viruses
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Scientists Discover Vampiric Viruses That ‘Bite’ Other Viruses for Survival
Viruses are somehow even weirder than we thought. In a recent study published last month, scientists say they’ve discovered two new viruses that hijack the machinery of other bacteria-infecting viruses in order to replicate themselves. One of these vampiric viruses even acts the part, appearing to “bite” and latch onto their helper virus so that…
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Scientists May Have Found the Culprit Behind Mysterious Hepatitis Outbreaks in Kids
Several teams of scientists believe they have uncovered the likely cause of a mysterious surge of severe hepatitis last year that hospitalized and killed children around the world. In three studies published this week, the groups detail evidence that a common but usually not pathogenic virus was strongly associated with the cases, likely aided by…
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There Were 15 Million Excess Deaths Worldwide in First 2 Years of Pandemic, WHO Estimates
The COVID-19 pandemic caused far more death and destruction in its first two years than official numbers indicate, a new study from the World Health Organisation has found. The authors estimate that there were about 15 million excess deaths linked to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, with a likely majority of these deaths the…
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Melting Glaciers Could Unleash Long-Frozen Viruses Onto New Hosts
In the Canadian High Arctic, climate change is bringing together viruses and potential hosts in new combinations, according to recently published research. Every novel interaction increases the risk of “viral spillover,” i.e., pathogens jumping to different hosts. And every instance of spillover is an opportunity for a virus to become more dangerous.