For much of modern biology, scientists argued that viruses are not alive, pointing to a basic limitation: they cannot make ...

Researchers have identified a dual therapeutic strategy that combined inhibition of a key SARS-CoV-2 viral enzyme with suppression of a host inflammatory pathway, with preclinical evidence that ...

In a new study, published in Cell, researchers describe a newfound mechanism for creating proteins in a giant DNA virus, comparable to a mechanism in eukaryotic cells. The finding challenges the dogma ...

Researchers identified how the poxvirus protein VITF-3 forms a molecular ring that clamps onto DNA with viral RNA polymerase, bending it by 90 degrees to initiate gene copying.

Genetics tools have advanced significantly in recent decades, and have allowed scientist to sequence all of the genetic ...

A giant virus discovered in Japan is adding fuel to the provocative idea that viruses helped create complex life. Named ushikuvirus, it infects amoebae and shows unique traits that connect different ...

The mosquito-borne Zika virus is known for causing microcephaly, a birth defect in which abnormal brain development results in a smaller-than-expected head. A new study published Jan. 13 in mBio shows ...

The mosquito-borne Zika virus hijacks a host protein called ANKLE2 to support its own reproduction. ANKLE2 is involved in brain development in the fetus and because Zika can cross the placenta and ...

Researchers have discovered that virus-like nanoparticles can promote the multicellular organization and reproduction of host bacteria. These particles, which are evolutionarily related to phages ...

How did viruses evolve? Are they a streamlined form of something that existed long ago, or an ultimate culmination of smaller genetic elements joined together? Aa Aa Aa The evolutionary history of ...