A Nature Biotechnology paper described computational and experimental advances enabling inference of tissue‑ and cell‑type origins from cell‑free nucleic acids (cfDNA/cfRNA) in blood samples. The methods combine improved deconvolution algorithms and reference atlases to assign cf‑nucleic acid signals to specific cell populations, broadening liquid biopsy utility for early detection, monitoring and tissue‑specific injury assessment. Cell‑free nucleic acids are fragments released into circulation from dying or stressed cells; accurately mapping them to cell types could inform diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring without invasive biopsies. The study highlights technical validation and potential clinical applications across oncology, transplant and inflammatory disease.