A team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Weill Cornell Medicine, and other institutions have uncovered a key biological explanation for why eczema so often starts in childhood. The study, in young mice, found that some types of immune cells in early-life skin are more reactive than those in adults, a difference that may help explain why children are more vulnerable to inflammation and allergic skin disease. The findings suggest that early childhood represents a critical window for immune-driven skin disease and may shed light on why eczema is often the first condition in a broader pattern of allergic disease. They were reported in the February 25 online issue of Nature [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10162-x].

Reef-building stony and fire corals support a rich microbiome consisting largely of unknown species. By leveraging genetic material, ETH researchers have now managed to characterise some of these microorganisms. The microorganisms can produce natural products which could be used for medical therapies and chemical reactions. Reefs may also be home to thousands of other useful microbes which, alongside their coral hosts, are threatened with extinction.