Biological clocks can be used to evaluate the age of a cell or organisms. This Perspective proposes the concept of an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) clock, whereby the aggregation state of an IDP encodes for a biological ageing signature.

Granath-Panelo and Kajimura review emerging evidence of mitochondrial heterogeneity in different contexts and discuss how mitochondrial malleability contributes to cell fate determination and tissue remodelling.

Metastatic colonization involves cancer-cell-intrinsic mechanisms and microenvironmental interactions, and a better understanding of the factors that influence the final, post-extravasation phases is crucial for therapeutically targeting metatstasis.

Our understanding of the basic mechanisms of autophagy is growing, but many questions remain about the types of autophagy cells use, when they use them, and how they function in different contexts. We asked emerging and established leaders in the field to discuss the questions and areas that they are most excited about to deepen our understanding of autophagy.

Wu, Zhao, Shin and Yin show that the RNA–RNA-binding protein complex LOC–DHX15 drives microglia infiltration into the tumour microenvironment in glioblastoma and suggest targeting this complex as a potential treatment strategy.

El-Hachem et al. show that MAPK therapy upregulates valine aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and alters fatty acid oxidation by promoting translation of valine-enriched transcripts, providing a resistance mechanism that may be therapeutically targeted.

Batki, Hetzel et al. report a lineage-tracing strategy to track extraembryonic gut endoderm cells over development. They find that these cells are eventually eliminated in a p53-dependent manner and neighbouring embryonic cells clear their remnants.

Liu, Xie and colleagues profile putative cis-regulatory elements in mouse oocytes and pre-implantation embryos. They further validate putative enhancers in oocytes and identify the transcription factors TCF3 and TCF12 as key regulators of folliculogenesis.

Jungnickel, Guelle et al. use metabolomics, electrophysiology and cryo-EM approaches to show that MFSD1 is a lysosomal dipeptide uniporter, which provides an additional route to recycle lysosomal proteolysis products to lysosomal amino acid exporters.

Machitani, Nomura and colleagues report that hTERT suppresses R-loops through its RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity and protects against genome instability.

Volume electron microscopy (vEM) generates large 3D volumes of cells or tissues at nanoscale resolutions, enabling analyses of organelles in their cellular environment. Here, we provide examples of vEM in cell biology and discuss community efforts to develop standards in sample preparation and image acquisition for enhanced reproducibility and data reuse.

Despite the constant renewal of their components, cellular actin networks maintain their overall appearance, through a subtle balance of filament assembly and disassembly. This balance is key to the remodelling of cellular architecture. We discuss the significance of in vitro reconstitutions in deciphering the complexity of actin regulation.

Scientists must actively advocate for infrastructure development and funding of emerging research directions through collective efforts. In India, this has been crucial to help reverse the brain drain and enable equitable contributions to research and development at the global level.

In this piece, I share a personal encounter that underscores the glaring gaps in conference accessibility and challenges faced by disabled academics. I reveal historical biases and resistance to change and propose ways to transform conferences into more inclusive spaces, ensuring that all scientists can fully participate in the scientific discourse.

Eiji Hara is a professor at the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Japan. Eiji recalls the discovery of the basis for the irreversibility of cellular senescence, published in Nature Cell Biology in 2006.