A team of German researchers discovered that estrogen confers protection against acute kidney injury (AKI) by inhibiting ferroptosis—a form of programmed cell death—in renal tubule cells. This molecular insight explains longstanding observations of males’ higher AKI susceptibility and opens avenues for developing estrogen-based therapies to reduce AKI severity in males and postmenopausal females. The study advances understanding of sex-specific mechanisms in renal disease pathology.