The past week brought an animated discussion triggered by an article in Obesity which reported the adipogenic effect of adenovirus type 36 infection in cultured cells. The press had a field day with headlines like 'Can a common cold virus really make you fat'?. Reactions on Twitter and blogs ranged ...

The innate immune system responds within minutes of infection to produce type I interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Interferons induce the synthesis of cell proteins with antiviral activity, and also shape the adaptive immune response by priming T cells. Despite the discovery of interferons over 50 years ago, only recently have ...

The success in treating AIDS with multiple combinations of three antiviral drugs is a model for the successful management of viral resistance. Can we expect that a deep arsenal of anti-influenza virus drugs will be developed? So far we have  three antiviral drugs against influenza viruses. Most H3N2 strains are ...

Here is my favorite poem about science. I found it stuck on the wall in my empty lab when I first came to Columbia in the fall of 1982. It is still tacked to my corkboard, yellowing and frayed.  V.B. Nimble, V.B. Quick  (inspired by V.B. Wigglesworth, F.R.S., Quick Professor ...

Is that title correct? Arenaviruses have an RNA genome which is not known to be copied into DNA at any stage of the replication cycle. How could a DNA copy of this virus be produced and be inserted into the host genome? The RNA genome of retroviruses is converted to ...