Welcome to eLife Magazine Highlights – a fortnightly newsletter featuring some of the latest content published in our magazine. In today’s newsletter, read about the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s disease, the assembly of the herpes virus, and mobilizing energy in embryos. Plus, two researchers discuss how to transform academia so scientists are empowered to act against climate change.
— Elsa Loissel, Associate Features Editor
In some patients with Alzheimer’s disease, a type of genetic change known as a somatic mutation could lead to microglial cells damaging the brain. Credit: Rocio Vicario and Frederic Geissmann (CC BY 4.0)
Hydras are tiny freshwater creatures in which certain tumors can be transmitted from one generation to the next. This study provides the first evidence that these abnormal cell growths improve the survival of their hosts by actively reshaping their bodies.
Microglia help repair the brain and protect it against infection. Now, new results show that non-inherited genetic changes in these cells could contribute to Alzheimer’s disease in certain patients.
Mycobacteria, such as the pathogens responsible for tuberculosis and leprosy, grow remarkably well in resource-poor environments. In this Insight article, Stephanie Stuteley and Ghader Bashiri discuss a recent eLife article that reveals the missing link in the metabolic chain that allows these microorganisms to use ethanol as fuel.
Good sleep, a balanced diet, regular exercise, no smoking and limited drinking: we all know that these lifestyle choices are good for our health, but how do they actually impact biological aging? A large-scale longitudinal study helps pinpoint which of these factors makes the biggest difference.
The energy reserves present in an egg cell must be mobilized at exactly the right time after fertilization for early development to unfold as it should. Now, using live imaging techniques, researchers have discovered giant multi-organelle structures that may have a role in this process. You can also read an Insight article by Deepak Adhikari and John Carroll about this work.
Exactly how the virus responsible for cold sores comes together within a cell has remained difficult to study. Research recently published in eLife demonstrates how to elegantly combine two powerful imaging techniques to track this process in live cells. Insight author Dawid Zyla reflects on the importance of this work, and how it highlights the role of specific proteins in viral assembly.
What stops scientists from leading the response to crises such as climate change and biodiversity loss? In 2023, an eLife article by Anne Urai and Clare Kelly addressed this question and proposed seven principles to reshape academic practice so it could better foster climate action. In this follow-up interview, Urai and Kelly discuss various workshops that have been held to take forward their ideas, the steps that academics can take to respond to ongoing crises, and their new preprint.
Countless promising lines of research into much-needed treatments end up being curtailed when scientists run out of money to support their work. In this article for The Guardian, Alexander Masters explores a radical proposal: relying on wealthy individuals with a personal stake in these cures to fill the funding gaps.
Share your thoughts on our newsletter by contacting features@elifesciences.org
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd is a limited liability non-profit non-stock corporation incorporated in the State of Delaware, USA, with company number 5030732, and is registered in the UK with company number FC030576 and branch number BR015634 at the address
.png?upscale=true&width=1140&upscale=true&name=Newsletter_headerMagazine_8596f4d566147b6ad1f5b0cced94bd8b%20(1).png)
