Researchers slow neurodegeneration in mice by barring T cells from the brain

The headline describes a mouse study showing that barring T cells from the brain slowed neurodegeneration; the newsletter references "new research on stopping Alzheimer’s disease," suggesting the work may relate to neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative conditions. The available excerpt does not include the study’s methods, specific results, or disease model.

The newsletter opens with a postscript on Anthropic’s biological breakthrough: Claude was said to have discovered a new enzyme system with DNA repeats "reminiscent of CRISPR." University of Copenhagen professor Mario Rodríguez Mestre had already been studying the same enzymes, using Anthropic’s AI to write code and draft manuscripts. He wonders whether AI relied partly on his work; Anthropic said Claude is not trained on user transcripts, so even shared work would not have influenced its findings. The episode raises questions about how AI makes discoveries and credits human labor.

It then reports worsening public health outbreaks: Ebola cases in Congo climbed past 8,000 and the outbreak is spreading to new areas and remains "out of control," with health workers so stretched that routine primary care is hard to access. Confirmed measles cases in Pennsylvania jumped to 903, nearly a third in people under 18. In Tampa Bay, Florida, a "wildly unusual" dengue outbreak has caused at least one death and 190 infections, with climate change allowing the mosquito vector to spread farther north.

Finally, the excerpt covers a legal fight: the Trump administration filed an emergency Supreme Court appeal to enforce restrictions on gender-affirming care in federal prisons after a lower court blocked immediate implementation. The policy stems from an executive order halting surgeries and hormone therapy while allowing mental health services. ACLU attorneys called it a direct threat to transgender people’s wellbeing and rights; the Federal Bureau of Prisons does not dispute that gender dysphoria can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety, but Trump officials argue the ban is needed to avoid federal spending on "conforming" care.