Macrophage immune cells need constant reminders to retain memories of prior infections
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Jun-2026 05:16 ET (18-Jun-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered that immune cells known as macrophages remain poised to fight repeat infections due to the persistent presence of signaling molecules left behind during previous infections. The study, to be published February 18 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), provides surprising new details about how the body’s innate immune system retains memories of previous immune threats, and suggests new ways to reduce the activity of misprogrammed macrophages that contribute to autoimmune diseases such as lupus and arthritis.
(WASHINGTON – Feb. 18, 2026) – Extreme endurance running damages red blood cells in ways that may affect their ability to function properly, according to a study published in the American Society of Hematology’s journal Blood Red Cells & Iron. Although the duration and long-term implications of the damage are unclear, the study adds to a growing body of evidence that extreme forms of exercise may harm, rather than support, overall health.
Seaweeds are versatile algae. They are sources of food, medicine, and many other products, and they have the added benefit of being extremely efficient at removing CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow.
However, seaweed aquaculture’s potential for sequestering carbon is overshadowed by the assumption that the biomass will be easily converted back into CO2, says UConn Department of Earth Sciences Assistant Professor Mojtaba Fakhraee. Fakhraee and co-author Noah Planavsky of Yale University argue this is not the case, and we need to reconsider the carbon removal potential of these dynamic systems. Their research is published in Nature Communications Sustainability.
Chikungunya virus, a debilitating tropical disease caused by infected mosquito bites, poses a greater health threat in Europe than previously thought because it can be spread when air temperatures are as low as 13 degrees Celsius. That is the finding of researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology who have investigated the ability of the Asian tiger mosquito to spread the virus, which is rarely fatal but can cause long-term chronic joint pain.