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Virivores, the organism can eat up to a million viruses a day

Virivores, the organism can eat up to a million viruses a day

Prof. Weitz was recently featured in EL PAÍS as an expert reference on why microbes may be motivated to consume viruses. “Because viral genomes are relatively densely packed – and because genetic material is rich in phosphorus – viruses have higher phosphorus content than typical microbes. Therefore, they might have a nutritional bonus.” — Joshua […]

Bacteria-Virus Arms Race Provides Rare Window into Rapid and Complex Evolution

Bacteria-Virus Arms Race Provides Rare Window into Rapid and Complex Evolution

This press release was originally published on https://today.ucsd.edu. As conceived by Charles Darwin in the 1800s, evolution is a slow, gradual process during which species adaptations are inherited incrementally over generations. However, today biologists can see how evolutionary changes unfold on much more accelerated timescales. Rather than the evocative plants and animals of the Galapagos […]

Researchers to Lead Paradigm Shift in Pandemic Prevention with NSF Grant

Researchers to Lead Paradigm Shift in Pandemic Prevention with NSF Grant

This story was written by Bryant Wine, and was originally published by the School of Computational Science and Engineering. One lesson learned from the Covid-19 pandemic is that human behavior is a difficult variable to consider when predicting and preventing disease outbreaks. This challenge is magnified even more considering how different scientific fields conduct, interpret, and present […]

Risk tool used to urge caution as Covid-19 cases surge

Risk tool used to urge caution as Covid-19 cases surge

Recently there have been record-breaking numbers of Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations, likely caused by the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In spite of rising cases, many large events have been continuing as scheduled. The Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool has been used to urge caution for high-risk events. Featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution‘s Get Schooled blog, the tool […]

Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool makes headlines as Thanksgiving approaches

Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool makes headlines as Thanksgiving approaches

Last November the Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool made headlines as people around the United States planned their holiday travel amidst rising Covid-19 cases and uncertainty. Now, the tool is in the news again. So far, the tool has been featured in national news outlets such as National Geographic, The Hill, and Fast Company, as well as […]

Prof. Weitz Interviewed for Wired Magazine about Predicting the Path of Covid-19

Prof. Weitz Interviewed for Wired Magazine about Predicting the Path of Covid-19

Prof. Weitz recently shared his take on predicting the trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic in an article published in Wired Magazine. Discussing how the perceived risk of infection can impact human behavior, Prof. Weitz explained that this complex relationship makes predicting where the Covid-19 pandemic will head next difficult. “The prevailing theme that continues to […]

Risk Assessment Planning Tool featured in Scientific American

Risk Assessment Planning Tool featured in Scientific American

The Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool developed by the Weitz Group in 2020 was recently featured in an article published in Scientific American. The article discusses how to make decisions about safely returning to work, and emphasizes that Covid-19 trends differ in different communities. To learn more about this tool, read our paper published in Nature Human Behavior […]

Weitz Group research featured in Quanta Magazine

Weitz Group research featured in Quanta Magazine

The Weitz Group’s work in modeling Covid-19 was recently featured in Quanta Magazine. Prof. Weitz and his collaborator Johnathan Dushoff were interviewed for the article to discuss their work estimating the reproduction rate of Covid-19, as well as the larger role mathematical modeling plays in scientific research. The piece featured papers recently published in the Journal […]