Influenza, Ebola, and respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV) can be nasty little buggers, infecting their hosts with rash abandon and, especially when they attack young babies, even killing them. Pneumonia, for instance, is the leading cause of death in children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and RSV is the most common viral cause of pneumonia.
As imaging techniques advance, researchers are able to study these viruses in greater and greater detail. Now, according to a team of scientists at Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Emory, one new technique for studying RSV in microscopic detail could help them spy on the structure of the virus for days and help them better understand how it enters cells and replicates, why some lung cells manage to escape the virus, and more.
Read the full, original story: How to better spy on a childhood virus