Nels and Vincent discuss an analysis of the drivers of evolution of SARS-CoV-2 during chronic infections, indicating that a tradeoff exists between antibody evasion and fitness.
TWiEVO 77: The mutations of our lives
- April 26, 2022
- Tagged as: age, cancer, evolution, germline mutation, mammal, mutation, mutation rate, natural selection, somatic mutation
Alex joins Nels and Vincent to discuss his work which demonstrates that somatic mutation rates scale with lifespan in mammals.
TWiEVO 76: One-step symbiosis
- March 22, 2022
- Tagged as: E. coli, evolution, mutualism, natural selection, reduced genome, stinkbug, symbiont
Nels and Vincent describe how a single amino acid change can allow E. coli to replace the essential gut symbiont of the stinkbug Plautia stali.
TWiEVO 75: Even the BANAL coronaviruses are interesting
- February 24, 2022
- Tagged as: coronavirus, Laos, pandemic, Rhinolophus bat, SARS-CoV-2, spillover, virology, virus, viruses, zoonosis
Nels and Vincent review isolation of SARS-CoV-2-like viruses from bats in Laos that can replicate in human cells.
