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. ...

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 ...

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. ...

On episode #180 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Rich review association of an interferon-induced protein with severe influenza, and stabilization of HCV RNA by a microRNA. You can find TWiV #180 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.