The study of lemurs has long fascinated scientists, and a recent research breakthrough by biological anthropologist Elaine Guevara is shedding new light on the primate’s remarkable ability to age without inflammation. This phenomenon, known as “inflammaging,” is a widespread issue in humans, leading to health problems such as heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and osteoarthritis.

Guevara’s research focused on ring-tailed and sifaka lemurs, two species that differ in their life pacing and lifespan. By studying these primates, Guevara aimed to understand why they avoid the inevitability of inflammaging observed in humans. Her findings were surprising: neither species showed age-related changes in markers of oxidative stress or inflammation. In fact, ring-tailed lemurs even exhibited marginal declines in inflammation with age.

This discovery, consistent with recent studies on other non-human primates, suggests that inflamaging is not a universal feature of primates, and perhaps not even a universal feature of humans. Christine Drea, a professor of evolutionary anthropology who worked alongside Guevara, notes that this study points to differences in aging between humans and lemurs.

As we grow older, low-grade chronic inflammation sets in, causing a range of health problems. Understanding why inflamaging increases with age in humans, what causes it, and how it can be prevented is critical information for unlocking ways to help humans live longer and healthier lives. Guevara’s study serves as the first step in unraveling these questions.

The next step for Guevara and her team is to conduct similar research on lemurs in their natural habitat. This will provide valuable insights into how aging can differ between captivity and the wild, and whether inflamaging is intrinsic or environmental.

With a rapidly aging global population, these findings are essential for mitigating disability and improving quality of life in later years. Guevara’s breakthrough study offers new hope that we may be able to learn from lemurs’ remarkable ability to age without inflammation, leading to better health outcomes for humans worldwide.

The article highlights the crucial aspect of climate change that has often been overlooked – its impact on the nutritional quality of food crops. Rising CO2 levels and hotter temperatures can lead to a reduction in key minerals like calcium and certain antioxidant compounds, making the crops less healthy. This is not just a problem for farmers but also for consumers, as it can lead to diets that are higher in calories but poorer in nutritional value.

The research, led by Jiata Ugwah Ekele, a PhD student at Liverpool John Moores University, UK, used environment-controlled growth chambers to simulate the UK’s predicted future climate scenarios. The crops were grown under different conditions, and their nutritional quality was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and X-Ray Fluorescence profiling.

The preliminary results suggest that elevated levels of atmospheric CO2 can help crops grow faster and bigger but certainly not healthier. The interaction between CO2 and heat stress had complex effects – the crops did not grow as big or fast, and the decline in nutritional quality intensified.

This research has serious implications for human health and wellbeing. The altered balance of nutrients in crops could contribute to diets that are higher in calories but poorer in nutritional value, leading to greater risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes, particularly in populations already struggling with non-communicable diseases.

Crops with poor nutritional content can also lead to deficiencies in vital proteins and vitamins that compromise the human immune system and exacerbate existing health conditions – particularly in low or middle-income countries.

The research highlights the importance of studying multiple stressors together and emphasizes that we cannot generalize across crops. Different species react differently to climate change stressors, making it essential to study each crop individually.

This research is not just about food production but also about human development and climate adaptation. It’s essential to think holistically about the kind of food system we’re building – one that not only produces enough food but also promotes health, equity, and resilience.

The findings of this research are being presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium on July 8th, 2025. The researchers are open to collaborating further on this project with the wider research community, including those from agriculture, nutrition, and climate policy.

The discovery of an “off switch” enzyme that can help prevent heart disease and diabetes is a significant breakthrough in the medical field. Scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington have identified an enzyme called IDO1, which plays a crucial role in inflammation regulation. By blocking this enzyme, researchers believe they can control inflammation and restore proper cholesterol processing.

Inflammation is a natural response to stress, injury, or infection, but when it becomes abnormal, it can lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and dementia. The team found that IDO1 becomes activated during inflammation, producing a substance called kynurenine that interferes with how macrophages process cholesterol.

When IDO1 is blocked, however, macrophages regain their ability to absorb cholesterol, suggesting a new way to prevent heart disease by keeping cholesterol levels in check. The researchers also discovered that another enzyme linked to inflammation, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), worsens the effects of IDO1.

The findings are crucial because they suggest that understanding how to prevent inflammation-related diseases could lead to new treatments for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and others. The research team plans to further investigate the interaction between IDO1 and cholesterol regulation, with the goal of finding a safe way to block this enzyme and develop effective drugs to combat chronic diseases.

The discovery is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), indicating the importance of this research in advancing our understanding of inflammation-related diseases. With further study, it’s possible that we may see a new era in disease prevention and treatment, giving hope to millions of people affected by these conditions.