This Week in Virology

TWiV 283: No Reston for the weary

May 4, 2014

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Jens H. Kuhn

Jens speaks with the TWiV team about filoviruses, including the recent Ebola virus outbreak in Guinea.

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Download TWiV 283 (80 MB .mp3, 110 min)
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Links for this episode

Review of Zanamavir clinical trials (Brit Med J)
Ebola virus disease in Guinea (NEJM)
Filovirus nomenclature (virology blog)
Ebola virus disease, West Africa (ProMedMail)
How lethal are ebolaviruses? (virology blog)
Letters read on TWiV 283

Weekly Science Picks

Alan – AMNH digital special collections
Vincent – Viral entry into host cells (Stefan Pöhlmann PhD, Graham Simmons PhD, eds)
Kathy – Papilloma song lyrics (pdf)
Jens – The Logic of Chance by Eugene V. Koonin

Listener Pick of the Week

Joe – Poor showing of 2012 influenza vaccine (Nature)
Phil – Emerging disease or emerging diagnosis? (YouTube)

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

TWiV 282: Tamiflu and tenure too

April 27, 2014

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

The TWiV team reviews a meta-analysis of clinical trial reports on using Tamiflu for influenza, and suggestions on how to rescue US biomedical research from its systemic flaws.

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Download TWiV 282 (75 MB .mp3, 104 min)
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Links for this episode

World Malaria Day
Review of oseltamivir clinical trials (Brit Med J)
Effectiveness of Tamiflu questioned (NHS choices)
Tamiflu campaign (Brit Med J)
Rescuing US biomedical research (PNAS)
Letters read on TWiV 282

Weekly Science Picks

Alan – Northampton Airport
Vincent – Particle Fever
Kathy – Turn iPhone into microscope
Rich – My favorite science gifs

Listener Pick of the Week

Nathan – The Ascent of Man (YouTube)

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

TWiV 281: The Salk legacy with Peter L. Salk

April 20, 2014

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Peter L. Salk

Vincent meets up with Peter L. Salk to talk about development of the first poliovaccine, eradication of poliomyelitis, and Jonas Salk’s 100th birth anniversary.

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Download TWiV 281 (66 MB .mp3, 91 min)
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Links for this episode

Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation
Poliomyelitis control meeting poster (png)
Man of Science cartoon (png)
Jonas Salk, Officier: Recalling a Medical Hero (pdf)
The Cutter Incident by Paul Offit
Splendid Solution by Jeffrey Kluger (review)
Video of this episode – view above or at YouTube

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

Peter L. Salk, MD

TWiV 280: Post viral

April 13, 2014

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

The TWiVmeisters answer listener email about the NEIDL, negative results, patenting MERS-coronavirus, human papillomavirus transmission, canine distemper virus, and much, much more.

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Download TWiV 280 (71 MB .mp3, 99 min)
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Links for this episode

Poxvirus viability in historical relics (EID)
TWiM 74: It came from the Siberian permafrost
How to read a scientific paper
Image credit: Not only quilts
Letters read on TWiV 280

Weekly Science Picks

Alan – Heartbleed explanation
Vincent – Agriculture science today podcast
Kathy – Quizlet flashcards (online and iTunes)
Rich – Why nothing is truly alive

Listener Pick of the Week

Lance – Myles Power (YouTube and Facebook)
Raihan – Cheap DIY microscope
Gerald – DaVinci Press
Neal – I’m a virus

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

TWiV 279: The missing LNC

April 6, 2014

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Alan, and Kathy reveal how a retrovirus in the human genome keeps embryonic stem cells in a pluripotent state, from where they can differentiate into all cells of the body.