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This Week in Virology
This Week in Virology (TWiV) is a podcast – or netcast, as some prefer to call them, since you don’t need an iPod to listen – about viruses. It was begun in September 2008 by Vincent Racaniello and Dick Despommier, two science Professors at Columbia University Medical Center. Their goal was to have an informal yet informative conversation about viruses which would be accessible to everyone, no matter what their science background. We wanted to eventually bring other virologists into the conversation, to make it more varied and interesting. Alan Dove, a science writer, joined us late in 2008, and Rich Condit, a poxvirologist, joined in 2009. We’ve had a number of guests on the show and we’re always trying to get more.
Why are we doing this? Dick, Rich, and I have spent our entire academic careers directing research laboratories, so we have a lot of knowledge to share. Plus, we both enjoy teaching. Put those two things together, and you have TWiV. If you want to learn about viruses in a relaxing way, then TWiV is for you.
TWiV 110: CSI virology
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 05 December 2010 04:37
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
On episode #110 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, Rich, and Dickson discuss bacteria that can utilize arsenic in place of phosphorus, the passing of Frank Fenner, polio outbreak in The Congo, solving criminal cases of HIV transmission, and classifying viruses by capsid structure.
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit
Links for this episode:
- Bacteria that utilize arsenic (Ed Yong's view)
- Frank Fenner passes away
- Polio outbreak in The Congo (virus isolation)
- Solving criminal cases with HIV evolution (press release)
- Definition of paraphyly
- Order to the viral universe
- International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV)
- TWiV on Facebook
- Letters read on TWiV 110
Weekly science picks:
Dickson - CDC's West Nile virus case count for 2010
Rich - The red bees of Red Hook
Alan - Arsenic-based life at XKCD
Vincent - PLoS iPad app
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #110 (68 MB .mp3, 93 minutes)
TWiV 109: Virología en México
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 28 November 2010 00:00
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
On episode #109 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent visits Mexico City and speaks with Rosa Maria del Angel and Ana Lorena Gutiérrez about virology in Mexico, and their work on dengue and caliciviruses.
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Rosa Maria del Angel, and Ana Lorena Gutiérrez
Links for this episode:
- Rosa's PNAS paper on proteins that bind poliovirus RNA
- Lorena's papers on influence of proteins that bind poliovirus RNA on tropism and attenuation
- CINVESTAV
- TWiV on Facebook
Weekly science picks:
Lorena - Caliciviruses by Hansman, Jiang, and Green
Vincent - Insights into dengue virus genome replication by Alcaraz-Estrada, Yocupicio, and del Angel
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #109 (58 MB .mp3, 80 minutes)
TWiV 108: Barking up the right Tre
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 21 November 2010 21:26
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
On episode #108 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, Rich, and Saul review the evolution of HIV-1 specific recombinases, and down-regulation of a host microRNA by a viral noncoding RNA.
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Saul Silverstein
Links for this episode:
- HIV-1 proviral excision with an evolved recombinase
- Evolution of HIV-1 specific recombinases - review article
- Down-regulation of a host miRNA by a viral noncoding RNA
- Paring miRNAs through pairing - commentary
- GM mosquitoes wipe out dengue
- Virology faculty position, University of Maryland
- TWiV on Facebook
- Letters read on TWiV 108
Weekly science picks:
Rich - Where cinema and biology meet
Alan - Qiagen iApp
Vincent - Ask a biologist
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #108 (64 MB .mp3, 89 minutes)
TWiV 107: Warning - this virus contains email
- Details
- Created on Monday, 15 November 2010 02:15
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
On episode #107 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, Alan, and Rich answer listener questions about poliovirus, social media, dengue, influenza, evolution, gel filtration, and much more.
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit
Links for this episode:
- tre recombinase: paper one and two
- Universal influenza vaccines
- Mitochondrial and chlorophast phage-type RNA polymerase in plants
- Protein Data Bank
- Letters read on TWiV 107
Weekly science picks:
Rich - Protein Synthesis: An epic on the cellular level
Dickson - The Patchwork Mouse by Joseph R. Hixson
Alan - Bill Hammack's engineering videos
Vincent - Visual Science (thanks, Svetlana)
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #107 (68 MB .mp3, 94 minutes)
TWiV 106: Making viral DNA II
- Details
- Created on Saturday, 06 November 2010 20:47
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
On episode #106 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, and Rich continue Virology 101 with a second installment of their discussion of how viruses with DNA genomes replicate their genetic information.
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Rich Condit
Links for this episode:
- Figures for this episode (pdf)
- Letters read on TWiV 106
- Video of this episode - download .mov or .wmv or view below
Weekly science picks:
Rich - Google Health
Dickson - The Neandertal genome
Vincent - Lab techniques videos (thanks, Erik!)
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #106 (69 MB .mp3, 95 minutes)
TWiV 105: Finches score again
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 31 October 2010 17:29
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
On episode #105 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, Alan, and Rich review eradication of rinderpest, endogenous hepatitis B virus in the zebra finch genome, and identification of the cell receptor for an extinct retrovirus..
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit
Links for this episode:
- Eradication of rinderpest
- Rinderpest in the Merck Veterinary Manual
- Rinderpest summary (pdf)
- Manual on the preparation of rinderpest contingency plans
- Walter Plowright obituary
- The Plowright vaccine
- Measles evolution from rinderpest
- Endogenous hepadnaviruses in the genome of the zebra finch (PLoS One)
- Receptor for an extinct retrovirus (PNAS)
- Vertical farm: NPR post and YouTube video
- Letters read on TWiV 105
Weekly science picks:
Dickson - Winged Migration
Alan - Web-accessible shortwave receivers
Rich - Personal Genome Project
Vincent - XVIVO scientific animation
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #105 (66 MB .mp3, 92 minutes)
TWiV 104: The colony-collapse blues
- Details
- Created on Monday, 25 October 2010 00:57
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
On episode #104 of the podcast This Week in Virology, The entire TWiV family reviews the latest ideas about colony collapse disorder of honeybees, and resurgence of monkeypox in Africa.
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit
Links for this episode:
- The Harvey Lectures
- Iridovirus and microsporidian linked to colony collapse disorder
- CCD discussed previously on TWiV 64, 49, and 46
- Why are they called iridoviruses?
- Iridoviruses at ViralZone
- Scientists and soldiers solve a bee mystery (NY Times, pdf)
- Edgewood research center involvement in CCD
- Resurgence of monkeypox in Africa (PNAS)
- Orthopoxvirus in Ghana
- Outbreak of monkeypox in US (MMWR)
- Goodbye smallpox vaccination, hello monkeypox
- Letters read on TWiV 104
Weekly science picks:
Dickson - Four Fish by Paul Greenberg
Alan - Nikon Small World contest, 2010 winners
Rich - Encyclopedia of Life
Vincent - First all-digital science textbook will be free (thanks, @windsurfer)
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #104 (70 MB .mp3, 97 minutes)
TWiV 103: Shots with LJ Tan
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 17 October 2010 01:42
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
On episode #103 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent and Alan discuss influenza vaccines with LJ Tan of the American Medical Association.
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and LJ Tan
Links for this episode:
- The American Medical Association
- Prevent Influenza Now
- Vaccine injury claim reaches Supreme Court
- Supreme Court divided on vaccine case
- No narcolepsy link to flu vaccine
- Letters read on TWiV 103
Weekly science picks:
Alan - BioGene, an iApp
Vincent - The Vertical Farm by Dickson Despommier
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #103 (56 MB .mp3, 77 minutes)
TWiV 102: Catch me if you can in Munich
- Details
- Created on Monday, 11 October 2010 00:14
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
Episode #102 of the podcast This Week in Virology is a conversation about the RNA sensor RIG-I, adenovirus gene therapy, a universal influenza vaccine, and rabies virus, recorded in Munich, Germany at the SFB455 symposium ‘Viral offense and immune defense’.
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Andrew Baker, Karl-Klaus Conzelmann, Peter Palese, and Katharina Eisenächer
Links for this episode:
- SFB455 Symposium scientific program
- Letters read on TWiV 102
- Virologists having fun (YouTube video)
- Video of this episode - view below or download .mov (394 MB) or .wmv (506 MB)
Weekly science picks:
Katharina - Deutsches Museum
Vincent - HHMI holiday lectures on science (thanks Judi!)
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #102 (67 MB .mp3, 95 minutes)
TWiV 101: Sizing up adenovirus
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 03 October 2010 20:28
- Written by Vincent Racaniello
On episode #101 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, Rich, Dickson, and Hamish review the three-dimensional structure of adenovirus, and the role of adenovirus type 36 in obesity.
Host links Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Dickson Despommier, and Hamish Young
Links for this episode:
- Three-dimensional structure of adenovirus solved by x-ray crystallography and Cryo-EM
- Movies of adenovirus
- Commentary on adenovirus structure
- Adenovirus picture book
- Adenovirus type 36 and obesity in children and adolescents
- Press release on adenovirus 36 and obesity
- How much TWiV do you want? Take the survey
- Pre-order The Vertical Farm by Dickson Despommier
- Letters read on TWiV 101
Weekly science picks:
Alan - National Geographic's Best Environmental Photographs of 2010
Rich - Richard Feynman lecture: The pleasure of finding things out
Vincent - Summary of the First International XMRV Workshop (pdf)
Contact
Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also send articles that you would like us to discuss by tagging them with 'twiv' here at microbeworld.org.Download
TWiV #101 (55 MB .mp3, 76 minutes)
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