Monday, June 29, 2026
Science

Viruses 'eavesdrop' on each other—but it can backfire

University of Exeter scientists studied chemical communication by phages (viruses that infect bacteria). The phages assessed in the study have two choices when they enter a cell: lie dormant or kill the cell and release new virus particles to infect other cells nearby. It was recently discovered tha...

Viruses 'eavesdrop' on each other—but it can backfire
Image: Phys.org
University of Exeter scientists studied chemical communication by phages (viruses that infect bacteria). The phages assessed in the study have two choices when they enter a cell: lie dormant or kill the cell and release new virus particles to infect other cells nearby. It was recently discovered that some phages use chemical communication systems to optimize this decision.

Originally published at Phys.org

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