Malaria killed about 610,000 people globally in 2024, with most deaths occurring in Africa, where young children remain the most vulnerable. Now, scientists report a potentially game-changing weakness they've found in the parasites that cause the disease. The findings provide insights into these parasites' complex biology, the authors of the new study explain, and may help identify new ways to sabotage them. Early forms of malaria-like parasites date back to the Cretaceous , and despite the