LiveScience Topic:
Virus

A virus is defined as any of a various number of submicroscopic parasites that can infect any animal, plant or bacteria and often lead to very serious or even deadly diseases. A virus consists of a core of RNA or DNA, generally surrounded by a protein, lipid or glycoprotein coat, or some combination of the three. No virus can replicate without the help of a host cell, and though they can be spread, viruses lack the ability of self-reproduction and are not always considered to be living organisms in the regular sense. Some of the most common or best known viruses include the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is the virus that causes AIDS, the herpes simplex virus, which causes cold sores, smallpox, multiple sclerosis, and the human papilloma virus, now believed to be a leading cause of cervical cancer in adult women. The common human cold is also caused by a virus. Since a great deal of mystery still surrounds the origins of most modern viruses, ways to cure these viruses and the diseases they cause are still in the very early stages of development.

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Body's Hidden Defense Against Common Cold Virus Uncovered

It has long been thought disease-causing viruses can take shelter from your body's defenses, by hiding inside cells.

Exercise Makes the Common Cold Less Common

People who exercise five or more times a week have fewer and less severe colds than people who only exercise once a week or never at all.

Newfound Virus is a Giant with Lifelike Properties

Researchers have identified the second so-called giant virus, dubbed CroV, which lives in the ocean and infects small, single-celled organisms.

Stealth Malware Steals and Imitates Social Behavior

As Internet traffic increasingly shifts to social networking sites, a new class of malware will steal identities.

Parasites Join Forces, For Better or Worse

Infection risks vary wildly for hosts depending on whether parasites compete or play nicely together

Army Cyber Command to Defend Elusive Battleground

The Army Forces Cyber Command (ARCYBER) became fully operational, providing the Defense Department a means of protecting crucial government information networks

Stuxnet Cyberattack on Iran Arms Hackers with New Ideas

Stuxnet could be giving criminal hackers a blueprint for producing ever more dangerous computer viruses and worms

Surprisingly Old Viruses Retired Inside Bird Cells

Virus fragments, estimated to be at least 19 million years old, have been found within the DNA of song birds.

Malware Will Change the Face of Warfare

The recent targeting of an Iranian nuclear power plant by a dangerous computer worm hints at how "cyber weapons" could change the face of future warfare.

Most Americans' Antibodies Ready to Squash Swine Flu

If the H1N1 virus is to continue its contagious ways this coming flu season, it will have to adapt to a highly immune population.

Malware Attacks Becoming Difficult to Avoid

Cyber criminals are attacking computers in a host of new ways

Kids Exposed to Strain of Cold Virus More Likely to be Obese

Children exposed to a particular strain of a common cold virus are more likely to be obese.

Report: U.S. Institutions Vulnerable to Cyberattacks

Neither the public nor the private sectors are doing everything they can to share information to thwart cyberattacks.

Whooping Cough Makes Whopping Comeback

Whooping cough, once nearly eliminated in the 1970s, is back and might reach a 50-year high in 2010, largely the result of poor immunization among children and adults.

Sneaky New Virus Removes Your Antivirus Protection

A new breed of malicious malware program tricks users into uninstalling the legitimate antivirus.

Malware Implicated in Fatal Spanair Plane Crash

Authorities investigating the 2008 crash of Spanair flight 5022 have discovered a central computer system used to monitor technical problems in the aircraft was infected with malware.

Internet Connectivity Could Increase Malware Attacks

we may encounter computer viruses attacking us in a host of new ways.

Online Searches for Cameron Diaz Puts Your Computer at Risk

Searching for Cameron Diaz online carries a one-in-ten chance of landing on a website with malicious software.

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LiveScience Topic: Virus

LiveScience Topic:
Virus