TechnologyAugust 8, 2026

phages

FAY-jiz

Definition

Short for bacteriophages, which are viruses that specifically infect and replicate within bacteria.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek word 'phagein', meaning 'to eat'. The term was coined in the early 20th century to describe viruses that 'devour' bacteria.

In the news

The article uses the term to describe how AI tools were employed to design synthetic versions of these viruses. This is significant because synthetic phages could potentially be used to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Scientists used Artificial Intelligence to create synthetic virus

Read the full article ↗

WBTW

Related words

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A type of virus that specifically infects and kills bacterial cells.

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