Secret of smallpox's success may lead to bioterror cure
...offensive strategies can become weaknesses, if the defenders see the enemy coming and compensate for its weapons. By manipulating what is perhaps the most devastating trick in cellular weaponry of pox viruses like smallpox, Arizona State University virologist and Biodesign Institute researcher Bertram Jacobs b...The right hitchhiker can save an aphid's life
... nailed by natural enemies. Having these symbiotic defenders is really important to the aphids," Oliver said. "Now we know symbionts confer resistance, but we don't know the mechanism of resistance -- we don't know the how." He said figuring that out is the team's next step....Genetic defenders protect crops from fungal disease
... soldiers guarding a castle gate, multiple genetic defenders cooperate to protect plant cells against powdery mildew disease, according to a new study. Powdery mildew is a common fungal infection in plants that attacks more than 9,000 species, including many crops such as barley and wheat, and horticultural pl......es project costs in the billions of dollars, while defenders argue that any increased costs incurred by manufacturers have previously been borne by consumers, the environment, and waste contractors handling thousands of toxic substances. In this complicated arena, there is even some discrepancy between the Eu...