Researchers from Nanjing University and Nanjing Medical University have identified sperm microRNAs as key messengers that transmit the benefits of paternal exercise to the next generation. Published in Cell Metabolism, the study shows that offspring of exercise-trained fathers inherit improved exercise endurance and metabolic health. Mechanistically, sperm microRNAs from exercised fathers suppress NCoR1 in early embryos, reprogramming gene networks to enhance mitochondrial biogenesis and glucose metabolism. These findings establish a PGC-1α–sperm microRNA–NCoR1 axis for intergenerational inheritance and suggest that paternal exercise before conception may offer a simple, cost-effective way to improve offspring health and help break the cycle of obesity and chronic disease.

A new report led by researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center underscores the growing potential of precision medicine to transform how obesity is prevented, diagnosed and treated, while also illuminating key gaps and challenges that must be addressed.

Published in September in Obesity, the paper, “Precision Prevention, Diagnostics and Treatment of Obesity,” synthesizes the proceedings of a recent Pennington-Louisiana Nutrition Obesity Research Center, or NORC, scientific workshop that was convened to review current evidence on tailoring obesity interventions to individual biology, environment, behavior and social factors.

New stretchable waveguides that maintain efficient, stable signal transmission of surface plasmon polaritons even when bent, twisted or stretched could help embed advancing monitoring functions into everyday wearables.