TWiV 1351: Ebola Virus Brains and Contagious Catfish Cancers

NIH’s proposed shift from numerical grant scoring to a categorical binning system faces significant criticism for potentially increasing political influence, despite arguments that it could reduce arbitrary payline pressures. Meanwhile, research into Ebola virus persistence utilizes cerebral organoids to demonstrate that the virus infects neurons and persists through complex interactions, potentially involving defective interfering particles. In environmental biology, the discovery of a clonal, transmissible melanoma in brown bullhead catfish within Lake Memphremagog marks the first instance of a transmissible cancer in freshwater fish. Genomic analysis confirms these tumors share a single clonal origin that predates their appearance in the lake, highlighting the broader, often overlooked existence of transmissible cancers across diverse species. These findings underscore the critical role of rigorous scientific modeling and genomic surveillance in understanding both public health policy and complex biological phenomena.