ocarinzee:

phage’s final form

http://instagram.com/p/Y9S_ryJEP9/

kinasekinasekinase:

wetwareontologies:

Influenza Virus Budding

Talk viruses to me. 

(via molecularlifesciences)

wetwareontologies:

Virus Models 1966 - http://aqua-velvet.com/2011/03/virus-models-1965/

(via molecularlifesciences)

carlzimmer:

A virus about to insert its genes into a microbe. One of trillions of viruses that live inside us and may keep us healthy. More details at The Loom.

jtotheizzoe:

Norovirus: The Human Pathogen That Turns Your Digestive System Into A Two-Way Firehose of Infection

Behold the humble norovirus. The humbly evil norovirus, one of the most perfect human pathogens. To be fair, viruses can’t be evil or not evil, they just want to reproduce. And how that happens to make their hosts feel is none of their concern. Noroviruses are masters of replication and infection, and they wreak havoc on the human digestive system in order to to their bidding.

That’s right. You know where this is going. Carl Zimmer reports, disgustingly:

 Noroviruses come roaring out of the infected cells in vast numbers. And then they come roaring out of the body. Within a day of infection, noroviruses have rewired our digestive system so that stuff comes flying out from both ends.

How can a virus with just nine protein-coding genes do so much damage to a creature (us) with 20,000? Over a million people have come down with norovirus vomitorrhea in just the UK this winter. 

These wee beasties replicate in the digestive system, waiting for you to “eject” them out of one end of your body. People who come in contact with the remnants of that “ejection”, even after cleaning, on planes or other crowded places, can be infected at alarming rates. Chances are it’s happened to you at some point in your life and you just called it a “stomach bug”.

Such a simple biological entity, refined by centuries upon centuries of molecular evolution, to exploit the digestive system of one class of mammals, reproducing in the safe warm home of our gut, and getting a free bi-directional rocket ride to their next host. Viruses never cease to amaze. And sometimes disgust.

Check out more on this virus from Carl Zimmer at Phenomena: The Loom.

(via somuchscience)

freshphotons:

The mechanical nature of the DNA packing motor in a bacteriophage. Biomedical illustration by XVIVO.

ocarinzee:

Phage, roots, & LoZ

serpentskirt:

Influezna virus doily by Laura Splan.
Part of the ‘Doilies’ series, 2004.
Freestanding computerized machine embroidered lace mounted on velvet.

bpod-mrc:

Sick Bug Secrets

Like a rotten apple that’s been dipped in toffee and rolled in candyfloss, the fluffy exterior of the Norovirus conceals a vomit-inducing core. Although rarely deadly, the lack of any effective vaccine or treatment means the millions of people who catch ‘vomiting disease’ each year just have to stomach it. Careful study of the virus may reveal ways to tackle its effect on us. Antibodies [specialised proteins] used by researchers to detect Norovirus attach to hidden spots on the underside of the candyfloss-like tufts (shown in blue) covering its surface. Each tuft is connected to the viral core (yellow) by stalks, which flex to accommodate the antibodies. Such flexibility may play a crucial role during infection – as with other viruses, like Influenza that undergo massive structural changes to infect cells. But it also leaves Norovirus vulnerable, providing an open target for vaccine developers.

Written by Hayley Birch

—

• Dr Tom Smith
• Courtesy of Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

biomedicalephemera:

Anatomical Teaching Models

It’s believed that anatomical models have been used for teaching purposes (as opposed to ritualistic or religious purposes) since some point between 100 BCE - 300 CE, since dissection of the dead was a taboo and crime in the Late Greek and  Roman empire, and paper or vellum for illustration was much more fragile than, say, carved wooden figures.

However, most of our evidence for anatomical models comes from the late Medieval era and later, when materials such as ivory and sealed papier-mâché were used for many anatomical carvings. Later, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, wax sculptures were common in medical schools, as much finer detail was attainable with such a pliable substance.

Today, most models used for teaching both lay persons and students are made from thermoplastics and texturing agents, and can range from highly detailed micro-premature babies, to fully-removable models of life-sized animals with every layer of tissue and organs, to huge versions of virions not normally visible except under an electron microscope. Given that the majority of students show greatly increased memory of a subject when able to physically manipulate a representation of it, the use of anatomical teaching models is here to stay.

For more on anatomical models and tons more on the history of medicine, visit the Science Museum: Brought to Life!

Images:

Top: Anatomical structure of reclining woman in early pregnancy. Florence, Italy, ca. 1770.
Center left: Wax model of the human brain, with skin, skull, and meninges removed. Intended for medical students. Western Europe, ca. 1700-1900. Date uncertain.
Center right: Papier-mache model of acupuncture meridians. Japan, ca. 1601-1700.
Bottom left: Sculpture of male black infant, 22-23 weeks development. Created for exhibit on how micro-preemies are kept alive in the modern era. England, 1998.
Bottom right: Model of an adenovirus, magnified 3,000,000x, from electron microscope images. London, England, 1985.