TWiV 1341: Phage breaks and COVID origins

TWiV explains research that reveals dual activity of a phage-encoded lysin that modulates infection dynamics in a mycobacteriophage, and refutes a proposed link between the SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site and mouse-adapted MERS-coronavirus MA30. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Kathy Spindler, Angela Mingarelli, and Jolene Ramsey Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Positions in Rosenfeld Lab (email) Dual activity of phage-encoded lysin (mBio) Furin cleavage site and SARS-CoV-2 origins (PNAS) Theories on SARS-CoV-2 origins (CR Biol) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Picks of the Week Angela – Pigeons. An underappreciated animal. Superparamagnetic macrophages, cancer detectors, mirror mark test Kathy – Wednesday’s APOD and Graphene Jolene – Microbial Puppet Masters science exhibit, 3D-models linked in their paper Vincent – Beyond Inheritance by Roxanne Khamsi (TWiEVO 126) Listener Pick Lana – The Episodic Table of Elements Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.