This Week in Virology podcast | Listen online for free

Available Episodes

5 of 1154

TWiV 1233: Long COVID and big bats
TWiV covers FDA Director overriding scientists on COVID shots, NIH funded science must now be free to read instantly, Trump cuts subscriptions to Springer Nature journals, UK and Gates make up for US money withdrawn from GAVI, US defunding USAID could lead to 14 million deaths by 2030, then reviews research on how host IL1 genetics regulates Epstein-Barr virus reactivation and long COVID, and enhanced antiviral capacity of bat innate immunity. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV FDA official overrides scientists on COVID shots (NYTimes) NIH funded science must be immediately open access (Nature) Trump cuts journal subscriptions for NIH (Science) Donors make up GAVI US shortfall (Reuters) USAID defunding will lead to 14 million deaths (CIDRAP) SARS-CoV-2, IL1, Epstein-Barr virus and long COVID (Cell Rep) Bat innate immunity (Nat Comm) Letters read on TWiV 1233 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Rich – Unraveling Mendel’s final mysteries: A genomic retelling of pea genetics (Thanks, Kathy!) (Original article) Alan – Winners of Nature’s 2025 “Scientist at Work” photo competition Vincent – Signs of AI-generated text found in 14% of biomedical abstracts last year Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.
--------
1:50:37
--------
1:50:37
TWiV 1231: What is a virus?
TWiV discusses Sen. Cassidy calling for ACIP meeting delay, RFK Jr. abandons GAVI, millions of children at risk as global vaccination rates fall, RFK Jr. grilled by Congress, autism rates have increased 60-fold due to changed definitions, deep mutational scanning of rabies virus glyoprotein, and and proton gradient and incomplete TCA cycle in a giant virus. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Brianne Barker, and Angela Mingarelli Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Sen. Cassidy calls for ACIP delay (NYTimes) RFK Jr. stops GAVI funding (NYTimes) Global vaccination rates drop, millions of children at risk (Guardian) Autism rates have increased 60-fold, here’s why (NYTimes) Deep mutational scanning of rabies virus glycoprotein (Cell Host Micr) Giant virus with proton gradient and partial TCA cycle (ISME J) Why cells are powered by proton gradients (Scitable) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Angela – 27 new, exciting, and blobby species discovered in the Peruvian rainforest! Brianne – Encounters in the Milky Way Rich – Where to go for accurate, up-to-date vaccine information Vincent – The members of RFK Jr.’s new vaccine committee have published little on vaccines Listener Picks Charles – Vaccine Advice, Vandalized Ken – Golden Goose Awards Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.
--------
1:54:51
--------
1:54:51
TWiV 1227: How can antibody forget a pandemic?
TWiV reviews the administrations dismantling of the committee that studies pandemic potential, firing of CDC vaccine advisory committee and replacing them with unqualified anti-vaxxers, zoonotic and sustained Mpox spread in Nigeria and Cameroon, and breadth of influenza A antibody cross-reactivity. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV 2:39 NIH terminates pandemic preparedness committee (Science) RFK Jr. fires all ACIP members (CNN) RFK Jr. names dubious members of new ACIP (NPR) Zoonotic and sustained Mpox spread in West Africa (Nature) Breadth of influenza A antibody cross-reactivity (Nat Micro) Letters read on TWiV 1227 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Accidental discovery in planetarium show Alan – Project Hail Mary Vincent – How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works Listener Picks James – Looking at the world through a microscope Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.
--------
1:50:03
--------
1:50:03
TWiV 1225: Poultry flu and SARS-CoV-2
TWiV reviews the administration’s call for fools gold-standard science, NIH may publish in-house, avian influenza viruses in birds in China, and Omicron pathogenicity and immune responses. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Fool’s Gold Standard Science (Nature) NIH may publish in-house (Stat News) Diversity of H9N2 in China (Nat Micro) Omicron and immunity (Cell Rep) Letters read on TWiV 1225 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Kathy – mSphere virus species names standardization Rich – Real Tides & Currents Graph HD Alan – Invasive termites spreading from privately owned boats Vincent – Entomologist Answers Insect Questions Listener Picks Gerry – Citations Needed podcast 221: Anti-science mugging Joyrell – Mayday: Air Disaster Favorite one, two, three, for Vincent Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.
--------
1:56:30
--------
1:56:30
TWiV 1221: Nonsense mediated decay
TWiV reviews cuts in National Science Foundation budgets, cuts to Harvard University grants, judge blocks ban on Harvard enrolling international students, DOGE ordered cuts of NIH grants, endemic coronavirus infection induces Fc receptor binding antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, and inherited IFNAR1 deficiency causing adverse reactions to measles and yellow fever infectious vaccines. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Angela Mingarelli Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV NSF funding cut to lowest level (NY Times) 1,000 grants cut at Harvard University (Nature) Administration ban on international students at Harvard blocked (CNN) DOGE killed NIH grants (Nature) Endemic coronavirus infection induces FcR binding antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (J Virol) IFNAR1 deficiency and severe reaction to measles and yellow fever vaccines (J Exp Med) Letters read on TWiV 1221 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Angela – Contact lenses that give people infrared vision — even with their eyes shut (one, two) Alan – Autocrats are afraid of you – see the graphic, especially. Vincent – How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.
--------
1:59:04
--------
1:59:04