In simple terms: a virus is a tiny package of genetic instructions with a delivery system. Outside a cell it is metabolically inert. Once inside a susceptible cell, it redirects the cell's machinery ...

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong have discovered that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common human virus closely linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), can change the 3D structure of ...

Viruses are entirely dependent on their hosts to reproduce. They ransack living cells for parts and energy and hijack the host's cellular machinery to make new copies of themselves. Herpes simplex ...

The human genome is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes, the biological blueprints that make humans … well, human. But it turns out that some of our DNA — about 8% — are the remnants of ancient viruses ...

In a new study, published in Cell, researchers describe a newfound mechanism for creating proteins in a giant DNA virus, comparable to a mechanism in eukaryotic cells. The finding challenges the dogma ...

When cells proliferate, genomic DNA is precisely duplicated once per cell cycle. Abnormalities in this DNA replication process can cause alterations in genomic DNA, promoting cellular ageing, cancer, ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A newly found giant virus from Lake Ushiku shows unusual spikes and a distinct way of disrupting a host nucleus, fueling debates ...