biotechnology – Virus&Co.

Viruses vs bacteria: what are the differences?

Viruses and bacteria are fundamentally different despite some similarities. Bacteria are living unicellular organisms with independent metabolism, while viruses are non-living entities that require host cells for replication. Bacteria can be beneficial, aiding human health, whereas viruses are mostly pathogenic. Both can be used in biotechnology for medical advancements.

The fantastic world of viruses

Viruses are microscopic parasites made only of their genetic material in a protein envelope. Viruses are not living beings since they are not able to replicate on their own: to do so they need to invade a cell and hijack its functions.

Let me introduce myself

Hello everyone! My name is Carla and I am a biotechnologist: I have always been attracted by the infinitely small and by the microscopic world. I am a researcher at the Blizard Institute, a research centre of the Queen Mary University of London, where I work on the smallest virus that can infect humans: theContinue reading “Let me introduce myself”