The last two years have created a crash course on viruses. At least, most of us have learned that when viruses emerge in a population with no defenses in place, these tiny creatures can be efficient killers and disrupt life as we know it. But what causes a virus to turn from dormant to killer? According to recent research, this may involve a complex decision-making process.
Tel Aviv University researchers looked at a group of viruses called bacteriophages, or phages for short. Phages are viruses that attack bacteria. Some types of phages can remain in a dormant state inside bacteria, replicating, but do not damage their hosts.
