Virology
Scientists film influenza viruses ‘surfing’ into human cells in real time
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An international team led by ETH Zurich and including researchers in Japan has used a new high‑resolution imaging technique to watch, live, as influenza viruses penetrate human cells. The work shows that cells actively engage with the virus, helping to draw it inside in a process that resembles surfing along the cell membrane, and could inform the development of targeted antiviral therapies.
Researchers at Caltech have discovered how viruses infect bacteria by disabling a key protein called MurJ, essential for cell wall construction. This mechanism, revealed through high-resolution imaging, suggests a new approach to combating antibiotic-resistant superbugs. The findings highlight convergent evolution in unrelated viruses blocking MurJ similarly.
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Researchers have discovered that DNA in newly fertilized eggs forms a structured 3D scaffold before the genome activates, challenging long-held assumptions. Using a new technique called Pico-C, scientists mapped this organization in fruit fly embryos. A related study shows that disrupting this structure in human cells triggers an immune response as if under viral attack.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered that viral infections in honey bee queens reduce their pheromone production, triggering workers to replace them through a process called supersedure. This finding explains many queen failures faced by beekeepers and suggests synthetic pheromones as a solution to stabilize hives. The study highlights the role of viruses, often spread by varroa mites, in disrupting colony health.
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A University of Otago–led team, with collaborators at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, has resolved the 3D structure of Bas63, a bacteriophage that infects E. coli. Published in Science Advances (online on November 12, 2025; issue dated November 14, 2025), the work details rare tail features and could inform rational phage design for medical, agricultural, and industrial uses.