How can we make our homes more energy-efficient and resilient to renewable energy fluctuations? A new study in Engineering presents a smart control framework for residential energy systems, combining advanced prediction and flexible control to optimize energy use and reduce costs. Discover how this innovative approach could transform home energy management.

Looking for ways to make construction greener? A new study explores how recycled concrete and carbonation technology can reduce CO₂ emissions. Discover the smart strategies to boost the eco-friendly benefits of recycled aggregate concrete and make buildings more sustainable.

Looking to build stronger, more durable structures? A new review in Engineering explores how to fine-tune the flow properties of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) for applications like 3D printing and self-consolidating mixes. Discover the science behind making UHPC work better!

Increased chromosomal instability impairs oocyte quality, contributing to female reproductive aging. The telomeric DNA damage response (DDR) is essential for genomic stability. Although telomeric DDR has been extensively studied in somatic cells, its role in oocyte aging remains unclear.

A small-molecule compound named TAC has been identified that reawakens the catalytic subunit of telomerase (TERT) in somatic cells and, in doing so, stalls multiple hallmarks of natural aging without provoking cancer. Administered intraperitoneally to middle-aged mice, the 400 Da lipophilic agent crosses the blood–brain barrier, elevates TERT transcription within brain, heart and skeletal muscle, and lengthens telomeres while suppressing DNA damage foci. Over a six-month regimen it improved hippocampal neurogenesis, reversed neuromuscular decline and enhanced cognition; mechanistically, these gains trace to a MEK/ERK/FOS/AP-1 signalling cascade that drives TERT expression and, in turn, epigenetically silences p16^INK4a^ via DNMT3b-mediated promoter hypermethylation. Concomitantly, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (IL-1β, IL-6, MMP-3, VEGF) is down-regulated, systemic low-grade inflammation subsides and no neoplastic lesions appear.

Rheumatoid arthritis has traditionally been framed as a self-contained autoimmune disease confined to joints, yet mounting clinical and molecular evidence now argues that it functions as a hub within an expansive web of interacting disorders. Drawing on 392 423 Finnish residents—12 555 of whom carry an RA diagnosis—disease-wide association scanning traces 1 289 distinct medical events before and after the first rheumatology clinic visit. By coupling survival modelling to systematic nosology, clusters of pre-RA liabilities and post-RA sequelae emerge that dissolve the boundary between “the index disease” and apparently unrelated organ pathology.

This study investigates the susceptibility of African spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) to carcinogenesis induced by DMBA/TPA, a common two-stage chemical carcinogenesis model. The research reveals that despite their high regenerative capacity, Acomys exhibits resistance to skin carcinogenesis, showing delayed tumor formation and a distinct benign tumor profile compared to C57BL/6 mice. The study highlights the role of enhanced immune response, higher apoptosis, and inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in conferring this resistance.

EZH2, the catalytic core of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), silences gene expression through H3K27me3 modification and is emerging as a master epigenetic regulator beyond cancer. The review “EZH2 in Non-Cancerous Diseases: Expanding Horizons” by Prof. Lixiang Xue's team, published in Protein & Cell, systematically uncovers EZH2’s multifaceted roles in autoimmune, fibrotic, metabolic, and neurological diseases. The authors propose a CDE3 therapeutic model to advance targeted epigenetic therapy in chronic diseases.

A new study published in Life Metabolism reports an alternative “reductive pathway” that functions without oxygen. In this route, uric acid is first reduced to a newly identified metabolite, “yanthine”, and then further broken down by a sequence of reductive dearomatization and ring-cleaving reactions, ultimately yielding small molecules such as pyruvate and ammonia (Figure 1). This discovery revises the long-standing view of purine catabolism and highlights the metabolic versatility of gut bacteria in anaerobic environments.