Vaccine Executive Order Could Undermine Childhood Immunization: A new Trump administration executive order reshaping childhood vaccination policy rests on misleading statistics and could reduce immunization rates, infectious-disease specialist Jake Scott argues in a CIDRAP op-ed. Scott says administration claims that children receive as many as 84 vaccine doses rely on unusual counting methods, including treating components of combination vaccines as separate doses and projecting years of COVID-19 vaccination. The order also promotes separating the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine even though individual versions are not currently available in the United States. Scott argues that combination vaccines reduce appointments and improve timely vaccination. With U.S. kindergarten MMR coverage already at 92.5%, below the 95% level associated with measles elimination, he warns that additional barriers could increase preventable infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. (CIDRAP)

Trump Revives Vaccine Fight Ahead of Midterm Elections: President Donald Trump is putting vaccines back at the center of his health agenda just months before the midterm elections, despite evidence that vaccine skepticism could carry political risks. Trump signed an executive order calling for fewer universally recommended childhood vaccines, greater spacing between shots, and eventually separating the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. The administration argues the changes will increase parental choice and align U.S. recommendations with other countries. Medical organizations counter that the existing schedule is supported by decades of evidence and warn that delaying vaccinations could leave children vulnerable to preventable diseases. The renewed push also revives Trump’s claims connecting vaccines with autism, an association repeatedly rejected by large scientific studies, while potentially creating another contentious midterm campaign issue. (Reuters)

Congo Ebola Outbreak Began Months Earlier Than Previously Known: Genomic sequencing shows the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began in mid-February, roughly three months before officials recognized the outbreak in May. The World Health Organization says early cases of the Bundibugyo strain were likely mistaken for malaria or typhoid, allowing the virus to spread largely undetected. Since the outbreak was officially declared May 17, it has become the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record and the fastest-growing, averaging 75 to 80 new cases daily. Contact tracing remains inadequate, reaching about 75% of contacts rather than the 95% considered necessary for control. Alarmingly, 60% to 70% of deaths are occurring outside treatment centers, increasing exposure among families and communities while hospitals in Bunia face mounting pressure. (CIDRAP)

Personalized DNA Methylation References Improve Epigenetic Analysis: Researchers have introduced BLEND-M, a new computational method designed to improve how scientists estimate the proportions of different cell types within DNA methylation samples. Existing deconvolution methods generally assume that methylation patterns within a particular cell type are essentially identical across people, an assumption that can introduce bias because epigenetic profiles vary considerably between individuals. BLEND-M instead generates personalized cell-type reference profiles while also accounting for differences in measurement noise across CpG sites. Tests using simulated and real datasets showed improved accuracy over existing approaches. The researchers demonstrated one potential application by incorporating BLEND-M into a model predicting childhood atopic asthma risk. The method could strengthen epigenome-wide association studies, disease-risk models, and analyses attempting to identify cell-specific methylation changes. (Springer)

Maternal Weight Loss Leaves Epigenetic Marks in Offspring Brains: Weight loss before pregnancy may leave lasting epigenetic signatures in the brains of offspring, according to a mouse study examining the olfactory bulb. Researchers separately measured two related DNA modifications, 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, allowing them to distinguish effects often combined in conventional methylation analyses. Offspring of mothers that lost weight before conception showed thousands of altered sites, with hydroxymethylation displaying an especially strong response. The affected genes were enriched for neuronal signaling, synaptic function, energy metabolism, chromatin remodeling, and transcriptional regulation. Importantly, methylation and hydroxymethylation appeared to influence partly different biological pathways. The researchers argue that measuring both marks may provide a more complete picture of how parental nutrition can influence offspring neurobiology and potentially behavior without altering DNA sequence. (Springer)

Epigenetic Aging Linked to Brain Development and Cognition: Premature biological aging measured through DNA methylation may correspond with subtle differences in brain structure and cognitive performance decades before clinical disease appears. Researchers followed 254 young adults from a prenatal birth cohort and compared several epigenetic clocks with structural MRI measurements. Accelerated aging measured using Horvath’s methylation clock was associated with smaller-than-expected volumes in the caudate and putamen, brain structures involved in movement, learning, motivation, and cognition. Among women, accelerated epigenetic aging was also associated with lower full-scale and performance IQ scores, with differences in putamen volume potentially mediating the association. Results differed depending on the epigenetic clock used, underscoring that biological-age algorithms do not measure identical processes. The findings suggest methylation-based aging signals could reveal early neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities. (Nature)

Three-Dimensional Genome Architecture Revealed in Major Plant Pathogen: Scientists have mapped the three-dimensional organization of the genome of Phytophthora capsici, a destructive plant pathogen capable of infecting numerous crops. Using a near-complete genome assembly alongside chromosome-conformation techniques, researchers examined how chromosomes fold into compartments, domains, and interactions inside the nucleus. The study shows that genome architecture is closely connected to gene regulation and may influence pathogenicity. Understanding this organization is particularly important because relatively little is known about higher-order chromatin structure in oomycetes, organisms responsible for major agricultural diseases. The work provides a framework for investigating how chromosomal positioning and accessibility affect genes involved in infection, adaptation, and host interactions. More broadly, it demonstrates that three-dimensional chromatin organization can provide biological information that linear DNA sequences alone cannot reveal. (Nature)

Open Chromatin May Explain High-Yield Agarwood Production: Researchers investigating why some Aquilaria sinensis trees produce substantially more valuable agarwood resin have uncovered a possible epigenetic explanation. Scientists compared the elite Shuxinyou cultivar with ordinary Baimu trees after controlled wounding, the stimulus that triggers resin formation. Shuxinyou accumulated nearly four times as much alcohol-soluble resin extract and showed stronger activation of genes involved in terpenoid production. The researchers found that many of these genes were located within more accessible regions of chromatin, suggesting they were already primed for rapid activation. That epigenetic configuration could allow the high-yielding cultivar to mount a stronger metabolic response to injury. The findings suggest chromatin accessibility may become a useful breeding or selection marker for improving agarwood yield without necessarily changing underlying DNA sequences. (EurekAlert!)

Spatial Transcriptomics Tracks Prostate Cancer’s Molecular Evolution: Researchers using spatial transcriptomics have mapped how gene activity changes as prostate tumors progress from relatively organized tissue toward more aggressive disease. Because spatial transcriptomics preserves information about where cells are located inside a tumor, the approach allowed scientists to connect molecular changes directly with histological structures and Gleason grades. Several established prostate cancer markers emerged, validating the method, while two genes—SLC4A4 and H2AFJ—stood out as potential indicators of progression. Expression of both increased with higher Gleason scores and more advanced pathological stages. H2AFJ, a histone variant enriched in luminal epithelial cells, was particularly notable because its increased activity points toward major changes in chromatin structure and epigenetic regulation during tumor evolution. Larger clinical studies will be required before either marker can guide treatment. (EurekAlert!)

AI Designs Functional Viruses From Complete Genome Sequences: Artificial intelligence has crossed a significant synthetic-biology threshold by generating complete viral genomes capable of producing functional bacteriophages. Researchers trained genomic language models Evo 1 and Evo 2 on more than 14,000 genomes from a family of viruses that infect bacteria. The models generated roughly 700,000 candidate genomes; 285 were synthesized, and 16 produced viable viruses capable of infecting E. coli. Some replicated faster than the natural Phi-X-174 virus used as a reference, while combinations of AI-generated phages were able to overcome bacterial resistance. The work points toward applications in phage therapy and biotechnology but also creates obvious biosecurity concerns. Researchers deliberately focused on bacteria-infecting viruses, yet the experiment demonstrates that generative AI can now design entire replicating biological systems rather than individual proteins or genes. (Progress)

Rare Skinny Gene Mutation Mimics Some GLP-1 Effects: A rare mutation in the gene FNIP1 appears to substantially alter how the body processes energy, producing metabolic effects reminiscent of drugs such as Ozempic. Roughly one in 7,000 people carries a disrupted copy of FNIP1, according to research highlighted by Scientific American. Carriers appear to burn fuel more efficiently and have reduced risks of obesity and several metabolic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease. FNIP1 participates in cellular pathways controlling metabolism and nutrient sensing, making it an attractive target for researchers searching for new obesity treatments. The finding does not mean scientists have discovered a naturally occurring version of a GLP-1 medication—the biological mechanisms differ—but it illustrates how rare human genetic variants can reveal powerful metabolic pathways that could eventually be targeted pharmacologically. (Scientific American)

Brain Immune System Appears to Shift Around Age Fifty: The immune environment of the human hippocampus may undergo a major transformation beginning around middle age. Researchers analyzed postmortem hippocampal tissue from 40 neurologically healthy people ages 20 to 95 using advanced single-cell techniques. They found that microglia—the resident immune cells traditionally thought to remain and renew themselves throughout life—begin declining substantially between roughly ages 50 and 75. At the same time, cells displaying stronger inflammatory characteristics and features resembling immune cells originating outside the brain become increasingly prominent. Because chronic neuroinflammation is closely associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, researchers believe this transition could help explain why aging dramatically increases neurodegenerative risk. The findings challenge long-standing assumptions about microglial stability and provide new molecular targets for understanding age-related brain inflammation. (ScienceDaily)

Mitochondria Double as Ancient Sensors for Cellular Heme: Mitochondria apparently perform another fundamental job beyond producing cellular energy: they help cells detect shortages of heme, an iron-containing molecule required for oxygen transport, metabolism, and numerous proteins. Researchers led by LMU Munich found that when heme becomes scarce, mitochondria initiate signaling that reduces production of proteins requiring the molecule, helping prevent metabolic imbalance. The sensing mechanism appears to be evolutionarily ancient, potentially dating back more than 700 million years to the early evolution of complex cells. Heme presents a biological balancing problem because cells require it but free heme can become toxic at high concentrations. The discovery helps explain how widely different cell types coordinate heme supply with protein production and could ultimately provide new insight into disorders involving mitochondrial function, blood formation, or iron metabolism. (phys.org)