Virus

Tucked away in the immune systems of a few people across the globe was something extraordinary, a genetic shield against every virus nature could throw at them. Now researchers are trying to turn this discovery into a universal antiviral treatment.

For years, we've known UV rays were the main villain behind a common skin cancer. But now, researchers at the NIH have uncovered a shocking twist: the virus Beta-HPV can be the mastermind, directly causing cancer when the immune cells malfunction.

Some cancer cells don't die; they go quiet, like seeds lying dormant in the soil. But when the body faces a virus like SARS-CoV-2, the resulting inflammation jolts these silent cells awake, especially in the lungs, giving them a chance to grow and spread.

The preserved lung of an 18-year-old Swiss man has been used to create the full genome of the 1918 "Spanish flu," the first complete influenza A genome with a precise date from Europe, offering insights into the pandemic that claimed up to 100 million lives.

An epidemic that's been sustained for 44 years might finally be quelled, with the milestone approval of the first HIV drug that offers 100% protection with its twice-yearly injections. It's a landmark achievement set to save millions of lives.

While it's estimated that millions worldwide suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, a test for the condition still doesn't exist. That could be set to change with the release of a new study that finds the condition's fingerprint in the gut microbiome.

Black cats may be a symbol of bad luck in many Western societies, but one such sooty feline has brought good fortune to scientists, playing a key role in identifying a new virus that can infect humans. It's the second novel bug Pepper has hunted down.

Scientists have discovered 230 new giant viruses (girus) found to be the unseen engineers of marine ecology, impacting global carbon cycling and energy flow across the world’s oceans.

Humans have been getting infected by ancient bacteria and viruses for at least 37,000 years. Now, for the first time, pathogen DNA has uncovered a pivotal disease "turning point" that happened 6,500 years ago, which would forever change our lives.

Animals that produce their own light source, through an internal chemical reaction, are a true wonder of nature – and something biotechnology scientists have been working hard to replicate and adapt for human use. They've now made a huge breakthrough.

A fascinating 2022 study found two common viruses may be working in tandem to trigger the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings were just the beginning of an ever-growing body of evidence implicating viral infections in dementia.

HIV has become a more manageable condition in recent years, but a full cure remains elusive. Now, scientists have found promise in permanently eliminating the virus, thanks to a drug already approved by the FDA to fight cancer.