viruses

Fighting Staph Through Viral Infection

By bonding special viruses to polymers, scientists may have found an effective way to battle MRSA and more

Using living organisms to combat human disease is nothing new to medicine. The Greeks used leeches to balance the humors (didn't work). Civil war medics used maggots to clean dead tissue from wounds (did work, and is still selectively used today). The next step in fighting infection with outside help looks to come from the bacteriophages, which are viruses that only infect bacteria.

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Ask a Geek: Eugene Kaspersky

Can viruses attack my cellphone?

If it’s a smartphone,
you bet. In 2004, virus writers released Cabir, the first proof-of-concept virus that could infect smartphones through
an open Bluetooth connection.
So far, Cabir and the 175 other smartphone viruses in the wild haven’t done enough damage to warrant headlines. But it’s only a matter of time before there’s enough financial up­side for criminal hackers to begin seriously attacking smartphones. And then, watch out.

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