On episode #312 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiVbolans discuss the finding that human noroviruses, major causes of gastroenteritis, can for the first time be propagated in B cell cultures, with the help of enteric bacteria. You can find TWiV #312 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.

Sea stars are lovely marine invertebrates with a round central body connected to multiple radiating legs (photo credit). In the past year millions of sea stars in the west coast waters of North America have melted into piles of slime and ossicles. Sea star associated densovirus might be the cause of this lethal disease. ...

On episode #311 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent visits the University of Georgia where he speaks with Zhen Fu and Biao He about their work on rabies virus and paramyxoviruses. You can find TWiV #311, audio and video versions, at www.microbe.tv/twiv.

Many well-known human viruses, including poliovirus, rabies virus, West Nile virus, can infect cells of the nervous system, leading to alterations in the function of that organ. Could a virus that infects algae also cause human neurological alterations? Chloroviruses are large DNA-containing viruses that infect unicellular algae called zoochlorellae (pictured: ...

After the governors of New York and New Jersey decided that health workers who have returned from the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa should be subject to a 21-day quarantine, two Nobel laureates entered the fray. Bruce Beutler feels that the quarantine is the right thing to do, while Peter ...