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Bats, critical reservoirs of viruses with significant cross-species spillover risks, have long been understudied in the Indochina Peninsula. A study led by researchers from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, and their partners has unveiled the region's bat virome diversity, offering key insights into the origins of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and critical surveillance priorities.
From 2020 to 2024, the team analyzed 659 samples from 197 bats across 16 species using next-generation sequencing (NGS). They identified 137 viral strains across 27 families, including 40 novel species. Rhinolophidae bats from China's Yunnan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region provinces exhibited the highest viral diversity, with 13 viral families and MERS-like coronaviruses. In contrast, Cambodian bats harbored viruses that were evolutionarily distant from known strains.
A notable discovery was a PEDV-related virus in Cambodian Chaerephon plicatus bats. This virus (CB_Mo.plicatus_PEDV-like_1) shared 90.36% genome homology with the PEDV CV777 strain and displayed a recombinant structure, combining suid-adapted ORF1ab and bat-adapted Spike genes. This finding further strengthens the evidence of bats as the potential evolutionary source of PEDV. Recombination analysis of 18 sequences revealed mosaicism in 16, with five regions showing no breakpoints (BFRs), emphasizing the frequency of viral genetic exchange.
Deep learning models further highlighted host adaptation risks. The ORF1ab of the PEDV-related virus showed a preference for suids (pigs), while its Spike gene favored bats, raising concerns about potential spillover if mutations occur.
"Our findings underscore critical surveillance gaps," said corresponding author Yigang Tong. "The unique ecology of the Indochina Peninsula drives viral diversity and recombination. We call for enhanced cross-border 'One Health' initiatives targeting bat-human interfaces and recombination hotspots to prevent future zoonotic outbreaks."
About Author (Example)
Yigang Tong holds a BSc in Genetics from Fudan University, an M.S. in Medical Genetics and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS) in China. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, from 2003 to 2005, where he received the Michael Smith Award.
He served as research scientist at the General Hospital of Beijing Military Region from 1991 to 1997. From 2005 to 2018, he worked as a Professor at AMMS. He served as Dean of the College of Life Science and Technology at Beijing University of Chemical Technology from 2018 onwards.
Tong has made pioneering contributions to virology, especially in the fields of virus evolution, antiviral drug development, and phage therapy. He identified cepharanthine, a component of traditional Chinese medicine, as a potent broad-spectrum antiviral agent against coronaviruses. In phage research, he developed innovative bioinformatics methods for phage genome terminal identification and functional prophage detection in bacterial genomes.
His current research interests focus on virology, antiviral drugs, vaccines, bacteriophage, and bioinformatics, with an emphasis on addressing global challenges posed by emerging infectious diseases and drug-resistant bacteria. He has published over 500 papers in peer-reviewed international journals, including Nature, PNAS, and Lancet Infectious Diseases, with more than 370 indexed in SCI. His study on Ebola virus evolution, published in Nature, was named one of the "Top 10 Scientific Advances in China" in 2015.
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A Hiroshima University-led project has secured a $1.8 million grant from the Gates Foundation to develop a way to store bull semen using simple refrigeration instead of costly liquid nitrogen, a shift that could remove a major barrier to modern dairy cattle breeding that has long excluded farmers in low-resource regions. If successful, the technology is expected to deliver far-reaching benefits on food security and livelihoods in local communities.
The project, headed by Professor Masayuki Shimada of Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, received the grant in October 2025, marking the second time his laboratory has secured ...
Glenview, Illinois – The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) announced that CHEST® Critical Care was accepted for inclusion in the Web of Science Core Collection through the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). Indexing in Web of Science marks an important milestone for the journal and further strengthens its visibility and discoverability for clinicians, researchers, and health care teams worldwide. With this indexation, CHEST Critical Care will receive its first Impact Factor for 2025 in mid-2026.
The Web of ...
Twisting upwardly on trees and other plants—along with houses and even lampposts—vines are a wonder of nature. However, their marvels mask their parasitic behavior: in attaching to other life forms, vines block sunlight necessary for growth and strangle their hosts, preventing the flow of water and other nutrients.
While these threats were widely known, less clear is what gives vines their searching, attaching, and climbing capabilities.
An international team of scientists has now unlocked a formula that enables vines to search for ...
57.5 Percent of Commercially Insured Patients Had at Least One Chronic Condition in 2024, According to FAIR Health Report
The Cost for a Patient with One Chronic Condition Was Nearly Double That for a Patient with No Chronic Conditions
High Cholesterol Was the Most Common of 44 Chronic Conditions Studied
NEW YORK, NY—February 2, 2026—The majority (57.5 percent) of commercially insured patients had at least one chronic condition in 2024. The average allowed amount[1] for a patient with no chronic conditions was $1,590, while the average allowed amount for a patient with one chronic condition was nearly double ($3,039). ...
Physical aggression by young people toward their parents occurs quite frequently – yet the subject remains taboo. Victims often struggle with shame and avoid seeking help, hoping to shield their children from repercussions. Now, in a first-of-its-kind longitudinal study, researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) have tracked the development of this behavior from early adolescence to young adulthood, identifying which factors increase or reduce the risk.
The research draws on the Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood (z-proso), directed by Manuel Eisner, Denis Ribeaud and Lilly Shanahan at UZH’s Jacobs Center ...
Electromagnetic pulses (EMPs)—high-energy-density and ultra-wideband beams of electromagnetic radiation—are generated from sources such as nuclear explosions, high-power electromagnetic pulse devices, and intentional electromagnetic interference. These pulses can infiltrate electronic equipment to significantly incapacitate civilian and military electrical, electronic, and communications infrastructures and undermine command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
In recent years, scientists have explored EMP-shielded exterior glass windows for buildings and transportation systems to address ...
A national clinical trial led by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology has found that oxybutynin, a drug often used to treat overactive bladder symptoms, reduces hot flashes compared to the placebo in men receiving hormone therapy for prostate cancer. This primary analysis of Alliance A222001 is published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“Oxybutynin demonstrated clear and clinically meaningful improvements in both hot flash frequency and quality of life for men undergoing hormone therapy for prostate cancer,” said Bradley J. Stish, MD, the study’s lead investigator and a radiation oncologist ...
By changing the physical structure of gold at the nanoscale, researchers can drastically change how the material interacts with light – and, as a result, its electronic and optical properties. This is shown by a study from Umeå University published in Nature Communications.
Gold plays a crucial role in modern advanced technology thanks to its unique properties. New research now demonstrates that changing the material's physical structure – its morphology – can fundamentally enhance both its electronic behaviour and its ability to interact with light.
“This might make it possible to improve the efficiency of chemical reactions such as those used in hydrogen ...
The first study to test a digital tool designed to help people with Long COVID manage their energy levels has been developed by a team of researchers.
The paper published in Nature Communications is entitled “A Digital Platform with Activity Tracking for Energy Management Support in Long COVID: A Randomised Controlled Trial”.
In this study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), people with Long COVID tried out a new app called “Pace Me” to help manage their energy levels. The tool combines a wearable activity tracker (Fitbit watch) with an app that sends helpful messages throughout the day, reminding users ...
Generative AI models have been used to create enormous libraries of theoretical materials that could help solve all kinds of problems. Now, scientists just have to figure out how to make them.
In many cases, materials synthes is not as simple as following a recipe in the kitchen. Factors like the temperature and length of processing can yield huge changes in a material’s properties that make or break its performance. That has limited researchers’ ability to test millions of promising model-generated materials.
Now, MIT researchers have created an AI model that guides scientists ...
