct decidual and multiorgan signals, enabling accurate, externally validated prediction of both subtypes.

Metagenomes from prairie soils in Kansas, USA, show how historical exposure to water stress impacts soil microorganisms and subsequently drought responses in plants.

Klose and colleagues show that the neuropeptide vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) acts on LGR5⁺ epithelial stem cells in the gut to restrain their proliferation and differentiation to secretory cell types. This VIP–VIPR1 interaction acts to limit type 2 immune responses.

Termites, the largest lineage of non-hymenopteran social insects, are important decomposers of plant organic matter in the tropics. Here, the authors sequence the genomes of 45 termites and two cockroach outgroups and investigate the influence of diet on the evolution of termite genomes.

The authors observe shot noise orders of magnitude greater than expected in superconductor/insulator/ferromagnet (V/MgO/Fe) junctions. They argue that the origin involves orbital-symmetry-controlled superconducting proximity effect and spin-triplet superconductivity in the Fe.

This study reveals the atomic structure of RIPK1 fibrils, a type of physiological amyloid that helps control inflammation and regulated cell death in human cells.

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is characterized by EWSR1/ETS gene rearrangements with unknown cellular origin. Here, authors show that expressing the EWS::FLI1 oncogene in human embryonic mesenchymal stem cells induces an Ewing sarcoma-like transcriptome and forms tumors in mice.

Imidazole propionate produced by gut microbiota is associated with atherosclerosis in mouse models and in humans, and causes the development of atherosclerosis through activation of the imidazoline-1 receptor in myeloid cells.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias identifies new loci and enables generation of a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Here the authors identify PCNA, a master regulator of DNA replication, as a ubiquitin substrate for the BRCA1/BARD1 heterodimer. This modification is crucial to avoid the appearance of unreplicated DNA gaps in the genome after replication.

The joint analysis of datasets from NOvA and T2K, the two currently operating long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, provides new constraints related to neutrino masses and fundamental symmetries.

Horses have lived in Iberia since the Ice Age. Using ancient genomes to study their history, Lira Garrido et al. reveal a local wild lineage lasting until Late Iron Age, and highlight the far-reaching influence of Iberian bloodlines across Europe and north Africa during the Iron Age and beyond.

Analysis of 2,170 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Spain provides insights into transmission patterns and the effects of lockdown on the emergence of new variants.

Dormant metastases can lead to tumor relapse after many years by successfully escaping immune surveillance. A new study identifies an atypical epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition state that presents low stiffness mediated by actin depolymerization, which prevents immune cell-mediated killing of dormant metastatic lung adenocarcinoma.

Creative experiences such as dance, music, drawing, and strategy video games might preserve brain health. The authors show that regular practice or short training in these activities is linked to brains that look younger and work more efficiently.

This study shows that combining land- and ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal methods does not compromise their effectiveness. This offers flexibility in designing diverse, sustainable mitigation strategies, reducing pressure on land systems.

Known genetic loci account for only a fraction of the genetic contribution to Alzheimer’s disease. Here, the authors have performed a large genome-wide meta-analysis comprising 409,435 individuals to discover 6 new loci and demonstrate the efficacy of an Alzheimer’s disease polygenic risk score.

Doping carbon nanomaterials with heteroatoms is the most common way to change their catalytic activity. Here, the authors show that the catalytic properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes can be modified by non-covalently encapsulating them within electron-accepting or electron-donating macrocycles to form rotaxane-like structures.