Influenza virus research has advanced substantially in recent decades, particularly in understanding genetic reassortment and host adaptation mechanisms ...

H5N1 bird flu viruses have acquired a molecular trick that makes them more easily infect mammary glands in cattle, but this adaptation does not appear to affect humans. To infect cells, influenza ...

A new University of California San Diego study published in Cell challenges a long-standing assumption about how animal viruses become capable of sparking human epidemics and pandemics. Using a ...

Twice a year, influenza experts engage in a critically important forecasting bet: pick three to four vaccine strains now that will match the flu viruses people will face in 8-12 months. The strains ...

At this point, avian flu H5N1 is thought to have very limited ability to transmit between humans, but a recent case in British Columbia with an unknown source of transmission has piqued the curiosity ...

Researchers have devised a new tool for discerning between naturally occurring viral outbreaks and those resulting from lab accidents. By Carl Zimmer The Covid pandemic was an extraordinary moment in ...