Organs that look old before their time are linked to disease risk

What matters in science | 

View this email in your browser Thursday 7 December 2023

Hello Nature readers, Today we learn that our organs can age at different rates, explore the first approved self-amplifying RNA vaccine and embrace 'frugal innovation'.

Scientists studied more than 5,000 people to understand variation in the ageing of individual body organs. (Christopher Furlong/Getty)

Prematurely old organs linked to disease Your major organs can age at different rates — and organs that look old before their time are linked to disease risk. Researchers identified proteins that originated mainly from a single organ and trained a machine-learning algorithm to match the levels of these proteins with age. When a person's levels differed substantially from other people of the same age, it spelled trouble: for example, an 'old' heart was linked to a 250% increased risk of heart failure. Nature | 4 min read Reference: Nature paper

What India wants from COP28 India is pitching itself as the voice of the global south at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), now under way in Dubai. The country is also massively dependent on coal, and is the world's third biggest carbon producer. India resolves that seeming contradiction by noting that its per-capita emissions last year were less than one-sixth those of the United States and 24 times smaller than the figure for top-ranking Qatar — while its average standard of living is far below that of both. What that amounts to at COP28 is India pushing for commitments that reflect how the dice are loaded in favour of rich countries, which have already benefited from historically high emissions. Nature | 6 min read

Self-copying RNA vaccine wins approval Japanese regulators have approved a COVID-19 vaccine constructed using a form of RNA that can make copies of itself inside cells. It's the first 'self-amplifying' RNA (saRNA) vaccine platform to be granted full regulatory approval anywhere in the world. Because it could be used at a lower dose, it might have fewer side effects than other messenger RNA (mRNA) treatments have. When used as a booster in clinical testing, the newly authorized vaccine, ARCT-154 — developed by US biotechnology firm Arcturus Therapeutics and Australia-based CSL — triggered higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies that circulated the body for longer than did a standard mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Nature | 6 min read

Features & opinion

Journals should embrace 'frugal innovation' A recent study showed how fibres from the hardy, drought-resistant sisal plant (Agave sisalana), common in central America and parts of Africa, can be made fluffy and absorbent enough to use in menstrual pads. It's a perfect example of a low-cost product using locally available, sustainable materials for mass consumption — a process sometimes called 'frugal innovation'. Such studies are rarely seen in the natural sciences literature — something that has to change, argues a Nature editorial. "The publication of work in peer-reviewed journals is one way to drive home the point that frugal doesn't have to mean second best," says the editorial. Nature | 4 min read Reference: Communications Engineering paper

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Clinical trials to watch out for From HIV and malaria vaccines to the care of infant mental health, leading researchers tell Nature Medicine their most-anticipated clinical trials for 2024. Nature Medicine | 12 min read

Evelyn Fox Keller: a fresh view of science Mathematical biologist, philosopher and historian Evelyn Fox Keller achieved prominence for her studies on gender and science, the role of language in shaping how we see and study the world and her analysis of key concepts in biology, such as the gene. "Her work on how modern science constructed objectivity in a way that devalued traits conventionally considered feminine was groundbreaking," writes historian of science Marga Vicedo. "It opened up possibilities for developing a better way of doing science." Keller died in September, aged 87. Nature | 5 min read

Quote of the day "The deeper I've fallen down this rainbow-colored rabbit hole, the more I've come to understand that my shock at the breadth of queerness in nature is a symptom of a horrible miseducation, of centuries of science bullying the abundance of queerness off the record, of an internalized homophobia that sometimes still whispers in my ear that I, a queer woman, do not belong on the tree of life." Twenty-five years ago, biologist and scientific artist John Megahan illustrated a book about the sexual behaviour of animals that would influence a breakthrough US Supreme Court case — and helped shatter the belief that homosexuality was a 'crime against nature', writes science journalist Lulu Miller. (Orion Nature Quarterly | 12 min read)

As we emerge from the height of the mushroom-spotting season round these parts, I'm already planning for next year by reading photographer Albert Dros's guide to photographing fungi. Have you spotted any beautiful boletes or marvellous morels? Your shroom snaps, or any other feedback on this newsletter, are always welcome at briefing@nature.com. Thanks for reading, Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing

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