When the engine's manual—the mtDNA—gets damaged, it's not always by a spelling mistake, a mutation.
Sometimes, it's more like a sticky note that gets stuck to the pages, making it hard to read and use. That's what these GSH-DNA adducts are doing.
The researchers linked the accumulation of the sticky lesions to significant changes in mitochondrial function. They observed a decrease in proteins needed for energy production and a simultaneous increase in proteins that help with stress response and mitochondrial repair, suggesting the cell fights back against the damage.

The researchers also used advanced computer simulations to model the effect of the adducts.

They found that the sticky tags can actually make the mtDNA less flexible and more rigid. This might be a way the cell 'marks' damaged DNA for disposal, preventing it from being copied and passed on.

When mtDNA is damaged, it can escape from the mitochondria and trigger immune and inflammatory responses.
The findings hold promise for understanding diseases.

Problems with mitochondria and inflammation linked to damaged mtDNA have been connected to diseases such as neurodegeneration and diabetes.

Yu Hsuan Chen et al, Glutathionylated DNA adducts accumulate in mitochondrial DNA and are regulated by AP endonuclease 1 and tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2509312122

Part 2

 Smart tech maps moisture levels, will adjust watering automatically
A  wheat field was equipped with 86 solar-powered Bluetooth soil moisture sensors, enabling precise, real-time mapping of water levels. The system, integrated with a center pivot sprinkler and enhanced by a parabolic antenna, doubled data transmission range to 600 m. This technology allows targeted irrigation, optimizing water use and supporting crop health during drought conditions.

 Samuel Craven et al, Smart Bluetooth Stakes: Deployment of Soil Moisture Sensors with Rotating High-Gain Antenna Receiver on Center Pivot Irrigation Boom in a Commercial Wheat Field, Sensors (2025). DOI: 10.3390/s25175537

39,000-Year-Old Mammoth RNA Is the Oldest Ever Found and Sequenced

RNA from one of the best-preserved woolly mammoths broke the record for oldest RNA ever found, pushing the limit of how long these famously labile molecules can last.
In a recent Cell study, researchers recovered and sequenced RNA from an extraordinarily preserved 39,000-year-old woolly mammoth called Yuka, which was discovered in the Siberian permafrost more than a decade ago (1). This sample was nearly three times older than the previous record holder, an approximately 14,000-year-old wolf puppy.(2)

1. Mármol-Sánchez E, et al. Ancient RNA expression profiles from the extinct woolly mammoth. Cell. 2025;189:1-18.
2. Smith O, et al. Ancient RNA from Late Pleistocene permafrost and historical canids .... PLoS Biol. 2019;17(7):e3000166.