Virology
A virus with a green thumb
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
I just love it when long standing mysteries in virology are suddenly solved, typically by the use of new technologies. In this story, the long standing mystery was why poxvirus mRNAs have a stretch of poly(A) in their 5′-noncoding regions. The answer is that it allows the ribosome to preferentially translate these viral mRNAs over …
TWiV 449: The sound of non-silencing
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
The TWiV Council explores the finding that facial appearance affects science communication, and evidence that RNA interference confers antiviral immunity in mammalian cells. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 449 (62 MB .mp3, 102 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Full show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
The Traditional Lecture is Not Dead. I Would Know – I’m A Professor
By Vincent Racaniello | | Commentary, Information
Wired Magazine recently published an article with a headline distinctly opposite of mine, which claims that the traditional lecture is dead. I disagree, and here is why. The thesis of the article, by Rhett Allain, is that modern technologies have made the traditional lecture obsolete. The traditional lecture is one during which a teacher stands at the front …
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TWiV 448: Mavis the Structure Maven
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
From ASV 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin, the complete TWiV team speaks with Mavis Agbandje-McKenna about her career and her work solving virus structures by x-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 448 (40 MB .mp3, 67 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv Become a patron of TWiV!
Your face matters to science
By Vincent Racaniello | | Commentary, Information
If you are reading this you know that I am a strong proponent of communicating science to the general public. My favorite media are blogging and podcasting, but I’ve also dabbled in video. That’s why I was startled by a study which concludes that facial appearance affects science communication. It is well known that people …
TWiV 447: Un-impacting an elephant
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
The glorious TWiVerati un-impact their email backlog, anwering questions about viruses, viruses, viruses, viruses, viruses, and more. You should listen – our fans ask great questions! Click arrow to play Download TWiV 447 (67 MB .mp3, 110 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv Become a patron of TWiV!
David Tuller
Trial By Error: Interview with Chris Ponting about “Sequence ME & Long Covid”
By David Tuller, DrPH Last year’s release of the results from the DecodeME, a UK-based genome wide association study of more than 15,000 DNA samples, generated significant excitement. Action for ME, which spearheaded DecodeME, recently announced that it had received funding for a multi-phase follow-up project called Sequence ME & Long Covid. The UK government …
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Trial By Error: My Exchange with an FND Physical Therapy Specialist
By David Tuller, DrPH When I write about functional neurological disorder (FND) or functional neurological symptoms, I sometimes get feedback from Zachary Grin, a physical therapist in New York. As an FND specialist, he disagrees with pretty much everything I write about the topic. At first, I tried to engage with Zachary in a good-natured …
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Trial By Error: My Request for Correction of Causal Claim for Functional Neurological Symptoms
By David Tuller, DrPH This morning I sent the following letter to CNS Spectrums, a neuroscience journal published by Cambridge University Press. Subject line: “Correction needed for etiological statement in ‘Functional neurological symptoms occur commonly in healthy adults: implications for the pathophysiology of FND.'” Depending on the response, or lack of one, I might also …
Trial By Error: So FND Is Not Only a Brain “Software” Issue After All…
*Kim H, a FND patient with whom I have frequently exchanged views, has left a comment below. I urge others to read it. I disagree with her interpretation, but I certainly think she has a right to express her perspective. However, I stand by my post. ********** By David Tuller, DrPH For years*, experts in …
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Trial By Error: More on Long COVID panel at Psychiatrists’ Gathering
By David Tuller, DrPH I don’t generally write much myself on May 12th, which is an international day of awareness for ME. I’m aware of ME most of the time and write about it constantly, so I don’t feel a particular need to say anything special today. I usually consider it a day for patients …
Trial By Error: More on Long COVID panel at Psychiatrists’ Gathering Read More »
Trial By Error: News Bits–“Frail & Furious” for #Millions Missing; Usual Suspects at Psych Confab; Long COVID Advocates Channel ACT UP
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** “Frail and Furious” on May 12th Each year on May 12th, an international day of ME awareness, #MillionsMissing protests are held in cities across the world and draw significant media attention. This …