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Virus that causes COVID-19 is widespread in wildlife, scientists find

Science Daily: Pharmacology News

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is widespread among wildlife species, according to new research. The virus was detected in six common backyard species, and antibodies indicating prior exposure to the virus were found in five species, with rates of exposure ranging from 40 to 60 percent depending on the species.

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Viruses are teeming on your toothbrush, showerhead

Science Daily: Pharmacology News

Microbiologists found that showerheads and toothbrushes are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses -- most of which have never been seen before.

Virus 137
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Giant viruses found on Greenland ice sheet

Science Daily: Pharmacology News

Giant viruses found on the Greenland ice sheet probably regulate the growth of snow algae on the ice by infecting them. Knowing how to control these viruses could help us reduce the rate of ice-melt.

Virus 130
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Over 160,000 new viruses discovered by AI

Science Daily: Pharmacology News

161,979 new RNA viruses have been discovered using a machine learning tool that researchers believe will vastly improve the mapping of life on Earth and could aid in the identification of many millions more viruses yet to be characterized.

Virus 130
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Nanorobot hand made of DNA grabs viruses for diagnostics and blocks cell entry

Science Daily: Pharmacology News

A tiny, four-fingered 'hand' folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, researchers report.

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Engineering viruses to kill deadly pathogens

Science Daily: Pharmacology News

Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent and growing global crisis. Researchers are exploring phages, viruses that infect bacteria, as a possible solution. In the new study, researchers successfully modified DNA from four types of phages to kill a deadly pathogen. The process can also be used to produce more phage variants for further exploration.

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Plant virus treatment shows promise in fighting metastatic cancers in mice

Science Daily: Pharmacology News

An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, shows a new study.

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