Search Results for vpu
Monkey poop! … and the evolutionary power of HIV
Posted by ERV on September 12, 2012 The story of ‘How we know where HIV-1 came from’ is really cool– A group of researchers went into the jungles of Africa, collected lots of monkey poop, and figured out pretty much the exact colony of chimpanzees that transmitted their SIV into humans, which lead to the HIV epidemic we know today. Those researchers…
HIV-2 Vpx vs Behe (everyone wants in on the action)
Posted by ERV on February 14, 2012 Hey, do you all remember Michael Behe? Dude was for real ‘famous’ a while back (not just ‘Christian famous’). He went on talk shows and news programs (including the Colbert Report) to talk about his personal brand of Creationism, Intelligent Design. Unfortunately, things ‘didnt go as planned’ with Intelligent Design. The courts didnt buy ID,…
Nef. The bane of my existence for some time now. I dont talk much about my research here, but its safe to say I consider myself an inventor who works in virology. People say “Damn. Its so hard to do ___. I wish there was an easier way…” and Im like “… I can do…
Vpu vs Behe, Round Amillionty
Posted by ERV on April 12, 2011 A couple weeks ago, Teh Discovery Institute held some kind of revival ‘conference’ at a local Evangelical church. The Usual Suspects were there– Caseytits, West, some other guy, but also my HIV Evolution BFF Michael Behe. I ended up not being able to go due to a scheduling conflict. I was at a conference on…
ATTN HIV Deniers: ERVs are not HIVs. Still.
Posted by ERV on September 3, 2010 What is it about ERVs that makes kooks cling desperately to them, like little ‘gag-pol-env’ life-rafts, as the kooks FAILboats sink into even further obscurity? I think the general populations ignorance about ERVs is what kooks find so attractive. Kooks, like Creationists, can say any damn thing they want about ERVs, and Average Joe/Jane doesnt…
HIV-1 and Vpu: Behe is still really, really wrong
Posted by ERV on May 18, 2010 Hey do you guys remember Michael Behe? Massive douche, wrote books about how EVILUTION IS IMPOSSI-BLEH! Gave school boards/teachers an excuse to teach Creationism in public school classrooms and pretend they were teaching science? He was like, the cock-of-the-walk when ‘Darwins Black Box’ came out, but then he made a total ass of himself testifying…
The inevitable union: XMRV and Vpu!
Posted by ERV on March 4, 2010 Two things I didnt intend on writing about on ERV more than a few times, but turned into repeat guests: XMRV and Vpu. Theyve finally come together. Susceptibility of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) to retroviral restriction factors Know how I was talking about intrinsic immunity yesterday? Well, some scientists wondered how the heck…
HIV-1 Vaccine: Again, OH SHI-
Posted by ERV on March 3, 2010 Your immune system is like an onion ogre parfait. Its has lots and lots of layers. You have intrensic immunity– Abilities every single one of your cells has to defend itself from viruses. VpuTetherin would be a good example of this, as would APOBEC and Trim5a. Pick a cell in your body– it can make…
LINEs dont do RT like ERVs, HIV, or HBV!
Posted by ERV on January 18, 2010 The only creatures that existed in the RNA World that still exist today, are viruses. They are the only creatures that still use RNA to store their genome– they never upgraded to V2.0, DNA. In fact the creatures that might have written V2.0, retroviruses, are still around today too. They carry their genomes as RNA,…
Three viruses join forces to treat X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy
Posted by ERV on November 10, 2009 X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-linked ALD) is a demyelination disease in little boys. The kids are usually dead before they hit adolescence. The demyelination mechanism is not the same as the demyelination disease you all have heard of, MS. With X-linked ALD, the kids dont have a functional ABCD1 gene. This means they cant break down very-long-chain…