This Week in Virology

TWiV 533: Recurring threads

February 3, 2019

The TWiVosophers review the Chinese plasma virome revealed by non-invasive prenatal testing, and a new filovirus genome from bats in China.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

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Download TWiV 533 (68 MB .mp3, 112 min)
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Links for this episode

ASV 2019 2:28
European Congress of Virology 2019 5:01
ASM Clinical Virology Symposium 5:23
Intel ISEF judges needed 5:36
Jerard Hurwitz age 90 RIP 6:08
Paul has Measles now in French (virology blog) 9:41
Chinese plasma virome (Cell) 19:57
Blood virome of 8000 humans (TWiV 435) 31:15
Měnglà filovirus from bats in China (Nat Microbiol) 44:30
How to write a virus name (ICTV) 1:10:32
Ortervirales (J Virol) 1:10:52
Virologists oppose new definition of virus species (Arch Virol) 1:13:04
Ebola sitrep (WHO) 1:16:57
Letters read on TWiV 533 12:09, 40:45, 1:05:29
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:33:54

Brianne – Trying Polar Vortex Experiments at Home
Rich – Three Identical Strangers
Kathy – Science wear, especially for Valentine’s Day (discount)
Vincent – State of anti-vaccine movement in US and Top 10 Health Threats for 2019

Listener Pick

Amy – If government can’t deliver safe vaccines, is it fit to rule?
Ted – Understanding Economics of Microbial Threats (pdf)

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 532: Morbillivirus had a little lamb

January 27, 2019

The TWiVers discuss the spread of African swine fever virus and its threat to pig farming, and the zoonotic potential of peste des petits ruminants virus.

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

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Download TWiV 532 (60 MB .mp3, 99 min)
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Links for this episode

Please take the TWiV listener survey 1:48
ASV 2019 1:58
European Congress of Virology 2019 3:35
ASM Clinical Virology Symposium 3:53
Intel ISEF judges needed 4:14
ASV in Poland does not let go (Ag Buiten) 21:01
Alarming ASF outbreak (Science) 24:17
African swine fever (Euro Comm)
African swine fever review (Vet J) 39:27
ASF in wild boar (EFSA J)
ASF in Belgian wild boar (Dept Env Food Rural Aff)
Handbook on ASF in wild boar (Stand Grp Experts)
Feral hogs (VA DGIF) 35:43
Nonhuman morbillivirus with zoonotic potential (J Virol) 46:43
Letters read on TWiV 532 5:53, 46:17, 1:11:07
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:25:27

Alan – Retraction Watch database
Rich – “The Mayo Clinic: Faith Hope Science” by Ken Burns
Kathy – U-M EEB Photographer at Large contest
Vincent – Vaccines: An achievement of civilization

Listener Pick

David – Useless Knowledge Begets New Horizons

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 531: Circ du RNA

January 20, 2019

Patrick Moore returns to TWiV to discuss the discovery from the Chang-Moore laboratory of circular RNAs in cells infected with herpesviruses.

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

Guest: Patrick Moore

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Download TWiV 531 (65 MB .mp3, 107 min)
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Weekly Science Picks 1:26:51

Brianne – The herd to the rescue
Alan – Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory
Dickson – 100,000 Genomes Project
Kathy – Your Age on Other Worlds
Vincent – Vitamin D and Prevention of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease
Pat (Dissenting) – North Korea and Bioweapons

Listener Pick

Eric – The Molecular Basis of Life

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 530: Quiet please!

January 13, 2019

Steve Goff returns to TWiV to discuss the work of his laboratory on how retroviral genomes are silenced in infected cells.

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

Guest: Steve Goff

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Download TWiV 530 (62 MB .mp3, 103 min)
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🎼 They’ll histone you when you start to transcribe,
And they’ll histone you just for tryin’ to get by,
So be careful when you uncoat your genome,
‘Cause everybody must histone.

Links for this episode

Please take the TWiV listener survey 2:05
ASV 2019 4:38
European Congress of Virology 2019 6:27
Histones loaded onto incoming retroviral DNA (Cell Host Micr) 9:04, 17:41
NP220 and silencing of incoming retroviral DNA (Nature) 8:42, 41:18
HIV-1 and HUSH (TWiV 516) 48:44
TWiV World Tour 2018 t-shirt 1:27:04
Image credit
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 57:00, 1:27:39

Alan – The Tangled Tree by David Quammen
Dickson – Ammonia could power the globe
Kathy – Portmanteaux and A.Word.A.Day
Vincent – Curioscity
Steve – Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire

Listener Pick

Chaim – Tony Fauci on getting your flu vaccine (mp3)

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 529: Rueckert Road

January 9, 2019

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vincent meets up with one of his virology heroes, Roland R. Rueckert, to talk about his research and his second career as a forest manager.

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Roland R. Rueckert

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Download TWiV 529 (46 MB .mp3, 76 min)
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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 528: Our annual recapsidation

January 6, 2019

In the first episode for 2019, the TWiV team reviews the amazing virology stories of the past year.

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

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Download TWiV 528 (77 MB .mp3, 128 min)
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Links for this episode

Please take the TWiV listener survey 4:40
ASV 2019 Satellite Symposia
Crowdfunding for EV-D68 research 10:37
TWiV World Tour 2018 t-shirt (Amazon) 20:58
Cool virology from 2018 22:42
- Viruses behind AD? TWiV 505, TWiV 519, clinical trial one and two 22:52
- Wolbachia-mosquito release halts dengue (TWiV 506); World Mosquito Program 27:53
- Evolutionary history of RNA viruses: TWiV 491 and TWiV 526 32:43
- Horsepox as ancestral smallpox vaccine, including synthesis: TWiV 478 35:47
- Ebola continues: TWiV 494, TWiV 495, TWiV 505, TWiV 507, TWiV 515, TWiV 482 40:42
- Clues to many mysteries: TWiV 481, TWiV 484, TWiV 493, TWiV 515, TWiV 522 52:49
- Pro-vaccination: TWiV 500, TWiV 496, TWiV Special; measles in Ukraine and Europe 59:54
- Outbreak influence: TWiV 501, TWiV 527, TWiV 520, TWiV 507, TWiV 504 1:07:20
- Insect viruses and immunity: TWiV 525, TWiV 524, TWiV 522, TWiV 495, TWiV 485, TWiV 482, TWiV 479 1:09:32
- Big RNA virus genomes (TWiV 509) and Giant viruses: TWiV 490, TWiV 506, TWiV 521, TWiV 484 1:16:32
Image credit
Letters read on TWiV 528 1:25:14
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:39:10

Alan – Pandemic Trail game
Rich – On a Bat’s Wing and a Prayer
Dickson – Decoding Watson
Kathy – Phenotypic variation in outbred and inbred mice
Vincent – Trump County Confronts the Administration Amid Rash of Child Cancers

Listener Pick

Anne – Peter Hotez interview
Islam – Letter from Crick to Watson (pdf)

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 527: City mouse, country mouse

December 30, 2018

The TWiV team summarizes the discovery of Sin Nombre virus, and presents evidence that neurotropic flaviviruses can cause intestinal dysmotility syndromes after systemic infection of mice.

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

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Download TWiV 527 (53 MB .mp3, 87 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

Please take the TWiV listener survey 2:02
ASV 2019 Satellite Symposia 3:24
Crowdfunding for EV-D68 research 5:10
Outbreak (exhibit, TWiV 501) 7:50
Four Corners hantavirus outbreak (Wikipedia) 8:49
Death at the Corner (Atlantic) 13:50
Hantavirus infection by US state (CDC) 18:45
Hantavirus US cases and mortality (CDC)
Hantavirus international cases (CDC) 19:42
Belmont hantavirus death (NYTimes) 21:33
Intestinal dysmotility following flavivirus infection of mice (Cell) 28:34
Image credit
Letters read on TWiV 527 7:09, 1:02:51
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:09:58

Alan – Zooming in to Sagittarius A, ESO video
Rich – Orbits and Ice Ages: A History of Climate
Dickson – National Geographic Best Photos 2018
Kathy – HealthMap Vaccine Finder
Vincent – Taylor Custom

Listener Pick

Neal – The Yoda of Silicon Valley

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 526: In the beginning there was pol

December 23, 2018

The TWiV hosts discuss the distribution of prions in the eyes of patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, and the origins and evolution of RNA viruses.