Volume 230, Issue 4, August 2025

Mullis et al. set out to map and characterize genetic loci that affect lifespan in mice. The authors collected >2,400 mice with lifespan and genotype data. The data were from multiple studies and environments which allowed us to further explore context-specific genetic effects. They identified eight loci that affect lifespan, one of which influenced lifespan in a sex-specific manner, as well as one environment-specific locus. In total these loci explain greater than half of the estimated genetic contribution to lifespan. The authors conclude that lifespan is a highly complex genetic trait.

Young pigs experience multiple non-infectious stressors, producing stress hormones that are captured in hair. Kayondo et al. determined the genetic basis of the levels of stress hormones in hair of young, clinically healthy pigs. The authors found that some are heritable, and that the hair cortisol level is a potential genetic biomarker of a pig’s coping style to non-infectious stress. They also identified a major gene for cortisol levels in hair. Results can facilitate the selection of pigs that cope better with non-infectious stressors.

Odero et al. aimed to understand genetic diversity in Anopheles funestus mosquitoes across Tanzania to inform malaria control. The authors sequenced 334 mosquitoes from 11 regions, revealing population divisions into Eastern and Western mosquito groups that showed distinct genetic profiles at resistance genes, indicating limited migration between regions despite some connectivity. This informs targeted insecticide use and genetic-based control strategies. It provides crucial insights highlighting the need for further research on how these genetic differences affect malaria transmission dynamics.