Category Archives: Viruses

Study Suggests New HIV Therapy

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Sharon Neufeldt

Human bodies are naturally equipped with elaborate defense mechanisms to squelch intruding microorganisms. But some viruses, like HIV, are able to slip under the immune system radar and set up permanent residence in a human host. Exactly how this feat … Continue reading →

Posted in Viruses | 3 Comments

Trespassing Viruses Will Be Killed on Contact

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to start thinking about the flu!

Posted in Chemistry, Medicine, Viruses | 3 Comments

The Machinery of Retroviruses Part 3: Caught in the Act

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

Retroviruses such as HIV work by integrating their genetic code into the DNA of a (see part 1).

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The Machinery of Retroviruses Part 2: Using X-Rays to Solve Scientific Problems

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

(Part 1 here) X-ray crystallography is used by the authors of a recent Nature paper to visualize the structure of certain key molecules relevant to retroviruses.  Though we usually think of X-rays as just a way of looking at our … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry, Chemistry Basics, Materials, Viruses | Comments Off on The Machinery of Retroviruses Part 2: Using X-Rays to Solve Scientific Problems

The Machinery of Retroviruses Part 1: What is a Retrovirus?

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

Retroviruses such as HIV are in some ways still a black box to scientists.  The specific details of their mechanism of action are slowly being elucidated, but much is yet unclear. However, an article was published in Nature this past … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry Basics, Viruses | 1 Comment