When the immune system detects an invading virus like COVID-19, it sends swarms of antibodies to latch on to it, blocking its ability to attach to cells and marking it for destruction by other cells. Now, new research shows in striking detail how that process works in people who have successfully recovered from COVID-19 and […]
immunology
How plants and insects inherit immunity from their parents
Passing on short-term immunity to offspring is common in vertebrates, but plants and invertebrates take transgenerational immunity much further. An organism’s immune response to attack is usually considered to be a personal battle. A pathogen or parasite attacks, the organism mounts a defence, and one of them wins. But sometimes, the target’s relatives get involved. […]