The novel coronavirus uses structures within its RNA to infect cells. Scientists have now identified these configurations, generating the most comprehensive atlas to date of SARS-CoV-2's genome.
Biotechnology
Sep 1, 2020
0
37
Scientists have mapped the genome of the black swan in an effort to understand immune responses to the deadly 'bird flu' virus and better protect public health.
Biotechnology
Jul 29, 2020
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17
When a new virus emerges, biologists rush to reconstruct its genome—a prerequisite for future diagnostic and vaccine development. The challenge with viral sequencing during an outbreak is that a sample from a patient, like ...
Molecular & Computational biology
May 27, 2020
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2
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
8
1576
By analysing virus genomes from over 7,500 people infected with Covid-19, a UCL-led research team has characterised patterns of diversity of SARS-CoV-2 virus genome, offering clues to direct drugs and vaccine targets.
Evolution
May 5, 2020
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1217
Viruses are little more than parasitic fragments of RNA or DNA. Despite this, they are astonishingly abundant in number and genetic diversity. We don't know how many virus species there are, but there could be trillions.
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 27, 2020
0
15
Jean and Peter Medawar wrote in 1977 that a virus is "simply a piece of bad news wrapped up in proteins." The 'bad news' in the SARS-CoV-2 case is the new coronavirus carries its mysterious genome in the form of a very long ...
Biotechnology
Apr 9, 2020
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631
The COVID-19 outbreak caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 12 March 2020. It is thought to have been transmitted from wild animals to humans in the Chinese ...
Biotechnology
Apr 3, 2020
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49
As SARS-CoV-2 has spread around the world, its transmission rate has varied alongside variations in its genome, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis. Surveillance of the virus genome may help public ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 3, 2020
1
332
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
