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.
It's an evolutionary battle, an endless competition for survival, that has spanned millions of years. Within this epic tale for the ages, the skillful characters are mighty, but very, very tiny—they're microscopic. It's bacteria ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 24, 2025
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Kompetensportalen, Lucat, Lupin, Lubas and LUCRIS. Those are the names of some of Lund University's administrative systems. They are now also the names of five new bacteriophages that have recently been discovered in the ...
Ecology
Nov 24, 2025
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Retroviruses are viruses that have evolved the ability to write their genetic code into a cell's own DNA. The most ancient known lineage of retroviruses, foamy viruses, emerged around 450 million years ago, before animal ...
Evolution
Nov 20, 2025
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Potential treatments for one of the world's most dangerous hospital superbugs have been found in a surprising location—hospital toilets.
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 20, 2025
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From medicine to agriculture and aquaculture, bacteriophages are poised to have a huge global impact. As viruses which target only bacterial cells, they hold promise as an alternative to antibiotics, overcoming increasing ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 12, 2025
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25
A team led by University of Pittsburgh's Graham Hatfull has developed a method to construct bacteriophages with entirely synthetic genetic material, allowing researchers to add and subtract genes at will. The findings open ...
Biotechnology
Nov 10, 2025
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121
New antivirals and vaccines could follow the discovery by Australian researchers of strategies used by viruses to control our cells. Led by Monash University and the University of Melbourne, and published in Nature Communications, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 5, 2025
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University of Queensland researchers have captured the first high-resolution images of the yellow fever virus (YFV), a potentially deadly viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes that affects the liver. The research was published ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 5, 2025
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A new method vastly improves on the existing approach for single-cell genetic sequencing, enabling scientists to read the genomes of individual cells and viral particles in the environment more quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 5, 2025
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A study published in Communications Biology sheds new light on the relationship between bats and dangerous viruses. Led by researchers at the University of Oklahoma, the study shows that, contrary to widespread assumptions, ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 4, 2025
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