Why some coronavirus strains are more infectious than others
The coronaviruses that cause SARS and COVID-19 have spike proteins that move into 'active' and 'inactive' positions. New research indicates how those molecular movements may make the COVID-19 virus more infectious compared to the SARS virus......»»
A rethink of diseases in light of phase separation and phase transition may be necessary
A review delves into the significance of biomolecular condensation in cellular processes, the impact of aberrant phase separation on diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, and infectious diseases, and the potential for manipulating pha.....»»
Finding the chink in coronavirus"s armor—experiment reveals how the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 protects itself
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in millions of deaths. Despite an unparalleled collaborative research effort that led to effective vaccines and therapies being produced in record-breaking time, a complete understanding of the structure and lifecycle o.....»»
Wildlife traffickers carried on their illegal trade during COVID lockdown—what can we learn from their resilience?
The world literally stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. But while countries locked down to keep coronavirus at bay, wildlife traffickers carried on their illegal activities. Global risk governance and criminology academics Annette Hübschle and Mer.....»»
DeepMind adds a diffusion engine to latest protein-folding software
Major under-the-hood changes let AlphaFold handle protein-DNA complexes and more. Enlarge / Prediction of the structure of a coronavirus Spike protein from a virus that causes the common cold. (credit: Google DeepMind) M.....»»
Bsal and beyond: Task force helps stave off amphibian disease threat
Amphibians—like frogs and salamanders—are the most imperiled group of animal species in the world; infectious diseases are among the greatest threats to their existence. After a decade of research, a scientific task force is poised to stave off t.....»»
Laboratory and natural strains of intestinal bacterium turn out to have similar mutational profiles
Understanding mutational processes in a cell offers clues to the evolution of a genome. Most actively, mutation processes are studied in human cancer cells, while other genomes are often neglected......»»
In medieval England, leprosy spread between red squirrels and people, genome evidence shows
Evidence from archaeological sites in the medieval English city of Winchester shows that English red squirrels once served as an important host for Mycobacterium leprae strains that caused leprosy in people, researchers report in the journal Current.....»»
New structures offer insight into how a bacterial motor powers bacterial chemotaxis, a key infectious process
Bacteria existed for millennia before humans and have been infecting us from the beginning. Although we can treat infections through pharmaceuticals, bacteria continue to become resistant to treatment thanks to their rapid evolution. Bacterial infect.....»»
Study investigates coronavirus dynamics in bats: Lower biodiversity means more pathogens
The loss of biodiversity poses a challenge for nature and humans alike. A study led by Ulm University shows that a decline in biodiversity promotes the spread of potentially zoonotic pathogens......»»
Disease-resistant strains of carp provide advancements in aquaculture, enhance gefilte fish quality
A new study led by Prof. Lior David from the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University investigated the infectivity of disease-resistant and susceptible fish by examining their roles as shedders (infecting) and cohabitants (infected) in various.....»»
Multi-drug resistant bacteria found on International Space Station mutate to become functionally distinct
Principal Investigator Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory led a team that studied 13 strains of the bacterial species Enterobacter bugandensis that were isolated from the International Space Station (ISS). E. bugandensis i.....»»
Single-crop farming has potential to harm bees, study finds
Mass-blooming, monoculture crop fields don't seem to reduce the microbial diversity in a bee's gut, University of Oregon researchers have found in a study of sunflower farms, but they do amplify the spread of infectious parasites......»»
How being furloughed affected people"s sense of time and relationship with work
Between March 2020 and September 2021, millions of workers furloughed under the UK government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme lived what for many of us is a dream: being paid not to work......»»
Attack and defense in the microverse: How small RNA molecules regulate viral infections of bacteria
Viruses need hosts. Whether it's measles, the flu or coronavirus, viral pathogens cannot multiply or infect other organisms without the assistance of their hosts' cellular infrastructure. However, humans are not the only ones affected by viruses: ani.....»»
Tracking and tracing members of the plant microbiome with DNA barcodes
A research team led by Paul Schulze-Lefert from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, developed a modular toolkit for tracking bacterial strains colonizing plant tissue in competition with other microbiome members......»»
Nanoparticles target multiple COVID variants through the twist in the spike protein
Teardrop-shaped particles designed to inactivate multiple strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus could one day complement existing treatments for COVID-19, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan and Jiangnan University in.....»»
The next pandemic? It"s already here for Earth"s wildlife, says biologist
I am a conservation biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases. When people ask me what I think the next pandemic will be I often say that we are in the midst of one—it's just afflicting a great many species more than ours......»»
How the SARS-CoV-2 virus acquires its spherical shape
For centuries, coronaviruses have triggered health crises and economic challenges, with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that spreads COVID-19, being a recent example. One small protein in SARS-CoV-2, the membrane protein, or M protein, is the most abunda.....»»
Temperature, humidity may drive future transmission of parasitic worm infections
As climate changes, temperature isn't the only factor to influence the spread of infectious diseases. Humidity plays a role, too, according to new research published this week (Feb. 25) in Ecology Letters......»»
New analysis shows anti-vaccination conspiracy theories gain political weight due to social media
Heightened use of social media during the coronavirus pandemic brought with it an unprecedented surge in the spread of misinformation. Of particular significance were conspiracy theories surrounding the virus and vaccines made to combat it. Though co.....»»