Category Archives: virology

It’s the end of the world as we know it

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Is everyone having a nice apocalypse? Jolly good – now let’s talk about what happens next! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The professor who taught microbial genetics during my undergrad degree was hilarious. A lot of people didn’t like him at all, but those … Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, book review, current affairs, plagues, silliness, technology, television, virology | 18 Comments

Temporospatial trends in germophobia

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

One of the cultural differences I noticed soon after I moved from Britain to Canada is how people treat you if you say you have a cold or other minor ailment. In the UK, my experience is that friends, family, … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, medicine, personal, UK, virology | 19 Comments

Bad week

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I have the swine flu. Well, some kind of flu, anyway. I woke up at about 5am on Saturday with a cough, sore throat, aching joints, and low-grade fever. I seem to already be past the worst of the fever … Continue reading →

Posted in personal, virology | 21 Comments

Dear Mr Norovirus,

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Cath@VWXYNot?

OK, so you ruined Christmas Day. Rather than eating delicious turkey and socialising with the neighbours, I spent the day alternating between throwing up and shivering under a duvet with a hot water bottle. I think we can call that … Continue reading →

Posted in personal, silliness, virology | 26 Comments

Snowed under…

Posted on January 1, 2009 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’m back! Ever so slightly hungover, but the jet lag has gone. Staying out until after 2 am on our first full day back seemed to reset my system. This is what happens when you leave your car outside for … Continue reading →

Posted in drunkenness, family, personal, photos, snow, Vancouver, virology | 21 Comments

Endogenous retroviruses and evolution: redux

Posted on March 28, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

While chatting with Propter Doc last week, I realised that most of my current readers weren’t around to witness this blog’s finest hour. Way back in June 2007, I posted an explanation of why a paper of mine that had … Continue reading →

Posted in creationism, evolution, meta, original research, science, virology | 11 Comments

Viral Sneakiness

Posted on October 17, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Viruses are fascinating little buggers. They sneak into cells and take over their entire machinery and pathways for their own use, sometimes with as few as three genes. The amazing thing is that every virus has evolved a different way … Continue reading →

Posted in journal club, original research, science, virology | 2 Comments

HERVs and Multiple Sclerosis, part 2

Posted on July 27, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Well, after a short period of distraction, I have just finished reading the new paper from Christopher Power’s lab at the University of Alberta. This study follows on from an earlier paper that suggested a causal link between the expression … Continue reading →

Posted in journal club, medicine, original research, science, virology | 8 Comments

HERVs and Multiple Sclerosis, part 1

Posted on July 19, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I have a new paper sitting on my desk that I plan to summarise in the near future. The study investigates the relationship between syncytin, a human endogenous retroviral protein, and MS. I actually wrote a review of an earlier … Continue reading →

Posted in journal club, medicine, original research, science, virology | 3 Comments

Field dispatches from the war on viruses

Posted on July 15, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I have yet to be formally challenged, so I will take the initiative to venture ever so slightly away from the very centre of my usual comfort zone…I have written before about the ongoing arms race between viruses and the … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, journal club, original research, science, virology | 2 Comments