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.
Pepper, the pet cat who made headlines last year for his role in the discovery of the first jeilongvirus found in the U.S., is at it again. This time, his hunting prowess has contributed to the identification of a new strain ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 10, 2025
0
919
As part of a person's first line of defense against viruses and other microbes that cause illness and disease, a whole network of proteins and other molecules detect and respond to intruders, which they do in part by sensing ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 10, 2025
0
19
As summer kicks into full gear and people are spending more time outside, there's one thing on many people's minds—ticks. Tick season is starting earlier and lasting longer, and ticks are popping up in areas they haven't ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 9, 2025
0
54
Researchers have discovered a strategy to neutralize two highly lethal viruses for which there is currently no approved vaccine or cure.
Bio & Medicine
Jul 8, 2025
0
42
The COVID pandemic illustrated how urgently we need antiviral medications capable of treating coronavirus infections. To aid this effort, researchers quickly homed in on part of SARS-CoV-2's molecular structure known as the ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 3, 2025
0
41
A study published in mBio details the vulnerability of coronaviruses to inhibitors of a small protein domain called Mac1, or the "macrodomain," found in all coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 1, 2025
0
37
In the shadows of Python Cave, Uganda, a leopard leaps from a guano mound—formed by bat excrement—and sinks its teeth into a bat. But this is no ordinary bat colony. The thousands of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) ...
Ecology
Jun 30, 2025
0
36
Researchers have discovered two new viruses in bats that are closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses—pathogens that can cause severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease in humans.
Plants & Animals
Jun 24, 2025
0
83
A global study uncovers the hidden role of viruses in driving bacterial evolution and highlights a surprising bacterial gene that helps fight back.
Evolution
Jun 20, 2025
0
49
Since the mid-1800s, human activities have rapidly facilitated the spread of rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV), a pathogen that infects rice, far and wide across Africa, according to a new study led by Eugénie Hébrard, at the ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 17, 2025
0
80
