Author: Claudinne Miller
AI can now create viruses from scratch, one step away from the perfect biological weapon
Earth.com Scientists have now used artificial intelligence, computer systems that learn patterns from data, to write complete viral genomes from scratch in the lab. In parallel, a Microsoft-led study showed that AI tools can redesign known toxins so they escape common DNA synthesis safety checks. Those AI-built viruses are bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria rather than humans, […]
Jan 7, 2026
The golden age of vaccine development
Works in Progress The first vaccine was a lucky accident. Now we can design new vaccines in weeks, atom by atom. In 1796, when Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine, against the smallpox virus, no one knew what viruses were, let alone connected them to diseases. Many believed Jenner’s vaccine worked because it depleted the body of […]
Jan 7, 2026
Scientists Discover Previously Undetected Bat-Borne Virus Infecting Humans in South Asia
SciTechDaily Researchers studying infectious diseases have found evidence of Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), a bat-associated orthoreovirus, in stored throat swabs and virus cultures from five people in Bangladesh. These patients were originally believed to have Nipah virus infection but later tested negative. The finding expands the list of animal-to-human viruses known to infect people in Bangladesh […]
Jan 7, 2026
Traveler brings home a newly-evolved ‘hybrid’ mpox virus
Earth.com A new form of the mpox virus has surfaced in England, detected in a traveler returning from Asia and carrying a hybrid strain that blends genetic material from two different mpox lineages. The finding arrives amid a busy year for the virus, with global health agencies reporting roughly 48,000 confirmed mpox cases worldwide. Since […]
Jan 7, 2026
RFK Jr. guts the US childhood vaccine schedule despite its decades-long safety record
The Conversation The Trump administration’s overhauling of the decades-old childhood vaccination schedule, announced by federal health officials on Jan. 5, 2026, has raised alarm among public health experts and pediatricians. The U.S. childhood immunization schedule, the grid of colored bars pediatricians share with parents, recommends a set of vaccines given from birth through adolescence to prevent a […]
Jan 7, 2026
Viral outbreaks are always on the horizon – here are the viruses an infectious disease expert is watching in 2026
The Conversation A new year might mean new viral threats. Old viruses are constantly evolving. A warming and increasingly populated planet puts humans in contact with more and different viruses. And increased mobility means that viruses can rapidly travel across the globe along with their human hosts. As an infectious diseases physician and researcher, I’ll be keeping an eye on a […]
Jan 7, 2026
Controversial US-Backed Vaccination Study Begins in Guinea-Bissau
Health Policy Watch The US government-funded trial on the timing of hepatitis B vaccinations, which will delay vaccination for up to 7,000 newborns in Guinea-Bissau, started this week. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a controversial Danish research group a ,6 million five-year grant to study the “optimal timing and delivery of […]
Jan 7, 2026
How A Bird Flu Outbreak Wiped Out A Generation Of Seals In Patagonia—And What It Means For Wildlife Conservation – Analysis
Eurasia Review An unprecedented avian flu outbreak in Argentine Patagonia devastated a stable elephant seal colony, highlighting the rising threat of infectious disease to wildlife in a warming world. In the spring of 2023, we returned to Península Valdés, a rugged coastal region in Argentine Patagonia, expecting to witness the familiar sights and sounds of […]
Jan 7, 2026
The Ancient Art of Nasal Rinsing Might Protect You From a Cold
Wired On average, the typical American contracts two to three colds per year between September and May, at an estimated cost of around $40 billion to the economy. Effective forms of treating or preventing colds have proven hard to come by, with the majority of over-the-counter medicines yielding modest results; it’s hard to devise a drug that tackles the vast array of viral […]
Jan 7, 2026
Massachusetts officials announce detection of Avian Influenza
WJAR News The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources announced a highly pathogenic Avian Influenza was detected in a domestic flock of chickens. Officials said the agency safely depopulated and disposed of a backyard flock of chickens in Dukes County. According to officials, the birds exhibited signs consistent with Avian Influenza and tested positive for the […]
Jan 7, 2026