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 ...

For much of modern biology, scientists argued that viruses are not alive, pointing to a basic limitation: they cannot make proteins on their own and must depend entirely on the cells they infect for ...

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

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 ...

A virus that is big enough to be seen under an ordinary light microscope co-opts its host’s systems with the help of ...

The origin of life on Earth becomes even more fascinating and complex as we peer into the mysterious world of viruses. Said to have existed since living cells first appeared, these microscopic ...

The expression of symptoms of viral infections is a byproduct of complex virus-host molecular pathways. These remain largely unknown, especially in the case of fungus-virus pathogen systems. Fungal ...

Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus harbored by fruit bats. It can be transmitted to pigs and humans, infect people through contaminated food, and can travel directly from person to person via droplets.