Infectious disease

Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer searches museum jars for genetic traces of flu, measles and other viruses. Their evolutionary stories can help treat modern outbreaks and prepare for future ones.

New research has uncovered a social world of viruses full of cheating, cooperation and other intrigues, suggesting that viruses make sense only as members of a community.

Exposure to a virus isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. The concept of “infectious dose” suggests ways to keep ourselves safer from harm.

Should Covid-19 vaccines be judged by how well they prevent disease or how well they prevent death? Anna Durbin, a public health expert and vaccine researcher, talks with Steven Strogatz about the science behind vaccines.

Several real-life pathogens can change a host’s behavior against their will. Here’s what we know about these zombie-like infections.

Even though we’ve learned a lot about this relative of smallpox, some mysteries remain due to a lack of political will.

Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist who became a lifeline for the worried and the curious during the pandemic, thinks that nasal spray vaccines could be the next needed breakthrough in our fight against the coronavirus.

While it’s understandable to focus on the diseases affecting humans, it’s important to study how our illnesses may affect animals.

Studies that map the adaptive value of viral mutations hint at how the COVID-19 pandemic might progress next.