Amphibians hold a significant place in evolution, representing the transition from aquatic to terrestrial lifestyles. They are crucial for understanding the brain and spinal cord of tetrapods—animals with four limbs, including humans. A group of scientists led by a team at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) now shows how harmless viruses can be used to illuminate the development of the frog nervous system. The results have now been published in Developmental Cell.

BUFFALO, NY- November 26, 2024 – This editorial was published by Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) in Volume 16, Issue 17, titled, “The silent protector: Nucleoporin93’s role in vascular health.”

Over the last few decades, wild boar populations have increased in the urban areas of Barcelona and in other parts of Catalonia. This wild animal is an important reservoir of the hepatitis E virus, the disease causative agent that affects more than 20 million people every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Now, a team from the Faculty of Biology, the Institute for Research on Biodiversity (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has identified a relevant molecular similarity between the hepatitis E virus (HEV) strains of wild boars in the metropolitan area of Barcelona and the citizens of this area. According to the researchers, these data suggest that these animals could be a source of human hepatitis E infections in the metropolitan region.

Min Li, Ph.D., a George Lynn Cross Professor of Medicine, Surgery and Cell Biology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Associate Director for Global Oncology at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, will receive the 2024 Palade Prize from the International Association of Pancreatology.