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Teachers share their sweetest gifts from students and it's a moving lesson in generosity
Some of the most precious gifts come straight from the heart. A former teacher shared an incredible story of a student's selflessness, generosity and thoughtfulness. Nine years ago, the student didn't have a Christmas gift for her, so he opened up a pack of crayons, gave her the purple one, and said "I hope you love it, I know it's your favorite color." Flex those love muscles; share stories that show you care and recognize heartfelt gestures with admiration đ

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At 92, She's Breaking World Records â and Rewriting The Science of Aging
Emma Mazzenga isnât your typical 92-year-old. Sheâs a world-record-holding sprinter, still lacing up her spikes and flying down the track. The Italian runner shot to international attention in 2024 when she shattered the 200-metre world indoor record for the over-90 age group, clocking in at 54.47 seconds. This June, she set a personal best of 50.34. âI just like the competition,â Mazzenga told CNN Sports. âAnd even now, maybe a little less than in the past, I still feel tense before each race.â Her story has drawn interest not just from sports fans, but from scientists eager to understand how someone her age continues to perform at such a high level. Mazzenga wasnât always an elite athlete. As a teenager, she played basketball and later competed in university athletics. But after graduating, life took over. She married in 1963 and spent the next 25 years focused on work and raising a family, putting competitive sports aside. It wasnât until 1986, at age 53, that she returned to training. Since then, sheâs been remarkably consistent, working with a coach and training three times a week. âInitially a couple of hours, now one hour a day,â she said. Inside her Padova apartment, the walls are lined with medals from decades of Masters competitions. One of her favourites is from Sacramento in 2011, where she won the 400-metre W75 race â her first world title. She doesnât follow a strict diet. Breakfast is often a ham or salami sandwich. Lunch includes a modest portion of pasta â 30 or 40 grams â followed by meat or fish and vegetables. Dinner is usually light. She enjoys a daily glass of red wine, walks to the market, reads in the afternoon, and frequents a nearby cinema. âAt five in the morning, Iâm awake,â she said. âI never stay a whole day in the house unless the weather prevents me from going out.â That daily movement, she believes, is key. âThis is important. This is how it should be continued. And above all â do not isolate yourself,â she said. Her remarkable physical condition caught the attention of Simone Porcelli, a physiology professor at the University of Pavia, who invited her to participate in the TRAJECTORAGE Project â a long-term study tracking the decline of neuromuscular function in healthy adults over 60. Led by researchers from several Italian institutions and supported by international partners in the US and Spain, the study is trying to pinpoint when and how age-related physical decline begins, and what role exercise might play in slowing it down. Martino Franchi, one of the scientists leading the project from the University of Padova, said the team was especially interested in Mazzengaâs resilience. âAs we age, we get slower⌠So what we want to understand with this study is: is there a point in our life where things start to go downhill?â Mazzenga, the oldest and most active participant in the study, has become the teamâs âcherry on the cake.â Her physiological data offers a rare glimpse into whatâs possible late in life. When researchers tested her 18 months ago, they found her cardiorespiratory fitness matched that of someone in their 50s. Even more astonishing, the mitochondrial function in her muscles â the parts responsible for producing energy â was comparable to a healthy 20-year-old. This month, Mazzenga returned to the lab for another full day of testing. Scientists took a muscle sample from her quadriceps to examine cell structure, blood supply, and energy production. She underwent cardiovascular stress tests, ultrasounds, and evaluations of leg strength and oxygen efficiency. She had aged, as expected. But compared to the average 92-year-old, the decline was minimal. Thatâs exactly what the researchers are trying to unpack. â(Mazzenga) will give us a reference point that we will use as a comparison to look back⌠and understand if the same traits that we see on Emma can be found on some people,â said Franchi. âAnd if those are related to either, you know, like somebody that found the Fountain of Youth⌠or if this is related to exercise and physical activity.â Mazzenga remains modest. She continues training three times a week, but says movement is more than just a routine â itâs a mindset. She avoids isolation by attending local community groups, reading, and staying socially active. âWe meet with different topics, we read some books⌠so that we can find each other. It is very, very, very important.â She may not have found the Fountain of Youth. But in her case, the science of aging is running to catch up.

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Toddler Defies Odds After Doctors Predict Just 3 Years To Live
When Meghan Jenkins noticed her energetic toddler Malachi wasnât himself in March 2021âtired, coughing, with black stoolâshe trusted her instincts and rushed him to the ER. Hours later, doctors delivered the diagnosis that would change everything: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer. He was just 3 years old. âIn that moment, you question God,â Jenkins said. âThis was my only child⌠and then I had a big hit.â Malachiâs white blood cell count was more than ten times the normal level, and the cancer had already taken hold. He was quickly admitted to the pediatric ICU and started on intense chemotherapy. The treatment was hard. Malachi regressed in potty training, grew weak, and was too immunocompromised for his mother to touch without gloves. âThere were days I didnât even think I was going to go on, but I had to,â Jenkins said. âIt was stressful. It was depressing, constantly being in there.â For the first month, Malachi remained in the hospital. After that, he continued chemotherapy from homeâtaking eight medications a day and still spending much of his week at the hospital. The âmaintenance phaseâ followed, stretching over two years of oral medication and hospital visits every few weeks. But in August 2023, two and a half years after that terrifying ER visit, Malachi rang the bell signifying the end of his treatment. âYou look at him, you canât tell he ever had leukemia,â said Dr. Julio Barredo, director of pediatric cancer programs at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. âFor all practical purposes, he is pretty much cured at this point in time.â Now 7, Malachi is in remissionâand thriving. Heâs a big reader, loves sharing facts, excels in his gifted classes, and still roots for the Miami Dolphins. His immune system is still recovering, but his doctors say his prognosis is excellent. After passing the crucial two-year post-treatment mark without relapse, the odds are now firmly in his favor. âThis whole process was very hard. Itâs still hard,â Jenkins said. âBut there is a brighter situation. There are happier days than just being in the hospital and being sad.â For Malachi and his mom, those days are finally here.

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Netflix Unwraps Star-Studded Holiday Movie Lineup For 2025
Netflix Unwraps Five Brand-New Christmas Movies for 2025 â Hereâs What to Watch Netflix is delivering a sleigh-full of holiday cheer this season, with five new Christmas movies premiering throughout November and December 2025. Packed with snowy settings, cozy small towns, second chances at love, and even a department store heist, the lineup offers something for every kind of festive mood. Hereâs your ultimate guide to Netflixâs newest holiday movies â from rom-coms to rescue missions: đ A Merry Little Ex-Mas Premiere Date: November 12 Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson, Jameela Jamil, Pierson Fode Eco-conscious architect Kate (Silverstone) and her soon-to-be-ex Everett (Hudson) plan to spend one final Christmas together before finalizing their divorce. But things spiral when Everett shows up with his glamorous new girlfriend (Jamil), and Kate arrives with a much younger rebound (Fode). What follows is a tangled mess of old feelings, awkward moments, and holiday hijinks. As tensions rise â and snow falls â the exes are forced to ask themselves: is it really over, or does love deserve a second chance? đˇ Under the Mistletoe at Château Cassell Starring: Minka Kelly, Tom Wozniczka When high-powered American executive Sydney (Kelly) is sent to France to secure a prestigious family-owned vineyard before Christmas, she expects a quick deal â not a romantic detour. But when she meets Henri (Wozniczka), the charming son of the vineyardâs owner, her heart begins to compete with her business instincts. With snow-dusted vines and sparkling wine as the backdrop, Sydney must choose between closing the deal or opening herself up to love. đď¸ Jingle Bell Heist Starring: Olivia Holt, Connor Swindells Set inside a lavish London department store during the holidays, this romantic caper follows Sophia (Holt), a retail clerk moonlighting to support her ailing mother, and Nick (Swindells), a former security pro trying to rebuild his life. Together, they hatch a bold Christmas Eve heist â but things get complicated when feelings start to interfere. Is the biggest score love itself? đ My Secret Santa Starring: Alexandra Breckenridge, Tia Mowry, Ryan Eggold Single mom Taylor (Breckenridge) lands a job as a resort Santa to get discounted snowboarding lessons for her daughter â but to do so, she disguises herself as âHugh Mann,â a bearded Kris Kringle with a secret. Her no-nonsense boss Natasha (Mowry) is suspicious, and Taylor finds herself falling for Matthew (Eggold), the resort ownerâs son. With her cover at risk, Taylor must decide if the truth â and love â is worth unwrapping. đ The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2 Starring: Ernesto Sevilla, Unax Hayden, Santiago Segura The father-son duo from The Night My Dad Saved Christmas is back â and so are the holiday shenanigans. This time, Santaâs been kidnapped by a toy company CEO with bad intentions. With Christmas on the line (again), Salva (Sevilla) and Lucas (Hayden) race against time to save the day. Expect gadgets, snowball fights, and lots of laughs in this festive family sequel. Whether youâre in the mood for stolen kisses or stolen goods, Netflixâs 2025 Christmas lineup has all the ingredients for a cozy holiday binge. So queue up the hot cocoa, grab a blanket, and let the festive marathons begin.

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Smashing Objects in Rage Rooms May Relieve Stress and Anger
Across the UK, a new kind of stress relief is drawing crowds: rage rooms. For ÂŁ50 or so, customers suit up in protective gear and spend 30 minutes smashing bottles, TVs, plates, and furniture in a safe, controlled environment. Itâs loud. Itâs messy. And itâs wildly popular. âWe canât keep up with demand,â said Amelia Smewing of Smash It Rage Rooms in south-east London. She and her husband started the business after exploring ways to help their son manage PTSD. Now, theyâre at capacity and eyeing a second venue. Their customers vary widelyâfrom teenagers referred by therapists to groups of women celebrating breakups. According to Rob Clark at Urban Xtreme Ltd, the rage room is now one of their fastest-growing attractions. âThe feedback we get is consistently good,â Clark said. âIt gives people a safe, constructive way to release pent-up anger and frustration. For some, itâs genuinely improving their mental wellbeing.â Some youth care homes even bring teenagers in regularly, and a handful of therapists reportedly refer clients when traditional therapy isnât cutting it. Lucy Bee, who runs Rage Rooms Leamington Spa, says her typical customer is âa woman in her early 40s with a good job, a couple of kidsâsomeone who's just at breaking point.â âA lot of women are permanently teetering, living in survival mode,â she said. âAnd this gives them a way to just let it out.â Bee, who has a background in holistic therapy, says many of her clients carry shame and guilt about feeling angry. Rage rooms, she believes, offer a non-judgmental space to feel somethingâwithout having to apologise for it. And yet, not everyone is sold. What the science says Experts in psychology and behavioural science warn that smashing things may not be the healing breakthrough it appears to be. Dr Sophie KjĂŚrvik, a researcher at the Norwegian Center for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, co-authored a major review on anger and catharsis. Her conclusion: smashing things might actually increase feelings of rage, not reduce them. âYouâre activating your body in a way that your brain can interpret as that youâre getting more angry,â she said. âMeditation, mindfulness, muscle relaxationâthese are far more effective ways of managing anger.â Dr Ryan Martin, a psychology dean at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, said the appeal of rage rooms is understandableâbut potentially misleading. âIt feels good, so people assume itâs good for them,â Martin said. âBut so do other things like drinking and overeating, and theyâre not great coping strategies either.â Professor Brad Bushman of Ohio State University echoed that concern: âWhen people feed their anger in these rage rooms, theyâre just practising how to behave more aggressively.â Still, many find valueâif not resolution Smewing disagrees. âJust because theyâve smashed up the air fryer at the rage room doesnât mean theyâre going to go home and smash up the air fryer in their kitchen,â she said. Her point: itâs a controlled space, not a model for everyday behaviour. Psychologist and author Suzy Reading takes a more balanced view. She acknowledges that rage rooms can provide a short-term release, but warns they donât address root causes. âIf there isnât an understanding of what caused the anger, then we just go back into our home lives and work lives and nothing changes,â she said. âAnd for a lot of women, [the cause is] going to be unmet needs.â Reading suggests anger shouldnât be suppressedâbut neither should it be left unexamined. âWe want to regulate our nervous system so that we can articulate well. Then we can actually do something about whatâs making us angry.â A noisy release, but no magic fix On a recent visit to a rage room, one participant described the experience as more chaotic than cathartic. âIâm smashing wine bottles and laughing at myself,â they said. âBut I donât enjoy the noise, and Iâm thinking more about the mess than anything else.â For some, that might be enoughâa laugh, a break, a bit of space. But for those hoping to find lasting peace by swinging a crowbar at a microwave, the science says: maybe look deeper.

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Rescue Dogs in Christmas Jumpers Marched to Buckingham Palace For a Festive Cause
More than 150 rescue dogs donned their best Christmas jumpers and took to the streets of London for a holiday walk to Buckingham Palaceâbringing tails, tinsel, and a whole lot of cheer to the capital. The event was organized by Rescue Dogs of London, a group that hosts regular meet-ups for adopted dogs and their owners. This festive outing was all about raising awarenessâand smilesâin support of animal rescue charities. May Wong, one of the organizers, brought along her two rescue dogs, George and Lulu. George was rescued from Hungary, Lulu from China. Both were given a second chance at life. âMany of the dogs had a terrible start in life,â Wong said. âBut theyâve been given second chances by their new owners. We feel so blessed to have them in our lives.â Passersby near the palace were treated to a joyful procession of pups in Santa hats, elf costumes, and full-knit Christmas jumpers. Some dogs rode in strollers, others trotted proudly on leads, soaking up attention and the occasional snack. And if you missed this canine Christmas parade, donât worryâthereâs more to come. A Christmas jumper parade just for corgis is set to take place on 6 December, followed by a sausage dog walk through Hyde Park on 14 December. Festive fashion for four-legged friends is clearly in full swing. For now, the rescue dogs of London have shown what the seasonâs really about: second chances, warm jumpers, and wagging tails.

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Ryan Reynolds says 'Green Lantern' floppedâbut taught him everything he needed to succeed
Ryan Reynolds isnât running from Green Lanternâheâs owning it. At The Wall Street Journal's CMO Council Summit on Nov. 18, the actor opened up about the 2011 superhero film thatâs widely seen as one of the biggest flops of his career. But for Reynolds, it wasnât just a failure. It was a turning point. "Creatively speaking, it's hard to say. Someone might say Green Lantern," he said with a grin, when asked to name a past misstep that turned into a valuable lesson. âYou laugh, but my son, it's his favorite movie, and he watches it every f------ day,â he added, to laughter from the audience. âDo you understand the work I've had to do to get to the place where I can just pass by that screen and not go, 'Well, we could have [done something to make it better]?' â Green Lantern, which starred Reynolds alongside Blake Lively, bombed with both critics and audiences when it hit theaters in 2011. But it was also where Reynolds met Lively, now his wife and the mother of their four children. Back then, Reynolds said, he didnât have much creative controlâand that left a lasting impression. âThat was a time in my life when I was 'Yes, sir, no, sir. How high can I jump, sir?ââ he said. âYou sit there and you go, âI have really strong thoughts and opinions on a creative matter,â and someone else on another movie made a creative decision, and I thought, âWell, thatâs a nail in a coffin that I alone will lie in.ââ Reynolds said the failure taught him one of the most important lessons of his career: take ownership. âThey donât say âThis producerâs movie floppedâ or âThis directorâs [movie flopped].â Thatâs me. So if Iâm going to be on that headline, Iâd like to be the architect of my own demiseâor success.â It wasnât the first time Reynolds has reflected on what went wrong with Green Lantern. At the TIME 100 Summit earlier this year, he said the movie suffered from a bloated budget and a lack of creative focus. âToo much money, too much time wrecks creativity,â he said. âIt just murders it. Constraint is the greatest creative tool you could possibly have.â At the time, he recalled watching piles of money go into special effects rather than sharpening the story or direction. Reynolds didnât even watch the full movie until 2021âten years after its release. But despite its commercial failure, it helped push him toward a more hands-on approach with future projects, especially Deadpool, the R-rated Marvel antihero film that turned him into a global box office star. Now, more than a decade later, Reynolds is the first to admit the movie didnât work. But heâs also not sorry it happened. After all, it gave him some of the biggest lessons of his careerâand his family. He and Lively, who wed in 2012, now share four children: James, 10, Inez, 9, Betty, 6, and Olin, 2. So yes, Green Lantern may not have aged well. But in the Reynolds household, at least one fan watches it every single day.

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At 94, Anne Twitchell donates 105 acres to protect New Hampshire wildlife and water
Anne Twitchell isnât just leaving behind a legacyâsheâs protecting one. The 94-year-old from Peterborough, New Hampshire, has donated 105 acres of land to the Monadnock Conservancy, ensuring that forests, wetlands, and waterways in Fitzwilliam will remain untouched and preserved for generations to come. Her gift includes two parcels: one 84-acre stretch that contains forested wetlands, a stream, and habitat for local wildlife; the other 21 acres, with two streams that play a critical role in supporting the townâs water supply. âI am pleased that Monadnock Conservancy will be the guardian of these two lots in Fitzwilliam,â Twitchell told the Keene Sentinel. âThey will be carrying on the forestry practices that David Kent has done for the past number of years and the wildlife will continue to have a home.â The land has been in Twitchellâs family for over a century. Now, sheâs made sure it will stay wild and protected. Anne McBride, the Conservancyâs land protection director, called the donation an incredible gift. âWe are hugely grateful to Anne for these gifts of land,â she said. âWe look forward to continuing her thoughtful stewardship of sustainable forestry and maintaining important wildlife habitat.â The Monadnock Conservancy focuses on land conservation across southwestern New Hampshire. Their work goes beyond simply preserving open spaceâthey restore native habitats, maintain hiking trails, protect water quality, and offer educational programs, especially for children. That means Twitchellâs donation wonât just sit idle. It will be actively cared for and used as a resource for both the environment and the community. Mount Monadnock itself is a major focus of the Conservancyâs efforts. The mountainâs summit was left bare after fires in the 1800s, but further down the slopes are alpine bogs and rich ecosystems that need protection. In 1987, the area was designated a National Natural Landmark. By preserving key watersheds and wildlife corridors, contributions like Twitchellâs help secure the environmental health of the entire region. And while few people have 105 acres to give away, the Conservancy says everyone can make a differenceâwhether by donating, volunteering, or simply caring for the land around them. Twitchellâs gift may be rooted in family history, but its impact will stretch far beyond it. Thanks to her, the forests and streams of Fitzwilliam have a future.

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This Border Collie Knows 220 Toy Names â and Heâs Helping Scientists Study Dog Intelligence
Harvey might just be the smartest dog in Britain â and scientists are taking notice. The seven-year-old border collie, who lives in Reading, has memorized the names of about 220 different toys and can fetch each one on command. His skill isnât just a party trick. Researchers say it could unlock new ways to identify and train other highly intelligent dogs. Dr Juliane Kaminski, a dog cognition expert at the University of Portsmouth, has spent years studying dogs like Harvey. In a joint project with the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena in Germany, her team found only 10 dogs worldwide that can reliably associate hundreds of spoken words with specific objects. âI have spoken to people who proactively try to train their dogs and I thought: âthis is really hard,ââ Kaminski said. âItâs not something that you can train any dog [to do].â That led her to a key question: âIs there something about these dogs that is different⌠something that is special, something that is unique about them in terms of their cognition?â The study found that certain traits â like curiosity and a drive to engage with objects â were critical for dogs that excel at label learning, the ability to link words with items. Harvey checks all the boxes. His owner, Irene Hewlett, has been playing retrieval games with him since he was a puppy, giving commands in both Dutch and English. At home, the floor is often scattered with plush animals, ropes, and chew toys â all of which he knows by name. âWe play this game all day so itâs kind of his job,â Hewlett said. âBorder collies are working dogs so they need a job to keep their minds occupied to make sure they donât do naughty things. He plays this all day.â For Harvey, itâs a game. For researchers, it could lead to something more. Dr Kaminski believes dogs like Harvey could help charities and service dog organizations improve how they train animals to assist people in their homes â particularly individuals who could benefit from a dog that can understand and retrieve items by name. âIf we could identify these dogs, we could then work with charities to train dogs to assist people in their homes,â she said. âFor charities to train any dogs, itâs quite hard. But if they have these pre-tests as a way to exclude puppies or a way to find the right puppy then that would make it easier for them.â In other words, dogs like Harvey might one day help identify future service animals â not just with their wagging tails, but with their brains.
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This Teen Innovator Just Won a Prestigious Prize For Turning Seaweed Into a Climate Solution
At just 16, Anisha Dhoot isnât waiting for someone else to fix the climate crisis. The high school student from Oregon has launched a sustainability project thatâs already earning national attentionâand delivering real-world impact. Anisha recently won the 2025 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, an award that celebrates young people who make a positive difference. Her winning initiative, Smart Carbon Recycling, tackles two major environmental problems at once: climate change and soil degradation. Her idea? Use seaweed. Anisha developed KelpNutriBoost, a low-cost fertilizer made from seaweed collected along the Oregon coast. The fast-growing kelp captures carbon from the atmosphere efficiently, and when turned into fertilizer, helps restore damaged soils. But she didnât stop there. To supercharge the impact, Anisha combined her kelp-based fertilizer with biocharâa charcoal-like material made from recycled plastic and treated sewage. The result is a mix that not only nourishes crops, but also locks carbon into the soil. Anisha says the project was born from a simple but urgent concern. âClimate change is real, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that human beings don't destroy this beautiful planet,â she said. Her work goes beyond chemistry and biology. She also created Earth-AI, a digital tool that predicts which crops will grow best based on local soil and climate conditions. Anisha taught herself how to code by taking online courses, eventually building an AI model accurate enough to help farmers make planting decisions. Her goal is to make the app accessible via smartphonesâespecially for small-scale farmers in developing countries. âI want to share my passion, spread awareness, and inspire other people to act,â Anisha said. Back home in Oregon, sheâs already making that happen. She distributes her fertilizer to local farms and raises awareness through fundraisers. And now, with the $10,000 prize money from the Barron Prize, she plans to take her project even further. In an interview, she said she hopes to spend the next 15 years becoming âa successful STEM professional working in a technology company on some of the world's hardest problems to improve the life of every person on Earth.â Anishaâs story is part of a larger wave of young climate leaders stepping up around the worldâdeveloping solutions, mobilizing communities, and rethinking the way we live on a rapidly warming planet. âAs a community, if we all work together, we can actually make a real impact,â she said. âI canât wait to see what comes next.â

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New Alzheimerâs study shows brain cells can âvacuumâ toxic plaquesâif given the right boost
In a promising new development for Alzheimerâs research, scientists at Baylor College of Medicine have found a way to supercharge the brainâs own clean-up crewâpotentially reversing memory loss and slowing disease progression. The research, published in Nature Neuroscience, focuses on astrocytes, star-shaped brain cells that handle maintenance tasks like clearing out waste and supporting memory. In mice with symptoms similar to Alzheimerâs disease, researchers discovered that a protein called Sox9 can push these cells into overdrive, helping them remove the toxic clumps of amyloid-beta plaques more efficiently. âMost current treatments focus on neurons or try to prevent the formation of amyloid plaques,â said neuroscientist Benjamin Deneen, one of the studyâs authors. âThis study suggests that enhancing astrocytesâ natural ability to clean up could be just as important.â In Alzheimerâs, the buildup of amyloid-beta plaques is widely believed to damage neurons and lead to cognitive decline. While itâs still debated whether these clumps are a cause or a symptom of the disease, they remain a primary target for many drug therapies. This new study offers a different approachârather than prevent plaques, it aims to empower the cells responsible for removing them. Lead researcher Dong-Joo Choi, now at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, explained that as the brain ages, astrocytes lose some of their efficiency, but boosting Sox9 levels appeared to reinvigorate them. âAs the brain ages, astrocytes show profound functional alterations. However, the role these alterations play in aging and neurodegeneration is not yet understood,â Choi said. The researchers found that increasing Sox9 led to greater expression of a receptor called MEGF10, which astrocytes use to identify and absorb wasteâincluding amyloid-beta. In mouse trials, the animals not only had fewer plaques in their brains, they also performed better in memory and behavioral tests after receiving the treatment. Critically, the study didnât just look at prevention. The mice used in the trials already had cognitive impairment and plaque build-up, a scenario that mirrors the reality faced by many people already living with Alzheimerâs. âWe believe these models are more relevant to what we see in many patients with Alzheimerâs disease symptoms than other models in which these types of experiments are conducted before the plaques form,â Choi said. To confirm the importance of Sox9, the team also genetically engineered mice to remove the protein. Those mice fared worseâshowing poorer memory and more plaque accumulationâsuggesting that Sox9 isnât just helpful, it may be essential for astrocyte health in the face of Alzheimerâs. Interestingly, previous research has found elevated levels of Sox9 in the brains of people with Alzheimerâs. That might indicate the brainâs own attempt to fight back against plaque build-upâan effort this new study could help boost or replicate with targeted therapies. While these results are still in the early stages and were tested only in mice, the findings open the door to a new type of treatmentâone that doesnât rely solely on targeting neurons or halting plaque formation, but instead supports the bodyâs own waste-removal systems. With the field of Alzheimerâs research rapidly expanding, and multiple strategies being explored at once, itâs clear that no single answer will solve this complex disease. But studies like this one bring scientists a step closer to understanding the full pictureâand finding new ways to intervene. For now, the next step is translating these findings into human trials, something the researchers hope can happen in the near future.