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.
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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24
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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25
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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34
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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26
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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