On episode #32 of the science show This Week in Microbiology, Vincent, Elio and Michael speak with Rosie Redfield about her evidence that a bacterium cannot grow on arsenic instead of phosphorus. If you only listen to one episode of TWiM all year, make it this one – Rosie is terrific! You can find TWiM …
One of two papers on avian influenza H5N1 virus that caused such a furor in the past six months was published today in the journal Nature. I have read it, and I can assure you that the results do not enable the construction of a deadly biological weapon. Instead, they illuminate important requirements for the …
Kawaoka paper published on aerosol transmission of H5 influenza virus in ferrets Read More »
Nearly four months ago I stood at the front of a crowded classroom at Columbia University and began teaching the third year of my undergraduate virology course. Twice a week we discussed the basic principles of virology, including how virions are built, how they replicate, and how they cause disease. Yesterday was the 26th and …
On episode #181 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Rich, and Kathy discuss Cotia virus, a new poxvirus, Orf virus infections associated with handling goats and lamb, and the innate immune response to prions. You can find TWiV #181 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
Science magazine will be conducting a live chat on whether some scientific research is too dangerous to publish, and how governments are getting involved in regulating such studies. It will be moderated by Science writer David Malakoff and will include Gregory Viglianti of Boston University School of Medicine. The live chat begins at 3 PM …
A dairy cow in California is the fourth known American case of mad cow disease, which is caused by prions, infectious agents composed only of protein (the story hit the press the day after my lecture on this type of illness). Unlike viruses, prions have no nucleic acid and no protective coat. But virologists know all about …
