Even a 'minimal cell' can grow stronger, thanks to evolution
In this episode:00:46 The effects of evolution on a minimal genomeIn 2016, researchers created a ‘minimal cell’ bacterium with a genome that only contains genes essential for the organism's survival. Any mutation in these genes could be fatal, so it was unclear whether there could be scope for evolution. But now, a team has grown this bacterium through 2,000 generations and shown that it does have the ability to evolve and can recover from some of the fitness costs associated with its streamlined genome.Research article: Moger-Reischer et al.09:21 Research HighlightsDolphins use ‘baby talk’ when talking to their of...
Source: Nature Podcast - July 5, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1020: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses guidance on measles during the summer travel season, the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines on the diagnosis of COVID-19: antigen testing, SARS-CoV-2 variants and age-dependent infection rates among household and nonhousehold contacts, effect of COVID-19 vaccination on household transmission of SARS-COV-2 in the Omicron era, incidence of myopericarditis after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, intrinsic and effective severity of COVID-19 cases infected with the ancestral strain and Omicron BA.2 variant in Hong Kong, safety, immunogenicity and protection of heterol...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - July 1, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1018: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses the CDC vaccine advisory group recommending the newly approved RSV vaccines, association of culturable-virus detection and household transmission of SARS-CoV-2, prevention of COVID-19 following a single intramuscular administration of Adintrevimab, real-world effectiveness of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir on COVID-19, and COVID-19 convalescent plasma outpatient therapy to prevent outpatient hospitalization. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode CDC vaccine advisory group recommends RSV vaccines Ass...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - June 24, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1016: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses surveillance to track progress toward poliomyelitis eradication, genetic stabilization of attenuated oral vaccines against poliovirus types 1 and 3, evaluation of Oseltamivir used to prevent hospitalization in outpatients with Influenza, viral emissions into the air and environment after SARS-CoV-2 human challenge, has COVID-19 threatened routine childhood vaccination, successful treatment of persistent symptomatic COVID-19 infection with extended duration Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir, anemia as a risk factor for disease progression in patients admitted for COVID-19, impact of...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - June 17, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1015: Soldiers & Scientists at USAMRIID
Vincent and Rich travel to Ft. Detrick to visit USAMRIID and speak with Todd, Crystal, John and Jay about their careers, their research, and the mission of the US Army Medical Institute of Infectious Diseases. Host: Vincent Racaniello and Rich Condit Guests: Todd Bell, Crystal Burke, John Dye, and Jay Hooper Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the panelists and no official endorsement by the U.S. Army should be inferred. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server USAMRIID Mpox virus in tes...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - June 11, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1014: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses estimates of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and incidence of primary SARS-CoV-2 infections among blood donors, by COVID-19 vaccination status, smart thermometer–based participatory surveillance to discern the role of children in household viral transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine mandates, changing severity and epidemiology of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States after introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, effectiveness of COVID-19 treatment with Nirmatrelvir–Ritonavir or Molnupiravir among U.S. veterans, national trends in anticoagu...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - June 10, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1010: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses the CDC HIV surveillance report, FDA voted in favor of approving the Abrysvo vaccine, canine olfactory detection of SARS-CoV-2-infected humans, safety of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5 to 17 years, and statement on the antigen composition of COVID-19 vaccines. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode HIV surveillance report (CDC) FDA voted in favor of approving Abrysvo vaccine (Pfizer) Canine olfactory detection of SARS-CoV-2-infected humans (Annals of Epidemiology) Safety o...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - May 27, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
Audio long read: Can giant surveys of scientists fight misinformation on COVID, climate change and more?
Shocked by the impact of online misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, several researchers are launching efforts to survey scientists’ thinking on issues from vaccine safety to climate change. They hope that their projects will make scientific debate, and degrees of consensus, more visible and transparent, benefiting public conversation and policymaking. However, others suggest that these attempts might merely further politicize public debate.This is an audio version of our Feature: Can giant surveys of scientists fight misinformation on COVID, climate change and more? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...
Source: Nature Podcast - May 26, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
JWST shows an ancient galaxy in stunning spectroscopic detail
In this episode:00:46 What JWST has revealed about an ancient galaxyResearchers have pointed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at JD1, one of the universe's most distant known galaxies. The power of JWST has filled in some of the gaps in what was known about the galaxy, giving greater insight into its age, structure and composition. The team behind the work hope that learning more about how early galaxies like JD1 formed will help explain how the universe evolved into its present state.Research article: Roberts-Borsani et al.10:09 Research HighlightsWhy your choice of soap might make you irresistible to mosquitoes, and...
Source: Nature Podcast - May 17, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1006: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses immunogenicity and tolerability of a bivalent virus-like particle norovirus vaccine candidate in children from 6 months up to 4 years of age, influenza hemagglutinin stem nanoparticle vaccine induces cross-group 1 neutralizing antibodies in healthy adults, COVID-19 surveillance after expiration of the public health emergency declaration, provisional mortality data, targeted vaccine messaging to promote COVID-19 vaccines for children and youth, vaccines and related biological products advisory committee meeting June 15, 2023 announcement, how to overhaul the CDC, impact o...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - May 13, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1005: COVID T vax and a virus from the blue
TWiV reveals plankton-infecting relatives of herpesviruses in the sunlit oceans, and a vaccine encoding non-spike T cell antigens that protects animals from severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Register for ASV 2023 Research assistant position at FDA (pdf) MicrobeTV Discord Server Mirusviruses link herpesvirus to giant viruses (Nature) Tara Oceans expeditions T cell vaccine protects against severe COVID (Cell) Letters read on TWiV 1005 ...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - May 7, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1004: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approving Arexvy: the first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine approved for use in the United State, association between SARS-CoV-2 and metagenomic content of samples from the Huanan Seafood Market, researchers disagree over how bad it is to be reinfected and whether COVID-19 can cause lasting changes to the immune system, virtual care and emergency department use during the COVID-19 pandemic among patients of family physicians in Canada, vaccination with BCG-Denmark did not result in a lower risk of COVID-19 among healt...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - May 6, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1002: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses completeness and spin of medRxiv preprints and associated published abstracts of COVID-19 randomized clinical trials, lessons learned from a COVID-19 dog screening pilot in California K-12 schools, SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and severity of the disease, effectiveness of COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, Molnupiravir and risk of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, risk of new-onset long Covid following reinfection with SARS-CoV-2, low vitamin D levels associated with long COVID syndrome in COVID-19 survivors, and clinical experience with the α2A-adrenoceptor agonist, guanfacine, an...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - April 29, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: VIncent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
Audio long read: Conquering Alzheimer ’s — a look at the therapies of the future
Last year, researchers announced that the Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab lowered the amount of amyloid protein plaques associated with the disease in the brains of participants in a clinical trial, and slowed their cognitive decline.Now, researchers are looking to drug combinations, vaccines and gene therapy to tackle different stages of the disease, as they forge the next generation of treatments for the condition.This is an audio version of our Feature: Conquering Alzheimer’s: a look at the therapies of the future Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. (Source: Nature Podcast)
Source: Nature Podcast - April 28, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts
TWiV 1001: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses an update on vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks, how the dream of wiping out polio might need a rethink, risk of death in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 vs seasonal Influenza in fall-winter, French Mpox cluster includes fully vaccinated patients, two individuals with potential Mpox virus reinfection, epidemiologic and clinical features of Mpox-associated deaths, FDA authorizes changes to simplify use of bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 during Omicron variant predominance among infants born to people with SARS-CoV-2, severe maternal morbidity and mortalit...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - April 23, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts
