(Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health) Ferroptosis is a recently discovered form of cell death, which is still only partially understood. Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München have now identified an enzyme that plays a key role in generating the signal that initiates cell death. Their findings, published in two articles in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, could now give new impetus to research into the fields of cancer, neurodegeneration and other degenerative diseases.