Spotted under the microscope: How a virus puts on its armor
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 08:31
in Biology & Nature
Scientists from VU University Amsterdam, Scripps Research Institute and the University of Michigan discovered how a virus 'puts on its armor'. This 'armor', consisting of mere proteins, is initially flexible and weak, but subsequently goes through an exceptional strengthening process. Surprisingly, the reinforcement of the virus does not occur in one, but in three, independent ways.