Fossils of ancient viruses are preserved in the genomes of all animals, including humans, and have long been regarded as junk DNA. But are they truly junk, or do they actually serve a useful purpose?
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 8, 2021
2
2816
Researchers from the group of Stan Brouns (Delft University of Technology) have discovered a new CRISPR-Cas system that cuts RNA. The study will be published on August 26 in Science and is expected to offer many opportunities ...
Biotechnology
Aug 27, 2021
0
706
Researchers from Western Sydney University have joined the global race to better understand COVID-19, with new research proposing how a SARS-CoV-2 protein (Nsp9), vital in the virus' life cycle, is supporting the replicating ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 25, 2021
0
233
While some types of RNA viruses cloak themselves to hide inside a cell and create copies of themselves, a "detective enzyme" might be attuned to their whereabouts. A slight variation in their genomic code gives some people's ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 14, 2021
0
517
A new study by University of Alberta biophysicists has revealed how a rare structure forms within RNA from the Zika virus that makes it resistant to our bodies' immune systems. The results provide a potential target for new ...
Biochemistry
Jul 16, 2021
0
11
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have found a vital mechanism, previously thought to have disappeared as mammals evolved, that helps protect mammalian stem cells from RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and Zika virus. ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 8, 2021
0
381
An international team of researchers have shed new light on the early stages of viral evolution.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 10, 2021
0
322
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pop up, and some lead to increasing infections. The main new variants—named Alpha, Beta, and Gamma and first identified in Britain, South Africa, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 10, 2021
0
8
A team of UK investigators has shown that RNA copies recovered from surfaces are a poor indicator for determining the numbers of viable SARS-CoV-2 virus particles.
Cell & Microbiology
May 28, 2021
0
5
A team of international scientists have identified key cellular factors that are crucial for the infection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Cell & Microbiology
May 25, 2021
0
21
