Tag: Viruses

Researchers Discover Unique ‘Spider Web’ Mechanism that Traps, Kills Viruses

July 1, 2021
Mindzilla

Hamilton, ON — Immunologists at McMaster University have discovered a previously unknown mechanism which acts like a spider web, trapping and killing pathogens such as influenza or SARS-CoV-2, the...

Researchers Reveal the Inner Workings of a Viral DNA-Packaging Motor

June 7, 2021
Mindzilla

Durham, NC — A group of researchers have discovered the detailed inner workings of the molecular motor that packages genetic material into double-stranded DNA viruses. The advance provides insight...

History of Giants in the Gene: Scientists Use DNA to Trace the Origins of Giant Viruses

May 12, 2021
Mindzilla

Deinze, Belgium — 2003 was a big year for virologists. The first giant virus was discovered in this year, which shook the virology scene, revising what was thought to be an established understanding...

Scientists Develop Better Way to Block Viruses that Cause Childhood Respiratory Infections

May 11, 2021
Mindzilla

Madison, WI — By engineering a short chunk of protein, or peptide, that can prevent the attachment of human parainfluenza viruses to cells, researchers have improved a method in rodent models intended...

Sorting Out Viruses with Machine Learning

November 11, 2020
Mindzilla

Osaka, Japan — The ongoing global pandemic has created an urgent need for rapid tests that can diagnose the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, and distinguish it from...

Criss-Crossing Viruses Give Rise to Peculiar Hybrid Variants

November 3, 2020
Mindzilla

Tempe, AZ — For millions of years, viruses have participated in a far-flung, import-export business, exchanging fragments of themselves with both viral and non-viral agents and acquiring new features....

Colour-Coded Biosensor Illuminates in Real Time How Viruses Attack Hosts

September 28, 2020
Mindzilla

Fort Collins, CO — Infectious viruses come in many shapes and sizes and use slightly different attack mechanisms to make humans and animals sick. But all viruses share something in common: They can...

Lab-Made Virus Mimics COVID-19 Virus

July 23, 2020
Mindzilla

St. Louis, MO — Airborne and potentially deadly, the virus that causes COVID-19 can only be studied safely under high-level biosafety conditions. Scientists handling the infectious virus must wear...

Researchers Create Durable, Washable Textile Coating that can Repel Viruses

May 14, 2020
Mindzilla

Pittsburgh, PA — Masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential for protecting healthcare workers. However, the textiles and materials used in such items can absorb and carry...

Blocking Sugar Structures on Viruses and Tumour Cells

March 18, 2020
Mindzilla

München, Germany — The laboratory directed by Arne Skerra, Professor of Biological Chemistry, has its focus on designing artificial binding proteins for therapeutic applications. The laboratory’s...

How Virus Forms Its Symmetric Shells

March 10, 2020
Mindzilla

Riverside, CA — Viruses — small disease-causing parasites that can infect all types of life forms — have been well studied, but many mysteries linger. One such mystery is how a spherical...

Eliminating Viruses in Our Food with Cranberries and Citrus Fruit

February 21, 2020
Mindzilla

Laval, Canada — Fresh produce is a major vehicle for noroviruses, a group of viruses that are the most common cause of gastroenteritis in developed countries. However, the viruses are quite resistant...

New Details on How Viral Protein Puts Brakes on Virus Replication

February 10, 2020
Mindzilla

Fort Collins, CO — An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Colorado State University has used computational chemistry, biochemistry and virology to uncover new information on how viruses such as...

Here, There and Everywhere: Large and Giant Viruses Abound Globally

January 23, 2020
Mindzilla

Berkeley, CA — While the microbes in a single drop of water could outnumber a small city’s population, the number of viruses in the same drop–the vast majority not harmful to humans–could...

Virus Surfaces Help Engineers Study Vaccine and Gene Therapy Applications

January 9, 2020
Mindzilla

Houghton, MI — Viruses are not easy to characterize. But we need to because being able to quickly predict the surface charge of viruses opens up new possibilities for vaccine purification and making...

Scientists Reveal Structure of Viral Rhodopsins

December 3, 2019
Mindzilla

Dolgoprudny, Russia — The structure of an Organic Lake Phycodnavirus rhodopsin II (OLPVRII), which is a unique protein found in the genome of giant viruses, has been determined thanks to the work of...

Researchers Uncover Novel Virus Type That may Shed Light on Viral Evolution

October 17, 2019
Mindzilla

Fuchu, Japan — Viruses are non-living creatures, consisting of genetic material encased in a protein coat. Once the virus infects a living organism, it can replicate itself and continue on. But what...

Why Viruses like Herpes and Zika Will Need to Be Reclassified, and Its Biotech Impact

September 27, 2019
Mindzilla

San Diego, CA — New research reveals that the way viruses were perceived in terms of their architecture will need to be retooled, because they are actually structured in many more patterns than previously...

New Viruses Discovered in Endangered Wild Pacific Salmon Populations

September 4, 2019
Mindzilla

Vancouver, Canada — Three new viruses–including one from a group of viruses never before shown to infect fish–have been discovered in endangered Chinook and sockeye salmon populations. While...

Detailed Map Shows How Viruses Infect Humans

August 29, 2019
Mindzilla

New York, NY — Biologists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons have leveraged a computational method to map protein-protein interactions between all known human-infecting...

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