Amoebae receive surprising support in defense against viruses: The bacteria they are infected with prevent them from being destroyed by giant viruses. A research team led by microbiologist Matthias Horn from the Center for ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 29, 2022
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54
Giant viruses represent a unique group of viruses that are similar in size to small bacteria. Medusavirus—a special type of giant virus—was first isolated from a hot spring in Japan. Genetic studies showed that medusavirus ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 31, 2022
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28
For some giant viruses, a DNA-packing trick may be essential for infectivity.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 27, 2021
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268
In recent years, giant viruses have been unearthed in several of the world's most mysterious locations, from the thawing permafrost of Siberia to locations unknown beneath the Antarctic ice. But don't worry, "The Thing" is ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 8, 2020
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1576
While the microbes in a single drop of water could outnumber a small city's population, the number of viruses in the same drop—the vast majority not harmful to humans—could be even larger. Viruses infect bacteria, archaea ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 23, 2020
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165
The discovery of the Medusavirus holds clues to the evolution of more complex life. A paper published in the Journal of Virology earlier this year has been creating waves because of the ability of the Medusavirus to turn ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 1, 2019
1
224
Until recently, scientists thought of viruses as mostly small infectious agents, tiny compared to typical bacteria and human cells. So imagine the surprise when biologist Jeff Blanchard and Ph.D. student Lauren Alteio at ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 19, 2018
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784
Three new members have been isolated and added to the Pandoravirus family by researchers at the Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory (CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université), working with partners at the Large Scale Biology ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 12, 2018
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833
Bodo saltans virus, the first isolated representative of the most abundant giant viruses in the sea, has been unveiled by researchers at the University of British Columbia.
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 29, 2018
2
16
We all know viruses cause colds and flu this time of year, but you might be surprised to learn that a virus may have played a key role in the evolution of nearly all life forms on Earth.
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 7, 2018
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387
