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.
Similar to humans, plants can become infected with more than one virus at a time, opening the door for more severe infections and new disease variants. But these mixed infections are often under-studied and poorly understood.
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 13, 2025
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Montana State University-led research finds that bees with deformed wing virus flew shorter distances, whereas bees with sacbrood virus flew greater distances at higher speeds.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified more than 200 strategies used by bacteria to avoid viral infection. Their findings, published in Cell Host & Microbe, shed light on a microbial "arms race" that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 11, 2025
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94
Research led by a Swansea University academic has revealed a synthetic glycosystem—a sugar-coated polymer nanoparticle—that can block COVID-19 from infecting human cells, reducing infection rates by nearly 99%.
Bio & Medicine
Aug 11, 2025
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105
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa oceanographers have identified PelV-1, a dinoflagellate-infecting giant virus whose micron-length tail reaches 2.3 µm, stretching current notions of viral architecture.
Earth's atmosphere transports tiny forms of cellular life, such as fungal spores, pollen, bacteria, and viruses. On their journeys, these microorganisms encounter challenging conditions such as cold temperatures, UV radiation, ...
Ecology
Aug 7, 2025
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Cells have evolved ingenious ways to defend themselves from viral attack. Research from The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute sheds light on one of their sneakier strategies.
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 7, 2025
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A team of researchers from the Spanish National Research Council has made a significant advance in plant biotechnology by developing a new method for silencing genes. The novel technique uses ultra-short ribonucleic acid ...
Biotechnology
Aug 6, 2025
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Scientists have discovered a previously unknown virus in farmed Pacific oysters during a mass die-off in B.C., Canada. The discovery serves as a reminder that growers should exercise caution when moving young oysters internationally ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 4, 2025
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59
Viruses in the cold waters of the Arctic are strongly seasonal and are also detected in the Antarctic. This surprising discovery comes from a multi-year time-series study led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research ...
Ecology
Jul 31, 2025
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