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.
European rabbits have plagued the Australian environment since 1859, when they were introduced to Australia near Geelong in Victoria.
Ecology
Sep 10, 2025
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Researchers have discovered how "pirate phages" hijack other viruses to break into bacteria, sharing new genetic material for dangerous traits.
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 9, 2025
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A study from Würzburg reveals that pox viruses have developed a unique strategy to rapidly multiply after infecting a host cell. The findings uncover a previously unknown role for a well-known molecule and may serve as a ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 4, 2025
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36
Burning, blisters, pain: More than 40 million people worldwide are infected with the herpes virus every year. The virus can pose a serious threat to newborns and people with weakened immune systems. Researchers in Hamburg ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 4, 2025
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When scientists discovered how bacteria protect themselves against viral invaders, called phages, in the early 2000s, little did they know they'd stumbled upon a revolutionary tool researchers could use to edit the DNA of ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 4, 2025
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You are mostly but not entirely human. If we crunch the numbers, 8% of your genome actually comes from viruses that got stranded there. This viral detritus is a souvenir from our evolutionary past, a reminder that viruses ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 27, 2025
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63
For life to function, cell membranes must remain intact. When these fragile barriers are damaged—for instance by heat or viral attack—specialized proteins come to the rescue. Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Heinrich ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 27, 2025
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Waiting is the hardest part. Especially in the case of testing for water or food contamination, which can take days or even a week in some cases for the results, leaving the possibility that people have been unknowingly exposed.
Bio & Medicine
Aug 22, 2025
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Researchers have discovered that a virus living inside the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus significantly boosts the fungus's ability to survive stress and cause severe infections in mammals. Removing the virus made the fungus ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 21, 2025
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Researchers at San Diego State University and Michigan State University are shedding new light on how viruses meticulously pack their genetic material — a breakthrough that could help researchers engineer antivirals and gene ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 15, 2025
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