Most emerging infectious diseases of humans (like COVID-19) are zoonotic—caused by viruses originating from other animal species. Identifying high-risk viruses earlier can improve research and surveillance priorities. A ...
Ecology
Sep 28, 2021
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726
The transatlantic slave trade may have introduced new pathogenic viruses from Africa to North America that affected Indigenous communities, shows an analysis of ancient DNA published in eLife.
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 7, 2021
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336
Three RIKEN geneticists have discovered previously undetected snippets of genetic material from viruses lurking in DNA. The methods they developed for this discovery will be valuable for determining when this viral genetic ...
Biotechnology
Aug 10, 2021
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390
For some giant viruses, a DNA-packing trick may be essential for infectivity.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 27, 2021
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268
A coronavirus related to the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans has been found in UK horseshoe bats—according to new collaborative research from the University of East Anglia, ZSL (Zoological Society of London), and Public ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 19, 2021
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25
What if the COVID-19 virus could be used against itself? Researchers at Penn State have designed a proof-of-concept therapeutic that may be able to do just that. The team designed a synthetic defective SARS-CoV-2 virus that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 6, 2021
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14
An analysis of 18 species of stationary and migratory bats living in Switzerland has discovered that they harbor viruses from 39 different viral families—including some viruses with the potential risk of jumping to other ...
Ecology
Jun 16, 2021
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21
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
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8
Scientists have developed the first cells that can construct artificial polymers from building blocks that are not found in nature, by following instructions the researchers encoded in their genes.
Biotechnology
Jun 3, 2021
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27
The human genome contains the instructions to make tens of thousands of proteins. Each protein folds into a precise shape—and biologists are taught that defined shape dictates the protein's destined function. Tens of thousands ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 14, 2021
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