Phylogenetics of HIV

Phylogenetics of HIV
Roadrunner is helping scientists study the HIV "family tree."

Glossary of Terms:
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the virus that causes AIDS.

Acute HIV is the period immediately following exposure when the virus grows in the body and establishes the infection. When the immune response flares up sufficiently those infected will experience flu-like symptoms.

Chronic HIV is the second stage of the infection, marked by a strong immune defense and a reduced number of HIV particles in the bloodstream. This stage can last from two weeks to a few decades.

Phylogenetics is the study of genealogical or evolutionary connections among various groups of organisms (for example, individuals, species, or populations), revealed by molecular sequencing as well as physical characteristics.

A phylogenetic tree is a branching structure that depicts the genealogical or evolutionary connections.

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that contains an organism's genetic information.

Sequences refer to the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA.

Amino acids are the organic compounds that form the basic building blocks of proteins.

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• Bradbury Science Museum
• lanl
• Los Alamos National Laboratory
• research science
• new mexico
• supercomputing
• computing
• Phylogenetics of HIV
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