How menopause early could affect their cancer risk
Rare genetic variants that are linked to early menopause can lead to drastic consequences for infertile women, says gene expert Anne Goriely
Goriely says, “You don’t die of infertility, but for many women who suffer from it, it really is a catastrophe.” We ought to help these women.
In the Nature Genetics study, Stefánsson and his colleagues looked for genetic variants that are linked to early menopause, focusing on variants that had that effect only if they were present in both copies of a woman’s DNA. They found a link between age at menopause and a gene that is only active in immature egg cells.
Hunting for rare genetic variants requires data from a large group of people. To obtain such data, geneticist Anna Murray at the University of Exeter Medical School, UK, a co-author of the Nature paper, and her colleagues relied on the UK Biobank, a massive collection of biomedical data that includes DNA-sequence data as well as information about participants’ lifestyle and health. The researchers found nine genetic variations that can be related to age at menopause. Five of the genes had not been linked to ageing of the ovaries previously.
The finding supports the idea of DNA damage being related to ovarian aging, 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.
“They are rare, but typically they are impactful,” says Anne Goriely, a geneticist at the University of Oxford, UK, who was not an author of the papers. “New treatments and conceptual advances often come from these rare disorders.”
The final nail in the coffin: No, Rapa Nui people didn’t destroy their island, say the US presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
Genetics can be a factor that causes the emergence of early menopause. Eggs can be damaged or self-destructing due to the repair of the eggs’ DNA. The eggs’ response to DNA damage is key in determining egg number, says Murray. Your reproductive lifespan is determined by egg number.
A theory about Rapa Nui has been proven to be false. Plus, what Harris and Trump said about science in their debate and the reviewers churning out suspicious 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 found no sign of a population crunch that would have signaled a collapse in the Rapnuna population. Kathrin Ngele says this study is the final nail in the coffin of the collapse narrative as it was endorsed by officials and Indigenous community members.
On Tuesday, US presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stepped up to the debate podiums. 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 South Asians Live in a Real World? The Case for False-Reviews and the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease
An analysis of peer reviews published by some journals with their papers has found a scheme that may allow reviewers to benefit from duplicated reviews. The analysis identified 263 suspicious reviews published by 37 journals between 2021 and 2024. The author of the study thinks that reviewers are using templates to quickly produce reviews and boost their professional standing, or in some instances they get credit for future publishing fees. “Some other researchers will probably base their future research on those fake-reviewed papers, and it’s scary,” she says.
The South Asian paradox is an observational study that shows that heart disease is more common for people of South Asian ancestry than the usual risk factors. “Everywhere you look, in every single South Asian group and diaspora, there is this risk which we cannot explain,” says epidemiologist Mohammed Ali. It is hard to get genetic data that can tell you anything about the root cause. Critics worry that a focus on the genetics and genomics of a broadly Defined population oversimplifies the issue, since projects trying to dig into genetic evidence are underway. Nishi is in favor of doing more analysis of genetic risk factors. I believe that is being done at the expense of looking at the whole-of-life consequences of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Source: Daily briefing: No, Rapa Nui people didn’t destroy their island
The first privately funded excursion outside of a SpaceX Dragon capsule: Polaris Dawn, a crew of space ships left in the wake of the Jasper fire
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. A set of guidelines called the Copenhagen Framework on Citizen Data can help to accelerate SDG implementation and uphold its overarching ‘leave no one behind’ principle — but implementing the framework won’t be easy.
The Jasper National Park in Canada experienced a devastating fire in July that destroyed the town of Jasper. The damage could have been worse according to a group of forest scientists, historian and Indigenous fire-stewardship leader. “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.
The first privately funded excursion outside of a space ship was made by Sarah Gillis and her business partner. They poked their upper bodies out of the hatch of their SpaceX Dragon capsule at a peak altitude of more than 700 kilometres. The crew’s mission, Polaris Dawn, is the second space outing funded by Isaacman, with two more on the cards. (Nature | 6 min read) (SpaceX)
