Virus News and Research

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A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that can reproduce only inside a host cell. Viruses infect all types of organisms: from animals and plants, to bacteria and archaea. Since the initial discovery of tobacco mosaic virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, more than 5,000 types of virus have been described in detail, although most types of virus remain undiscovered. Viruses are ubiquitous, as they are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth, and are the most abundant type of biological entity on the planet. The study of viruses is known as virology, and is a branch of microbiology.

Bacteria and Viruses Evolve New Strategies in Accelerated Arms Race

As conceived by Charles Darwin in the 1800s, evolution is a slow, gradual process during which species adaptations are inherited incrementally over generations.

10 Nov 2023

Novel Gene Therapy Targets Core Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

A team of researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators have devised a gene therapy approach aimed at selectively manipulating the affected circuitry in Parkinson’s disease.

6 Nov 2023

New LoCKAmp Device Delivers Lab-Quality COVID Test Results in Just 3 Minutes

A virus diagnosis device that gives lab-quality results within just three minutes has been invented by engineers at the University of Bath, who describe it as the 'world's fastest Covid test'.

3 Nov 2023

The Dominant Phage-Resistant LAB in Long-Term Kimchi Fermentation

Scientists from the World Institute of Kimchi have successfully extracted lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains that exhibit remarkable phage resistance.

2 Nov 2023

New Modular Nanoparticle Technology Opens the Door to a Variety of Therapeutic Approaches

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed modular nanoparticles that can be easily customized to target different biological entities such as tumors, viruses or toxins.

31 Oct 2023

MIT Chemists Discover Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Ion Channel in Open State

The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of Covid-19.

16 Oct 2023

DNA from 19th Century Fruit Flies Sheds Light on Evolution

Back when the biggest fly enthusiasts of 19th century Sweden -; Carl Fredrik Fallén, for one, and later Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt -; were collecting insects for what would become Lund University's entomological collections, they wondered exactly what was that buzzing coming from their can of raisins.

13 Oct 2023

New Tool to Improve Genetic Analysis and Research

Rutgers researchers have created an analytical technique for detecting and removing stray DNA and RNA that contaminate single-celled organism genetic analysis.

11 Oct 2023

Gene-Edited Chickens in Fight Against Bird Flu

Scientists have used gene editing techniques to identify and change parts of chicken DNA that could limit the spread of the bird flu virus in the animals.

11 Oct 2023

Rutgers Researchers Develop New Tool to Improve Accuracy of Single-Cell Genetic Analyses

Rutgers researchers have developed an analytical tool for spotting and omitting stray DNA and RNA that contaminate genetic analyses of single-celled organisms.

10 Oct 2023

Research Offers a Promising Avenue for Improving T-Cell-Based Cancer Therapies

Using laboratory-grown cells from humans and genetically engineered mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have evidence that modifying a specific protein in immune white blood cells known as CD8+ T cells can make the cells more robust, potentially opening the door for better use of people's own immune system T cells to fight cancer.

4 Oct 2023

Improving the Efficiency of Gene Delivery to the Brain

Researchers from Rice University conducted tests to assess the safety and feasibility of gene delivery to various regions of the brain using a noninvasive technique based on ultrasound in rodents.

28 Sep 2023

Promoting Viral Propagation with Decreasing Biodiversity

How are environmental changes, biodiversity decline, and disease spread related? The solution is a riddle.

27 Sep 2023

Novel Imaging Technique Captures Rapid Protein Dynamics

EPFL researchers have created a unique imaging approach for capturing fast protein dynamics.

22 Sep 2023

New Method That Genetically Modifies Individual Cells in Animals

Researchers at ETH Zurich have created a technique that enables them to genetically alter every animal cell in a unique way.

22 Sep 2023

New Bacteriophage Found in Mariana Trench

The Mariana Trench, the deepest location on Earth, descends over 11,000 meters to the Pacific Ocean’s seafloor at its shallowest point. Even in the utterly desolate darkness, life exists.

22 Sep 2023

Retrieving RNA from an Extinct Species

New research demonstrates the isolation and sequencing of RNA molecules from a Tasmanian tiger specimen kept at room temperature in a museum collection over a century ago.

20 Sep 2023

New Strain of Marine Bacteria with Distinct Characteristics

Researchers discovered a new type of marine bacteria with distinct traits on the ocean floor.

30 Aug 2023

High Levels of Exposure to the Virus Causing COVID-19 May Reduce Safety Given by Vaccination

High levels of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19 may reduce or overcome the protection that vaccination and prior infection provides, according to a new study by researchers from Yale University, the University of Florida, and the Connecticut Department of Correction.

24 Aug 2023

New System to Quickly Detect Airborne Viruses Using High-Speed Train Technology

Researchers from University of British Columbia and Michigan State University have invented a system that can quickly and inexpensively detect airborne viruses using the same technology that enables high-speed trains.

24 Aug 2023