On episode #274 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiV team discusses recent cases of polio-like paralysis in California, and the virome of 14th century paleofeces. You can find TWiV #274 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.

Image credit: Jason Roberts Recently a number of children in California have developed a poliomyelitis-like paralysis. The cause of this paralysis is not yet known, and information about the outbreak is scarce. Here is what we know so far: At least 5, and perhaps as many as 20 children have ...

Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), first identified in the fall of 2012 in a Saudi Arabian patient, has since infected over 180 individuals, causing 77 deaths. Antibodies to the virus and the viral genome have been found in dromedary camels in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, implicating those animals as the source of human infections. ...

On episode #273 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiVome dissect the finding that interferon lambda alleles predict the outcome of hepatitis C virus infection. You can find TWiV #273 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.

There are many elements that go into making a great lecture, but the most important one is to lose the notes. If you are giving lectures in a course at any level, the worst practice you can engage in is to rely on notes. This behavior is problematic for several ...