Strikingly, these same genetic variants that influence the risk of pregnancy loss are also associated with recombination, the genetic shuffling process that generates diversity when eggs and sperm are made, they found.

Female meiosis, or the cell division necessary for reproduction, begins during fetal development, when chromosomes pair and recombine. The process then pauses for decades, until ovulation and fertilization. During this long pause, problems in the machinery that keeps chromosomes together can cause them to separate too soon, leading to an abnormal chromosome count when meiosis resumes.
The results demonstrate that inherited differences in these meiotic processes contribute to natural variation in risk of aneuploidy and pregnancy loss between individuals.

Rajiv McCoy, Common variation in meiosis genes shapes human recombination and aneuploidy, Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09964-2. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09964-2

Part 2

Small number of 'highly plastic' cancer cells drive disease progression and treatment resistance
A small subset of highly plastic cancer cells, capable of shifting identity and behavior, drives tumor progression and treatment resistance. These cells, which increase in prevalence as tumors advance, exploit injury-repair programs and can survive therapies by adapting rapidly. Targeting them, for example via uPAR-directed CAR T cells, significantly impairs tumor growth and may enhance treatment efficacy.

In healthy tissues, stem cells make new cells to replace those that are lost or damaged through normal wear and tear.

Most organs maintain themselves with resident stem cells tailored to that type of tissue—alveoli or bronchial cells in the lung, skin cells, intestinal cells, and so on.

But when an injury occurs, special injury repair programs get triggered that put stem cells in an even more flexible state—"like a super stem cell." This allows the cell to expand its capabilities and produce a much wider variety of new cells.

The problem is when cancer cells borrow these programs that are normally only available to stem cells.

Indeed, it's these highly flexible—highly plastic—cell states related to injury repair that cancer hijacks. Highly plastic cells become more abundant as these tumors grow,  researchers found. 

These highly plastic cells aren't necessary to initiate a tumor. But they're critical to cancer's progression, the team found—including its ability to give rise to fast-growing cells, to evolve resistance to treatment, and to potentially help the cancer spread to other parts of the body.

If we kill off these plastic cells very early in the initiation of a tumor, you can basically prevent mutated cells from ever becoming cancers, say teh researchers.

Tuomas Tammela, Critical role for a high-plasticity cell state in lung cancer, Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09985-x. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09985-x

What should you do with unused or expired prescription medications?

Unused or expired prescription medications should be disposed of promptly to prevent accidental ingestion, especially by children. Preferred disposal methods include take-back programs at pharmacies, police stations, or DEA events. If these are unavailable, mix medications with unpalatable substances before discarding in the trash. Some drugs, mainly opioids, may be flushed per FDA guidance. Sharps require separate disposal.

If you have unused or expired medication, the best thing is to dispose of it. Many people hang on to them, and this just creates opportunity for things to go wrong.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-unused-expired-prescription-...