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.

Unveiling the Molecular Mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas10's Cellular Shutdown

CRISPR-Cas9 can elegantly and precisely cut away any desired region of DNA and has long been compared to a type of genetic scissors.

29 Oct 2024

The Dangers of Zoonotic Diseases

According to a recent study published in Nature, mice and ferrets infected in a high-containment laboratory setting died from a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus that was isolated from the eye of a farm worker who contracted the virus from contact with dairy cows.

29 Oct 2024

New Insights into How TRIM25 Fights RNA Viruses

Human bodies are attacked every single second of every day. The invading agents include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins both living and non-living things that could impair how well bodies work.

25 Oct 2024

New Insights into SARS-CoV-2’s Evasion of Innate Immunity

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has an enzyme that can counteract a cell's innate defense mechanism against viruses, explaining why it is more infectious than the previous SARS and MERS-causing viruses.

23 Oct 2024

New Study Uncovers How Viral Infections Trigger Pain, Identifies Potential Target for Relief

Findings indicate nociceptors detect viral nucleic acids, activating STING and TRPV1, highlighting new pain mechanisms in viral infections like HSV-1.

23 Oct 2024

Phages Form Unique 3D Shapes, Boosting Disease Detection

While preparing slides to be examined under a powerful microscope, a team of McMaster researchers who frequently work with bacteriophage viruses that consume bacteria had a pleasant and potentially very significant surprise.

22 Oct 2024

Mapping Auxiliary Metabolic Genes in Ocean Viruses

The microbes that cycle nutrients in the ocean don't do the work on their own – the viruses that infect them also influence the process.

21 Oct 2024

Unveiling a New Cellular Phase for Protein Compartmentalization

Classical mixture theory, which takes into account the percentage corresponding to each constituent as well as the interactions among constituents, can be used to model a system made up of two substances in physics.

14 Oct 2024

New Discovery Reveals How MX Protein Traps HIV and Herpes Viruses

A group of researchers led by Xavier Saelens and Sven Eyckerman at the VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology discovered how a protein linked to the human immune system wards off HIV-1 and herpes simplex virus-1 by assembling structures in the cell that lure in these viruses and then trap them or even take them apart.

11 Oct 2024

AI Uncovers Over 160000 New RNA Virus Species

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to reveal details of a diverse and fundamental branch of life living right under our feet and in every corner of the globe.

10 Oct 2024

Researchers Develop Highly Selective SARS-CoV-2 Mpro Inhibitors

New research from The Wistar Institute's Salvino lab -; led by professor Joseph Salvino, Ph.D. -; has identified a novel series of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors that may lead to potential new COVID-19 treatments that, according to preclinical testing, effectively inhibits COVID-19 and synergizes with existing anti-COVID therapies.

9 Oct 2024

Mapping the Complex Structure and Function of CRISPR-Cas Protein Scissors

CRISPR-Cas systems help to protect bacteria from viruses. Several different types of CRISPR-Cas defense systems are found in bacteria, which differ in their composition and functions.

3 Oct 2024

Understanding the Impact of Natural Flu Infections on Vaccine Effectiveness

Researchers from the University of Georgia discovered in a recent study supported by the National Institutes of Health that the effectiveness of upcoming influenza vaccinations is significantly influenced by the body's innate immunity from prior flu episodes.

1 Oct 2024

New Tool START Enables Precision Mapping of Neuronal Connectivity

Scientists at the Salk Institute are unveiling a new brain-mapping neurotechnology called Single Transcriptome Assisted Rabies Tracing (START). The cutting-edge tool combines two advanced technologies-;monosynaptic rabies virus tracing and single-cell transcriptomics-;to map the brain's intricate neuronal connections with unparalleled precision.

1 Oct 2024