TWiV 227: Lacks security and bad poultry

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Created on Sunday, 07 April 2013 15:27

Written by Vincent Racaniello

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

The complete TWiV team reviews the controversial publication of the HeLa cell genome, a missing vial of Guanarito virus in a BSL-4 facility, and human infections with avian influenza H7N9 virus.

Download TWiV 227 (69 MB .mp3, 95 min)

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Links for this episode:

• Containment plan for poliovirus (pdf, WHO)
• Post-eradication of polio
• Ocular tropism of respiratory viruses (MMBR)
• Rally for medical research
• HeLa genome sequence withdrawn (ScienceInsider)
• Immortal life sequel (Rebecca Skloot)
• HeLa genome sequence published, withdrawn (virology blog)
• Vial of Guanarito virus missing (ABC news)
• Human H7N9 infections (ProMedMail)
• WHO H7N9 updates
• China escalates H7N9 response (NY Times)
• Brian Kimble on H7N9
• Compatibility of H9N2 and H1N1 genes (PNAS)
• Letters read on TWiV 227

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - NIAID YouTube videos
Alan - Lego insects
Rich - How to see the world in a grain of sand
Vincent -  Vaccines, viruses, and the anti-vax movement
Dickson - Edinburgh Science Festival

Listener Pick of the Week

Stephen - Nature iOS app
Mehul - Voices for vaccines

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TWiV 226: Taking the viral A train with Terry Dermody

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Created on Sunday, 31 March 2013 21:17

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Terry Dermody

Vincent and Dickson speak with Terry Dermody about his career in medicine and virology.

Download TWiV 226 (67 MB .mp3, 93 min)

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TWiV 225: Transcripts from the inbox

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Created on Sunday, 24 March 2013 13:27

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Rich, and Kathy read listener comments and questions on viral oncotherapy, science communication, a functional HIV cure in an infant, and much more.

Download TWiV 225 (73 MB .mp3, 101 min)

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Links for this episode:

• Plant viruses alter insect behavior (Sci Rep)
• Circovirus in Shanghai
• Letters read on TWiV 225

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - Case stories about CoV-EMC (one, two)
Rich - The Self-Illusion by Bruce Hood
Vincent - Moving Targets

Listener Pick of the Week

Liam - eLIFE and Rubriq
Steve - Plant virus ecology (mp3)
Neil - World Immunization Week

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TWiV 224: A wide receiver and a natural defense

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Created on Sunday, 17 March 2013 14:12

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Alan, Kathy, and Dickson discuss identification of a cell receptor for the coronavirus-EMC, and the role of interferon-epsilon in protecting the female reproductive tract.

Download TWiV 224 (69 MB .mp3, 95 min)

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Links for this episode:

• Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 is CoV-EMC receptor (Nature)
• Receptor for new coronavirus (Nature)
• Broad reception for coronavirus (Nature)
• SARS 10th anniversary (Science)
• Interferon-epsilon protects female reproductive tract (Science)
• Families fighting flu (YouTube)
• Monitoring infections with online data (TWiM 41)
• Natalie Portman was a scientist (NY Times)
• Letters read on TWiV 224

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - 2013 Intel Science Talent Search awards
Alan - Krebs Cycle Rap (CDC)
Vincent -  Jetpens (favorite one and two)
Dickson - Rabies death in organ recipients (CDC)

Listener Pick of the Week

Justin - The DNA Store
Jim - Massive Open Online Classrooms
Chris - Feedly

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TWiV 223: EEEV and the serpent

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Created on Sunday, 10 March 2013 18:20

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Alan, and Kathy discuss new influenza virus NA inhibitors, detection of EEEV antibody and RNA in snakes, and replication of the coronavirus EMC in human airway epithelial cells.

Download TWiV 223 (64 MB .mp3, 89 min)

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Links for this episode:

• International Women's Day 2013
• Condit Dam, 6 weeks later (Vimeo)
• Influenza HA assay
• Covalent influenza NA inhibitors (ScienceExpress)
• Defective influenza HA mutants (Virology)
• New flu drug (BBC, e! Science)
• EEEV antibody, RNA in snakes (Am J Trop Med Hyg)
• EEEV (CDC)
• Zoonotic potential of CoV-EMC (mBio)
• CoV-EMC update (ProMedMail, CDC)
• CoV-EMC travel update (CDC)
• Letters read on TWiV 223

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - Finkbeiner test and Women in Science
Alan - New flu vaccine efficacy study (CDC)
Vincent -  Threading the NEIDL video

Listener Pick of the Week

Steve - Prof. Joan Steitz on viral RNA
Ed - Archiving history of molecular biology: Press release, video, CSHL archives and videos

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TWiV 222: Jumpin' Jack Flash, it's a GAS GAS GAS

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Created on Sunday, 03 March 2013 16:36

Written by Vincent Racaniello

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

The complete TWiV team discusses the amazing finding that cyclic GMP-AMP synthase is a cytosolic innate immune DNA sensor.

Download TWiV 222 (70 MB .mp3, 97 min)

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Links for this episode:

• Zhijian J. Chen (Wikipedia)
• Sensing the dark side of DNA (Science)
• cGAMP is an endogenous second messenger (Science)
• cGAMP synthase is a DNA sensor (Science)
• Pore-forming toxin (Wikipedia)
• Letters read on TWiV 222

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - Graphene batteries
Alan - How do we get cures? (YouTube)
Rich - Explosive breach of Condit Dam (Vimeo)
Vincent -  10 things you can do to support open access (Tree of Life)

Listener Pick of the Week

Mark - The real story of Stuxnet
John - D-connector virus

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TWiV 221: Bunya there, done that

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Created on Sunday, 24 February 2013 16:35

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Dickson, and Kathy review two emerging bunyaviruses, SFTSV and SBV.

Download TWiV 221 (66 MB .mp3, 91 min)

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Links for this episode:

• Human transmission of SFTSV (JID)
• SFTSV serosurvey (EID)
• SFTSV on TWiV 147
• SFTSV in Japan (ProMedMail)
• SFTSV mouse model (PNAS)
• SBV infectious DNA and mouse model (PLoS Path)
• SBV in Sweden (ProMedMail)
• Letters read on TWiV 221

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - Winners, 2012 Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge
Vincent -  The Operator and Dr. Oz's Problem

Listener Pick of the Week

Shane - OpenPCR
John - Python

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TWiV 220: Flu watches the clock while T7 gets a CAT scan

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Created on Sunday, 17 February 2013 16:22

Written by Vincent Racaniello

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

Vincent, Rich, Alan, and Kathy discuss regulation of influenza virus replication by splicing, and the bacteriophage T7 random walk.

Download TWiV 220 (69 MB .mp3, 95 min)

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Links for this episode:

• Influenza splicing regulates infection (Cell Reports)
• Reporting on flu splicing from NPR, BBC, NBC
• Splicing of influenza RNA 8 (jpg)
• Bacteriophage T7 remodeling during infection (Science)
• Cryo-ET of intact cells (Trends Cell Biol)
• T7: The Movie (YouTube)
• Cry0-EM vs Cryo-ET (Wikipedia)
• Virus caught in the act (e! Science News)
• Letters read on TWiV 220

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - Journal of Virology Image Gallery
Rich - Phage T7 Genetics and Physiology and slab gels
Alan - PeerJ (press release)
Vincent -  Virologia en Español

Listener Pick of the Week

Dave - Thingiverse pathogens and proteins 

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TWiV 219: Fauci pharmacy

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Created on Sunday, 10 February 2013 20:12

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Anthony S. Fauci

Vincent and Rich meet up with Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Download TWiV 219 (46 MB .mp3, 64 min)

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Links for this episode:

• Fauci history (J Clin Inves) 
• Fauci Pharmacy
• Anthony Fauci (Wikipedia)
• Anthony Fauci: Unfinished business (Lens)

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TWiV 218: Monkeys turning valves and pushing buttons

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Created on Sunday, 03 February 2013 22:04

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Welkin Johnson

Vincent, Alan, and Welkin discuss how endogenous retroviruses in mice are held in check by the immune response.

Download TWiV 218 (64 MB .mp3, 89 min)

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Links for this episode:

•  Kuan-Teh Jeang, 54
• Resurrection of ERVs (Nature)
• Toll-like receptors control ERVs (Immunity)
• Retroviral danger from within (Immunity)
• Ancient viruses wreak havoc (The Scientist)
• Letters read on TWiV 218

Weekly Science Picks

Welkin - Viruses: Essential Agents of Life (review at STC)
Alan - Infinity Imagined
Vincent - Spaceship built for son

Listener Pick of the Week

Amanda - Written? Kitten!
Kevin - Protein synthesis: An epic (YouTube)
Daria - The Baltimore Scheme  

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