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IL-9 and Blimp-1 protect the transcriptional identity of group 2 innate lymphocytes in allergic asthma

Open Access.


Zheng, Y., Giri, S., Zhang, J. et al. Nat Immunol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-026-02509-3 Abstract Allergic asthma is driven by type 2 immune responses, including type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s). Although ILC2s are activated by the tissue alarmins interleukin (IL)-33 and IL-25, these signals do not intrinsically enforce type 2 identity and the mechanisms that maintain type 2 cytokine expression remain unclear. Here we show that allergen-induced IL-33 and IL-25 rapidly induce IL-9, which in turn upregulates the transcriptional repressor Blimp-1 in ILC2s. Blimp-1 sustains type 2 immunity by directly repressing type 1 inflammatory programs, including expression of interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor. Deletion of Blimp-1 in ILC2s increased type 1 cytokine production and reduced IL-5 and IL-13 expression, eosinophil recruitment and mucus production in the lung. In contrast, IL-9 expression was enhanced in the absence of Blimp-1, leading to increased mast cell recruitment. Together, these findings identify Blimp-1 as a key regulator of ILC2 transcriptional fidelity that stabilizes type 2 inflammation while constraining divergent inflammatory programs during allergic responses.

The Ear as a Therapeutic Gateway to the Vagus Nerve

B cell-intrinsic type I interferon signaling contributes to defective antibody responses to a model antigen during persistent LCMV infection.


During persistent LCMV infection, Laulhé et al. reveal that B cell-intrinsic type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling drives defective affinity maturation. Although IFN-I acts directly within B cells, its absence alone fails to restore normal humoral responses, indicating that additional extrinsic mechanisms cooperate to sustain dysfunction.

Why dolphins swim so fast: The secrets of hidden whirlpools

Dolphins are famous for their speed and agility in the water, but what exactly allows them to swim so effectively? Scientists have been asking this question for years, hoping to learn how to optimize propulsion in fluids from these elegant creatures.

When a dolphin swims, it flaps its tail up and down in a kicking motion. This motion pushes water backward, generating a turbulent flow filled with swirling currents of many different sizes. Until now, it has been difficult to determine how these complex motions conspire to propel the dolphin forward.

Glitch News (@theglitchnews) • Instagram reel

16K likes, — theglitchnews on April 15, 2026: Cada era del cine tiene un momento en el que las nuevas herramientas rompen las barreras de la industria. Pasó con la llegada del sonido, el color y los efectos especiales por computadora (CGI). Hoy estamos viviendo ese mismo salto histórico gracias a la inteligencia artificial.

Lo divertido es que, en lugar de un drama profundo, lo primero que alguien decidió crear con este inmenso poder fue a Stephen Hawking en una silla de ruedas con láseres peleando contra Neil deGrasse Tyson por el control del multiverso. Los grandes cineastas de la historia estarían orgullosos… probablemente.

🎥: @aiordieshow.

Realization experiences: a convergent account of insight and mystical experiences

We argue that the powerful transformative effects of mystical-type experiences can be understood using the same machinery that underlies insight problem solving, and that both mystical experiences and insight are species of a genus of “realization experiences”: experiences wherein some phenomenon or piece of information becomes suddenly experienced as real or true. Specifically, we argue that understanding both in this way allows us to model mystical experiences through the same combination of behavioral entropy and graph theory that have successfully been used to model insight problem solving. Starting from tension between novel information and prior representations, the agent destabilizes its representational network to allow it to enter a state of altered salience and enhanced associations to update the network.

Application of the Theory of Constraints to Radiology

Radiology throughput isn’t about doing more; it’s about fixing the bottleneck. Apply the Theory of Constraints to the imaging workflow to identify true rate-limiters and target high-impact process improvements in a resource-strained environment.


Applying the theory of constraints to the radiology workflow allows identification of constraints for more targeted and higher-yield process improvement projects to increase system throughput.

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