Dozens of new genes linked to Alzheimer’s

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Illustration of amyloid plaques, which build up around brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease
JUAN GAERTNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Alamy

The largest genetic study of Alzheimer’s disease has identified 127 genes associated with the disease, of which 48 haven’t been linked with the condition before. These genes could offer clues to the mechanism behind Alzheimer’s, which is still poorly understood, and provide researchers with new targets for treatments. “It’s an exciting time for Alzheimer’s genetics,” says Rudolph Tanzi at Massachusetts General Hospital. Read more

Turmeric is everywhere these days. It is touted as a superfood, with its curcumin extract being sold in supplement form as protection against everything from hay fever and arthritis to symptoms of menopause. But what does the science say? Columnist Alice Klein digs into the rise of turmeric’s medicinal uses and finds that much of its popularity comes from research that has now been retracted. Plus, taking high doses of curcumin can even be risky. Read more

It is increasingly important to signal that a human, not an AI, has written a text. One paradoxical way of doing this is to damage the quality of your writing. Read more

There is plenty of intriguing sci-fi on offer this month, whether it’s solar-powered cities from Adrian Tchaikovsky or a strange future from M. John Harrison. Read more

Read an extract of Richard Dawkin’s The Selfish Gene – our book club’s pick for June, marking 50 years since the popular science classic was first published. Read more and join the conversation on Discord

Adrià Voltà

Mathematicians are freaking out. In just the past few months, the capabilities of AI models at solving research problems have advanced rapidly, leaving some mathematicians wondering whether they even want to stay in the field. Some are considering giving everything up and becoming musicians instead. But at the same time, we may be moving into a new era of "proof abundance", in which mathematicians don't race to solve a problem, but instead to study an AI-generated proof. This could let us solve far more difficult problems than ever before, if only we can understand them. Read more

“You’re almost certainly carrying around DNA from loved ones, and even your work colleagues, whether you want to or not.”

Professor Turi King, author of The Secrets of Our DNA: How genetics has changed the world, on how we shed DNA all the time. Read more

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