Tag Archives: Viruses

A meta-analysis of 155 observational studies ties influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis C, and herpes zoster (shingles) to a dramatically higher risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke in the weeks after infection, and viruses that linger in the body (eg, HIV) can raise long-term risk. A University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) researcher led the study, a …

This week’s science news was bursting with mind-blowing astronomical observations, led by new discoveries about the origins of the comet 3I/ATLAS. The comet, an interstellar interloper from far beyond our solar system, was first spotted in late June. Now, scientists are finally closing in on its age and where it came from. They discovered it likely originated in the far …

AI can now be used to design brand-new viruses. Can we stop it from making the next devastating bioweapon?  Live Science The Paraphrase Project: Designing defense for an era of synthetic biology  Microsoft AI can design toxic proteins. They’re escaping through biosecurity cracks.  The Washington Post AI designs for dangerous DNA can slip past biosecurity measures, study shows  NPR Microsoft says AI can create …

A study of around 500,000 medical records published in 2023 suggested that severe viral infections like encephalitis and pneumonia increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Researchers found 22 connections between viral infections and neurodegenerative conditions in the study of around 450,000 people. People treated for a type of inflammation of the brain called viral encephalitis were …

Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images AI can now invent working biological viruses.  In real world experiments, a team of Stanford researchers demonstrated that a virus with AI-written DNA could target and kill specific bacteria, they announced in a study last week. It opened up a world of possibilities where artificial viruses could be used to cure …

A team of researchers from Stanford University and the Arc Institute in Palo Alto, California say they’ve created viruses with AI-designed DNA that can target and kill specific bacteria. And these aren’t just simulated possibilities — they’re real and already slaying germs in the lab. The work, published in a new study awaiting peer-review, is a compelling testament to the …

AI-designed bacteriophages were capable of infecting and killing host bacteria. Credit: Lee D. Simon/Science Photo Library Scientists have created the first ever viruses designed by artificial intelligence (AI), and they’re capable of hunting down and killing strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli). “This is the first time AI systems are able to write coherent genome-scale sequences,” says Brian Hie, a …

A dose of COVID-19 vaccine is held by pharmacist Hayley Hooks at Kinney Drugs in Essex Junction on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger The Vermont Department of Health issued its vaccine recommendations on respiratory viruses Thursday and authorized Vermont pharmacies to give anyone age five and over access to a Covid-19 booster shot through a standing order. “The …

A rare genetic condition that once looked like a weakness has revealed a hidden strength: immunity against nearly all viruses. Credit: Shutterstock Some people carry a rare mutation that makes them resistant to viruses. Now scientists have copied that effect with an experimental mRNA therapy that stopped both flu and COVID in animal trials — raising hopes for a universal …

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have built a cancer therapy that makes bacteria and viruses work as a team. In a study published recently in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the Synthetic Biological Systems Lab shows how their system hides a virus inside a tumor-seeking bacterium, smuggles it past the immune system, and unleashes it inside cancerous tumors. The new platform combines the bacteria’s …