Victoria Stern | Aug 19, 2009 | 2 min read
Bacteria-infecting viruses, generally thought to be harmful to their hosts, can also be surprisingly beneficial. A pea aphid Image: WikipediaA bacteriophage infecting a bacterium living in the cells and body cavity of a small, plant-eating insect protects the insect from attack by a deadly wasp predator, reports a study published online in Science today (August 20). The discovery may help create more effective methods of pest control, the authors say. "This is a wonderful paper," linkurl:Chr