Matters Microbial #68: Social Evolution in Viruses

December 4, 2024

Today, Dr. Sam Díaz-Muñoz, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, as well as a Faculty Member of the Genome Center at the University of California Davis, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss how their group, and a growing community of researchers, investigates the social lives of viruses: the many ways that viruses interact and the ways that interactions shape infections and viral evolution.  

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Sam Díaz-Muñoz

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Become a patron of Matters Microbial!

Links for this episode

• An article by Carl Zimmer on the social lives of viruses.’
• An overview of RNA viruses in general.
• An overview of cystoviruses.
• An overview of the use of cystoviruses in the study of evolution.
• A relevant article:  “Open Questions in the Social Lives of Viruses,” Leeks et al. 2023: 
• Another relevant article:  “Sociovirology: Conflict, Cooperation, and Communication among Viruses,” Díaz-Muñoz et al. 2017: 
• The website for the Social Lives of Viruses Meetings 
• An article from Jesse Bloom’s lab showing the variation in single cell infection outcomes (Figure 4 is one of Dr. Díaz-Muñoz’s favorites from any paper).
• The faculty website for Dr. Lin Chao, who was very influential in Dr. Díaz-Muñoz’s background and promoted the study of evolution in microbes.
• The website for Dr. Paul Turner, who was very influential in Dr. Díaz-Muñoz’s background and promoted the study of evolution in microbes.
• The website for Dr. Rich Lenski, who was very influential in Dr. Díaz-Muñoz’s background  and promoted the study of evolution in microbes.
• A CDC article about “shift” versus “drift” in influenza. 
• A video by Dr. Díaz-Muñoz from 2020 about viruses.
• Dr. Díaz-Muñoz’s faculty website.
• Dr. Díaz-Muñoz’s laboratory group website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com