The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded on Monday to three scientists for discovering how a particular kind of cell can stop the body's immune system from attacking itself.

Left unchecked, immune cells can mistakenly attack healthy tissue: the hallmark of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis. And when the system becomes too cautious, it can overlook genuine threats, giving cancers the chance to grow unnoticed.

For the Nobel laureates, the journey began in the 1980s with Shakaguchi’s discovery, and was furthered in the 1990s-2000s by Brunkow and Ramsdell’s work

A study published in Nature Communications describes how lymphatic endothelial cells assist in generating robust immune memory, offering new insights into how the immune system functions.

New research shows pollution particles can stick to red blood cells, traveling through the body—and masks may help stop them in their tracks.