Viruses

New Research

When It Comes to West Nile Virus, Atlanta’s Cardinals May Be Our Feathered Saviors

New research suggests the bright red birds are viral “super-suppressors”

August 10, 2016

How Miraculous Microbes Help Us Evolve Better, Faster, Stronger

Invisible yet crucial, our microbial partners add a gene-swapping plot twist to evolutionary theory

July 26, 2016

Art Meets Science

This Painting Shows What It Might Look Like When Zika Infects a Cell

David S. Goodsell’s watercolor-and-ink artworks use the latest research to illustrate viruses, proteins and more

June 21, 2016

The Next Pandemic

Kill All the Mosquitoes?!

New gene-editing technology gives scientists the ability to wipe out the carriers of malaria and the Zika virus. But should they use it?

June 2016

Trending Today

The CDC Says High Elevation Regions Are Safe From Zika

It’s welcome news for anyone with travel plans

March 15, 2016

Cool Finds

Check Out These Vintage Computer Viruses at the Malware Museum

Relive the horror of watching your computer catch a ‘90s-era virus

February 11, 2016

Trending Today

These Are the World’s Most Dangerous Emerging Pathogens, According to WHO

You may not know their names, but health officials are concerned about the epidemic potential of these illnesses

December 15, 2015

New Research

Microbiologists Keep Finding Giant Viruses in Melting Permafrost

Researchers find several new species in a single soil sample.

September 17, 2015

New Research

A Squirrel Virus May Have Killed Three Squirrel Breeders in Germany

A mysterious set of deaths seem to be linked to the rodents

July 13, 2015

New Research

Meet the Friendly Virus That Might Actually Be Good For You

Many people carry it, but it doesn’t make you sick and could actually fight against viruses like HIV and Ebola

January 30, 2015

New Research

Could GM Mosquitoes Pave the Way for a Tropical Virus to Spread?

Modified insects designed to stop dengue fever could make it easier for another disease-carrying species to take root

January 8, 2015

Cool Finds

The Flu Has Been Making People Sick for At Least 500 Years

The 1918 flu pandemic gets all the headlines, but the malady is thought to have first appeared in the 16th century—and possibly earlier

January 8, 2015

New Research

The First 2014 Ebola Victim Likely Caught It by Playing Around a Bat Tree

Evidence builds that insect-eating bats are natural reservoirs for the disease

December 31, 2014

New Research

Meet the Tiny Killer Causing Millions of Sea Stars to Waste Away

The deadly sea star wasting disease, which turns live animals into slimy goop, is caused by a previously unknown virus

November 17, 2014

Trending Today

Unbelievable Reactions People Have Had to the Ebola Outbreak

For some, the disease is a chance to make money; for others, it brings out racism

October 15, 2014

New Research

Tracking the 2014 Ebola Outbreak Through Its Genes

Genetic detective work also revealed 395 mutations unique to the virus in West Africa

August 28, 2014

Trending Today

With an Untested New Drug, Two Ebola Patients Are Experiencing “Miraculous” Recovery

The drug, however, was not “top secret,” as some outlets have reported

August 5, 2014

New Research

Circumcision Could Help Stem the Spread of HIV

Contrary to what researchers previously feared, men who undergo adult circumcision don’t engage in overly risky behavior compared to uncircumcised ones

July 22, 2014

Trending Today

Could There Be More Smallpox Samples Still Out There Somewhere?

The FDA found mysterious old vials labeled “variola” and determined that they did indeed contain the smallpox virus

July 9, 2014

New Research

When Homo Sapiens Began to Emerge, Herpes Was Already Waiting

Herpes first evolved in chimpanzees before colonizing the cells of Homo erectus

June 16, 2014