Virus News and Research

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A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that can reproduce only inside a host cell. Viruses infect all types of organisms: from animals and plants, to bacteria and archaea. Since the initial discovery of tobacco mosaic virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, more than 5,000 types of virus have been described in detail, although most types of virus remain undiscovered. Viruses are ubiquitous, as they are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth, and are the most abundant type of biological entity on the planet. The study of viruses is known as virology, and is a branch of microbiology.

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 can survive on common surfaces for long periods of time

Researchers at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can survive for up to 28 days on common surfaces including banknotes, glass - such as that found on mobile phone screens - and stainless steel.

12 Oct 2020

Study offers new insights how the plant tips stay free of virus

Plants are able to keep growing indefinitely because they have tissues made of meristems--plant stem cells--which have the unique ability to transform themselves into the various specialized cells that make up the plant, dividing whenever appropriate and producing new cells of whatever type as needed.

9 Oct 2020

Study offers new treatment strategies for HIV

According to a new study, immune cells that can detect residual HIV-infected cells in patients living with HIV and undergoing ART continue to remain active.

8 Oct 2020

New method reveals structural data of membrane proteins in explicit detail

The human body contains a vast number of proteins that are collectively called the proteome.

8 Oct 2020

Urban air pollution may make COVID-19 more severe for some

In a recent study, researchers at Emory University found that long-term exposure to urban air pollution may have made COVID-19 more deadly.

8 Oct 2020

Scientists identify new ingredient that makes vaccine more effective

A number of vaccines contain ingredients known as adjuvants that make them more effective by triggering a more powerful immune response.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers identify a promising treatment for COVID-19 infection

An effective method for treating the 2003 SARS epidemic, also works on the closely associated SARS-CoV-2 virus.

5 Oct 2020

Neanderthal gene variant associated with higher risk of developing severe COVID-19

Research has revealed that a part of DNA, which causes a almost three times higher risk of developing severe COVID-19, is inherited from Neanderthals.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers identify small molecules that target a structure within SARS-CoV-2 genome

SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that is responsible for causing COVID-19. This pathogen has now crippled economies, health care systems, and everyday lives across the world.

5 Oct 2020

Study offers clues to optimize defense tactics against viruses

Science's pursuits of unraveling how human cells fight viral infections kicked into high gear in 2020 with the devastating emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

30 Sep 2020

New mobile app analyzes SARS-CoV-2 genome on a smartphone

A new mobile app has made it possible to analyse the genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on a smartphone in less than half an hour.

30 Sep 2020

Memory training for the immune system

After an infection of the human body with a pathogen, a cascade of reactions will usually be set into motion.

29 Sep 2020

Genetic variations may not contribute to mortality and morbidity of COVID-19

Researchers did not find any major differences across populations and ethnic groups in seven genes linked to the viral entry of SARS-CoV-2.

25 Sep 2020

Researchers identify role of glycans in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

With a surge in the COVID-19 cases, scientists are working actively to develop therapies and vaccines to impede SARS-CoV-2.

25 Sep 2020

Researchers analyze individual cells to build an atlas of the human heart

Scientists have created a cellular and molecular map of the healthy human heart, to understand how this vital organ functions, and to shed light on what goes wrong in cardiovascular disease.

25 Sep 2020

New antibodies could form the basis of a broad-spectrum flu drug

Researchers have identified two antibodies that protect mice against lethal infections of influenza B virus, report scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

25 Sep 2020

Scientists uncover new parvovirus strategy for reaching the cell nucleus

Researchers at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, in collaboration with American scientists, have uncovered a new parvovirus strategy for reaching the cell nucleus which is their site of replication.

25 Sep 2020

T-cell-based vaccine strategy provides broader protection against influenza

As Americans begin pulling up their sleeves for an annual flu vaccine, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have provided new insights into an alternative vaccine approach that provides broader protection against seasonal influenza.

24 Sep 2020

New brain-inspired nanodevice can identify mutations in viruses

In the September issue of the journal Nature, scientists from Texas A&M University, Hewlett Packard Labs and Stanford University have described a new nanodevice that acts almost identically to a brain cell.

24 Sep 2020

New Dual CAR T cell immunotherapy can help fight against HIV infection

A recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine, led by researchers James Riley, PhD, a professor of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Todd Allen, PhD, a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Group Leader at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, describes a new Dual CAR T cell immunotherapy that can help fight HIV infection

24 Sep 2020