A veterinary researcher studying Calgary’s urban wildlife has uncovered a surprising health anomaly in the city’s jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii). In a recent study examining 130 jackrabbits found near city roadways, researchers identified renal hamartomas—benign, tumor-like kidney growths—in six per cent of the animals.

Inside cells, RNAs and proteins form tiny, liquid-like droplets called biomolecular condensates. These droplets are essential for organizing cellular life, yet why some RNAs cluster more readily than others has remained unclear. Disruptions in condensate formation are linked to developmental defects, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now identified a new class of RNA called smOOPs and gained a better understanding of how biomolecular condensates form. The findings were published in the journal Cell Genomics. (DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2025.101065)