Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have important roles in health and disease, but are chemically complex and difficult to measure accurately. This consensus statement proposes guidelines and best practices on the nomenclature and assessment of ROS, oxidative reactions and oxidative damage in cells, tissues and in vivo.

The authors of this Perspective argue that the commonly used terms ‘mitochondrial function’ and ‘mitochondrial dysfunction’ do not do justice to the diverse mitochondrial features, activities, functions and behaviours within cells, and thus call for the field to adopt more specific terminology in the context of mitochondrial biology.

In this instalment of Career pathways, we hear from Gerta Hoxhaj and Ed Reznik about how they followed their passion for science, the value of collaborations and mentors, asking big questions and how to think differently about metabolism.

Lab websites are an important resource for making yourself known to the research community. Here we explain why having an informative, up-to-date website can be a great tool for keeping the research community informed about your current projects.

Glunk et al. explore target genes and cellular mechanisms related to a metabolic obesity with normal-weight phenotype, and identify a non-coding variant that affects actin remodelling in subcutaneous adipocytes, which in turn affects the capacity of these cells to accumulate lipids.

Using ultrasound to activate noninvasively specific neurons in the hypothalamus, a temporary hypothermic and hypometabolic state is induced in rodents.

Anatomically resolved maps of small molecules along the gut of colonized and germ-free mice reveal distinct spatial patterns throughout the gut. These patterns can, in part, be associated with specific microorganisms producing bioactive compounds.

In this study, Skinner, Blanco-Fernández et al. show that uridine can be salvaged through the non-oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway to feed glycolysis in conditions of glucose scarcity.

Previous work using chemical inhibitors has reported the need for the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier for the classical activation of macrophages. In this study, Ran, Zhang et al. use a genetic approach to show that LPS-stimulated macrophage activation does not require the import of pyruvate into mitochondria.

Lin et al. show that small extracellular vesicles derived from SIRT2-deficient hepatocytes inhibit osteoclast differentiation from mouse and human bone-marrow-derived monocytes and alleviate bone loss in mouse models of osteoporosis.

Lab websites are an important resource for making yourself known to the research community. Here we explain why having an informative, up-to-date website can be a great tool for keeping the research community informed about your current projects.

The metabolomics literature suffers from ambiguity in the nomenclature for individual metabolites, which introduces a disconnect between publications and leads to misinterpretations. This Comment proposes recommendations for metabolite annotations to engage the scientific community and publishers to adopt a more consistent approach to metabolite nomenclature.

Scientific meetings are the perfect venue for staying on top of the field and building new relationships with researchers from all career stages, as well as solidifying bonds with current authors. Here we explain why editors of Nature Metabolism attend conferences and what we do when we get there.

The environment experienced by an individual early in life has long-term health consequences. Here we summarize key factors that should be considered when designing studies in rodents that aim to address the developmental programming of metabolic disease.