The Nature Genetics Study Reveals a Genetic Link between Menopause and a Gene That Is Active only in Immature Egg Cells
“You don’t die of infertility, but for many women who suffer from it, it really is a catastrophe,” Goriely says. We should do something for these women.
The Nature Genetics study looked for genetic variations that were linked to early menopause if both copies of a woman’sDNA were present. Their search uncovered a link between age at menopause and a gene called CCDC201, which is known to be active only in immature egg cells2.
These studies join a bevy of recent efforts to identify genes that contribute to premature menopause. But most of those studies looked for genetic variants that are common in the population, whereas the new projects instead focused on DNA sequences that are rare but which might have a greater effect on ovarian ageing than more-common sequences do.
The finding supports the idea that DNA damage is related to ovarian ageing, says Murray. But when the team attempted to repeat their experiment using data from a different biobank, the results were no longer statistically significant.
Genomic analysis reveals a host of genetic variants that affect how quickly fertility ends, among them one that reduces reproductive span by six years.
Anne Goriely, a geneticist at the University of Oxford, UK, wasn’t an author of the papers. “New treatments and conceptual advances often come from these rare disorders.”
What Did President Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Tell about Rapa Nui: The Final Nail in the Coffin of the Collapse Narrative
One factor that could trigger that early menopause is the accumulation of DNA mutations in a person’s eggs. Such mutations can trigger the repair of the eggs’ DNA — or they can cause the eggs to self-destruct. It is the response to DNA damage that determines the number of eggs. Your reproductive lifespan is determined by egg number.
There is a provable debunking of a controversial Rapa Nui theory. What Harris and Trump said about science in their debate was fodder for the reviewers to create fake reviews for personal gain.
A study of ancient genomes has dispelled the theory that early inhabitants of Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) ravaged its ecosystem and caused the population to crash. Researchers analysed the Rapanui peoples’ genetics and found no sign of a population problem that could indicate a collapse. This study, done with the endorsement of and input from officials and Indigenous community members in Rapa Nui, “serves as the final nail in the coffin of this collapse narrative”, says archaeogeneticist Kathrin Nägele.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris stood up to answer questions at the debate. Science issues took a back seat to the economy, immigration and national security, but candidates exchanged views on abortion and women’s health, the country’s relationship with China and the climate. Nature analyses what the candidates did and did not say about science, and hears what researchers think about the candidates’ stances.
Do reviewers have a problem with their ratings? The case of South Asian ancestry and the ‘South Asian paradox’: epidemiology and genetics
Reviewers might be able to benefit from duplicated or generic reviews if a scheme is put into place by some journals. The analysis identified 263 suspicious reviews published by 37 journals between 2021 and 2024. Marketing researcher Maria Ángeles Oviedo-García, the author of the study, suspects that reviewers are using templates to quickly churn out reviews and boost their own professional standing, or in some cases receive credit toward future publishing fees. “Some other researchers will probably base their future research on those fake-reviewed papers, and it’s scary,” she says.
Some physicians call it the ‘South Asian paradox’: heart disease is common for people of South Asian ancestry, despite fewer of the usual risk factors, such as smoking. There’s a risk in every South Asian group and diaspora, says epidemiologist Mohammed Ali. But genetic data that could shed light on the root cause is scarce. Genetics and genomics are the focus of a number of projects trying to dig into genetic evidence, but critics worry that focusing on genetics oversimplifies the issue. Nishi is in favor of doing more analysis of genetic risk factors. “But I think that’s being done at the cost of looking at whole-of-life determinants of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
Source: Daily briefing: No, Rapa Nui people didn’t destroy their island
Indigenous data collection and mitigation in the wake of the Jasper wildfire: What scientists, fire-stewards and environmental activists can do to save their communities
Data relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are riddled with gaps. It’s part of the reason why only 17% of SDG targets are on track to be achieved by the end of this decade, argue Yongyi Min and Haoyi Chen of the United Nations Statistics Division and Francesca Perucci of Open Data Watch. Data gathering by citizens can help. The framework won’t be easy to implement, but it can help accelerate the implementation of the SDG and uphold the principle of leave no one behind.
In July, a devastating wildfire blazed through Jasper National Park in Canada, destroying much of the town of Jasper — and it is still burning. A group of scientists, a historian and an Indigenous fire-stewardship leader all say the damage could have been worse. “Proactive fuel mitigation in the forests surrounding Jasper has meant that firefighters were able to save around 70% of the town’s infrastructure,” they write. To respond to Canada’s ever-worsening wildfires, the researchers recommend combining technological advancements in data acquisition with Indigenous-led stewardship.
Engineer Sarah Gillis (along with entrepreneur Jared Isaacman) made history today by making the first privately funded excursion outside a spacecraft. The upper bodies of the people in the capsule were taken out at a peak altitude of over 700 kilometres. The crew’s mission, Polaris Dawn, is the second space outing funded by Isaacman, with two more on the cards. There is 6 min read on Nature.
