Cervical lymphatics drain cerebrospinal fluid and clear metabolic waste from the brain. Du et al. show using 2P-OPTIC that these are disrupted in aging due to reduced pumping. Restoring cervical lymphatic function with prostaglandin F_2α rescues brain clearance.

This study reveals how infections that increase long-term dementia risk can contribute to longitudinal brain volume loss and regulate immunological proteins in plasma, and which of these proteins may drive infection-specific neurodegeneration.

Understanding the molecular changes underlying aging is important for developing biomarkers and healthy aging interventions. In this study, the authors used comprehensive multi-omics data to reveal nonlinear molecular profiles across chronological ages, highlighting two substantial variations observed around ages 40 and 60, which are linked to increased disease risks.

The Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) program was developed to promote a function-centered and individualized approach to healthy aging, but it is not yet widely implemented. In this study, de Souto Barreto et al. used early-stage ICOPE data collected in primary healthcare from more than 20,000 older adults to characterize patterns of intrinsic capacity impairment and associated odds of frailty and disability.

Oocyte quality declines during aging. Here the authors show that oocytes from aged mice cultured within follicles from young mice have improved developmental potential. Aged oocytes cultured within young follicles have enhanced interaction with somatic cells, improved mitochondrial function and better meiotic chromosome segregation.

Meguro et al. show an accumulation of p16^high senescent fibroblasts in the aging bladder that serves as a cancer-permissive niche and promotes tumor growth by secreting CXCL12. Inhibition of senescence or CXCL12 signaling suppresses bladder tumor growth.

Age-related loss of gene expression coordination may contribute to impaired cellular function. In this study, the authors analyzed age-related trends in gene–gene relationships. They found that expression control often remains intact among genes involved in shared cellular functions while the coordination between functions tends to decline.

Inhibition of S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) extends lifespan in mice, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here Gallage et al. show that reduction of S6K signaling diminishes inflammation in the aged mouse liver via suppression of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype.

Alvarez-Kuglen, Ninomiya, Qin, Rodriguez et al. demonstrate that the spatial organization of chromatin and epigenetic marks in individual nuclei follows age-related trajectories that can be captured by an imaging-based biomarker of aging (ImAge).

Research suggests that exercise has a beneficial effect on brain health during aging but more information is needed. Here, the authors show, using UK Biobank data, that the ‘weekend warrior’ physical activity pattern, with concentrated exercise over 1–2 days, is similarly linked to lower risk of brain disorders compared to regular exercise.

The identification of senescent cells is a long-standing unresolved challenge, owing to their intrinsic heterogeneity and the lack of universal markers. In this Comment, we discuss the recent advent of machine-learning-based approaches to identifying senescent cells by using unbiased, multiparameter morphological assessments, and how these tools can assist future senescence research.