Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can differentiate into any blood cell. However, as HSCs age, they are more likely to differentiate into platelets and myeloid cells. This age-dependent shift is poorly understood due to a lack of marker genes. Now, scientists from the University of Tokyo present the Clusterin (Clu) gene as a novel biomarker of HSC aging. This allows easy identification of aged HSCs, shedding light on the biological mechanisms of aging.

Rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs) have been considered a promising “post lithium-ion battery” system to meet the rapidly increasing demand of the emerging electric vehicle and grid energy storage market. However, the sluggish diffusion kinetics of bivalent Mg²⁺ in the host material, related to the strong Coulomb effect between Mg²⁺ and host anion lattices, hinders their further development toward practical applications. Defect engineering, regarded as an effective strategy to break through the slow migration puzzle, has been validated in various cathode materials for RMBs. In this review, we first thoroughly understand the intrinsic mechanism of Mg²⁺ diffusion in cathode materials, from which the key factors affecting ion diffusion are further presented. Then, the positive effects of purposely introduced defects, including vacancy and doping, and the corresponding strategies for introducing various defects are discussed. The applications of defect engineering in cathode materials for RMBs with advanced electrochemical properties are also summarized. Finally, the existing challenges and future perspectives of defect engineering in cathode materials for the overall high-performance RMBs are described.