Several mutations that arose during the 2013-2016 outbreak of Ebola virus in West Africa were previously found to increase infectivity for human cells. However, a study in two animal models show no effect of these mutations on disease. Among the many mutations identified among the hundreds of genome sequences obtained during the 2013-2016 Ebola virus epidemic, a …
Ebola virus mutations do not affect pathogenicity Read More »
Most of the known RNA viruses are from birds and mammals, which represent a small proportion of more recent vertebrate diversity. This omission has been corrected by the discovery of new RNA viruses in hosts that lie across the entire evolutionary history of the vertebrates.
Viruses with nearly identical genomes are frequently found in diverse environments that are far apart. One possible explanation for this observation is that virus particles are present in the troposphere, where they can be carried long distances on atmospheric flow. To determine how many viruses fall from the troposphere each day, automatic collectors were placed …
The latest giant virus discovery is Tetraselmis virus 1, which infects green algae. It is unusual because it encodes enzymes involved in fermentation. Green beer, anyone?
Nearly one year ago I was proud to be part of the March for Science in Washington, DC. This year I March for Science in New York City, where I will be the co-Master of Ceremonies together with Jin Kim Montclare. You can download the event guide here. Please join us and show your support …
By Gertrud U. Rey Gertrud Rey is a trained virologist residing in Atlanta, Georgia. During the day, she works as a consultant in a biotech patent law firm, but spends much of her free time as a science communicator. She was a guest on TWiV 179 and 424. The lack of a suitable animal model …
