Bits of viral genes incorporated into human DNA have been linked to cancer, ALS and schizophrenia. But many of these genes may not be harmful, and could even protect against infectious disease.
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Articles on Viral evolution
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Face masks are still an effective way to help stop the spread of the BA.5 subvariant.
Our best chance of limiting the emergence of new recombinant COVID variants is to limit the spread of infections, using public health measures to slow and suppress the virus.
SARS-CoV-2 cannot improve indefinitely.
It’s too early to say whether the newly identified omicron variant is going to overtake delta. But particular mutations in the new strain have researchers deeply concerned.
Chickenpox has largely disappeared from the public’s memory thanks to a highly effective vaccine. But the virus’s clever life cycle allows it to reappear in later adulthood in the form of shingles.
When the coronavirus copies itself, there is a chance its RNA will mutate. But new variants must jump from one host to another, and the more infections there are, the better chance this will happen.
Evolution explains why the Delta variant spreads faster than the original Wuhan strain. It explains what we might see with future variants. And it suggests how we might step up public health measures.
Data from the UK, where the Delta variant is dominant, suggest many people with COVID-19 are experiencing cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose and a sore throat.
A more coordinated effort by scientists, stakeholders and community members will be required to stop the next deadly virus that’s already circulating in our midst.
As viruses are transmitted from person to person they are constantly mutating and replicating. Could the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolve to evade the new vaccines that have just been developed?
The smallpox virus appears to have been with humanity for millennia before a global vaccination drive wiped it out. Current genome research suggests how smallpox spread and where it came from.
The US and its allies are demanding answers over how COVID-19 became a pandemic. But instead of pointing fingers at China, the inquiry should focus on scientific clues to help us thwart future disasters.
Every time the virus copies itself it makes mistakes, creating a trail that researchers can use to build a family tree with information about where it’s traveled, and when.
A four-year-old female Malayan tiger has tested positive for COVID-19, with six other tigers and lions showing symptoms. It’s the first known case of a ‘wild’ animal catching the disease.
A core idea in molecular biology is that one gene codes for one protein. Now biologists have found an example of a gene that yields two forms of a protein – enabling it to evolve new functionality.
One big challenge for gene therapies is delivering DNA or RNA safely to cells inside patients’ bodies. New nanoparticles could be an improvement over the current standard – repurposed viruses.
New genetic technologies are letting us look at flu evolution right where it starts: within individual people, while they’re sick.
Top contributors
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Professor Emerita of Biology, Indiana University
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Professor and Chair of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Penn State
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Professor of Medicine, Monash University
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Professor of Bioethics & Medicine, Sydney Health Ethics, Haematologist/BMT Physician, Royal North Shore Hospital and Director, Praxis Australia, University of Sydney
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Director, Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University
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Adjunct Associate Professor, Murdoch University
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Associate Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Affiliate Associate Professor of Genome Sciences and Microbiology, University of Washington
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Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Columbia University
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Doctoral Student in Biochemistry, University of Washington
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Doctoral Student in Genome Sciences, University of Washington
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Professor of Biology, Entomology and Biotechnology, Penn State
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Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego
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Assistant Teaching Professor, University of California, San Diego
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Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh
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Professor of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina
