GoKawiilFrom the moment an embryo begins to form, cells are on the move: immune cells fight infection, stem cells renew tissues and wound-healing cells rush to sites of injury. For neurons, migration happens just once — during their early development. After being born deep in the developing brain, neurons travel, sometimes considerable distances, to reach the specific layers and regions where they will remain for the rest of their lives. When they are in position, they form the connections that underlie thought, perception and movement. It has long been assumed that this journey, however arduous, leaves the neuron’s genetic material fundamentally intact. Writing in Nature, Zhang et al.1 now challenge that assumption in a striking way.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01705-3
References Zhang, Z. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10648-8 (2026). Denais, C. M. et al. Science 352, 353–358 (2016). Madabhushi, R. et al. Cell 161, 1592–1605 (2015). Download references
Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interests.
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