Figure 1: Different morphological aspects of mamavirus and Sputnik. Genomes of many viruses contain a high proportion of ‘ORFan’ genes; that is, genes without detectable homologues in current sequence ...

In terms of viral infections, one normally thinks of a virus infecting the cells of bacteria, plants, or animals. The idea of one virus acting as a parasite towards another one rarely comes to mind.

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Viruses may cause disease but some can fall ill themselves. For the first time, a group of scientists have discovered a virus that targets other viruses. This new virus-of-viruses was discovered by ...

The discovery of a giant virus that falls ill through infection by another virus 1 is fuelling the debate about whether viruses are alive. “There’s no doubt this is a living organism,” says ...

After Mimivirus, Mamavirus and the virophage, the group of giant viruses now has a new member called Marseillevirus. The new virus was discovered in an amoeba by a team of French researchers. Their ...

The discovery of a massive virus that suffers from another virus has reignited debate over whether the microscopic agents of infection should be considered living things rather than bags of genes.

Bubbly Gone Flat Water bubbles created by ultrasonic waves can collapse fast enough to generate a flash of light [see “Sonoluminescence: Sound into Light”; SciAm, February 1995]. In 2002 Rusi ...

Among pathogens, viruses are unique in their collective ability to infect all types of organisms. There are plant viruses, insect viruses, fungal viruses, and even viruses that infect only amoeba and ...

Tis the season to be getting the cold and flu. But is it possible for the bacteria and viruses that infect us so easily to get sick themselves? In 1917, a microbiologist working at the Pasteur ...

Viruses may cause disease but some can fall ill themselves. For the first time, a group of scientists have discovered a virus that targets other viruses. This new virus-of-viruses was discovered by ...