What does the future hold for SARS-CoV-2? Will it remain in its current configuration, with 20% of infections causing serious damage? Will everyone on Earth need to be vaccinated regularly to prevent infection? Allow me to indulge in some speculation and suggest that SARS-CoV-2 will eventually become the fifth common cold coronavirus (CoV). There are …
Nels and Vincent continue their discussion of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, with a report that the coronavirus proofreading enzyme stimulates RNA recombination, and debunking the conclusion that a change in the viral spike glycoprotein is associated with increased human to human transmission. Click arrow to play Download TWiEVO 55 (45 MB .mp3, 74 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email …
TWiEVO 55: Coronavirus evolution from soup to nuts Read More »
As with all previous outbreaks of new virus infections, we are being warned of impending doom concerning the new coronavirus, 2019-nCoV that is now spreading globally. China€™s National Health Commission Vice Minister Li Bin recently warned that ‘there is the possibility of viral mutation€™. Perhaps Mr. Li is unaware that viral genomes sustain mutations during …
The TWiVirions reveal bacteriophage genes that control eukaryotic reproduction, and the biochemical basis for increased Ebolavirus glycoprotein activity during the recent outbreak. You can find TWiV #431 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 431 (71 MB .mp3, 118 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV!
To a molecular biologist, the word ‘evolution’ evokes images of fossils, dusty rocks, and phylogenetic trees covering eons. The fields of molecular biology and evolutionary biology diverged during the twentieth century, but new experimental technologies have lead to a fusion of the two disciplines. The result is that evolutionary biologists have the unprecedented ability to evaluate how genetic change produces novel …
On episode #363 of the science show This Week in Virology, The TWiVers reveal influenza virus replication in the ferret mammary gland and spread to a nursing infant, and selection of transmissible influenza viruses in the soft palate. You can find TWiV #363 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
