Viruses are acellular infectious agents that depend entirely on host cellular machinery for replication and are therefore studied as a central topic in microbiology, virology, and infectious disease research. They consist minimally of a nucleic acid genome (DNA or RNA, single- or double-stranded, linear or circular) enclosed in a protein capsid, and in many cases a host-derived lipid envelope containing viral glycoproteins. Viral classification and research focus on genome organization, replication strategies, host range, tropism, mechanisms of cell entry and egress, immune evasion, and evolutionary dynamics, as well as their roles in pathogenesis, horizontal gene transfer, and biotechnology applications such as vectors and phage therapy.
In 2020, as scientists around the world were racing to understand COVID-19, Prof. Roy Bar-Ziv and his team at the Weizmann Institute of Science started developing a DNA chip that could not only quickly show how our immune ...
Bio & Medicine
Dec 11, 2025
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Viruses in wetland soil play a more important role than previously understood and could even be indicators of ecosystem health, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Recently published ...
Ecology
Dec 10, 2025
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In a pilot study, researchers from North Carolina State University have found a novel kirkovirus that may be associated with colitis—and potentially small colon impactions—in horses. The study could offer a route to new therapies ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 9, 2025
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A research team led by Prof. Sun Chaomin from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) has unveiled the crucial role of viruses in deep-sea carbon cycling and microbial community structure. Their ...
Ecology
Dec 9, 2025
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Using proteins from a common tobacco plant virus, McGill chemistry researchers have developed a simple, eco-friendly way to arrange gold nanoparticles into ultrathin sheets, strengthening the particles' optical properties. ...
Bio & Medicine
Dec 8, 2025
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An investigation into cellular components in bacteria has unexpectedly uncovered a feature with relevance across many life forms, paving the way for diverse research, biotechnical and medical applications.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 8, 2025
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Interactions among viruses can help them succeed inside their hosts or impart vulnerabilities that make them easier to treat. Scientists are learning the ways viruses mingle inside the cells they infect, as well as the consequences ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 6, 2025
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The flu illness is triggered by influenza viruses, which enter the body through droplets and then infect cells. Researchers from Switzerland and Japan have now investigated the flu virus in minute detail.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 4, 2025
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Researchers have developed VIRE, a database that integrates approximately 1.7 million viral genomes derived from more than 100,000 metagenomes worldwide. Metagenomic data is obtained by comprehensively sequencing all DNA ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 1, 2025
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20
Marine viruses deploy a sophisticated Trojan horse maneuver that enables them to dismantle the energy systems of ocean bacteria and use the breakdown products for self-replication. This finding comes from a study conducted ...
Ecology
Nov 25, 2025
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