Author John Lednicky’s cat Pepper and its prey helped discover yet another new strain of virus. Credit: John Lednicky ======================================================================== When a Florida virologist’s cat brought home a dead shrew, no one expected it to lead to the discovery of a previously unknown virus. But that’s exactly what happened. The shrew carried a new strain of orthoreovirus—a virus family known to infect mammals, including humans. While its effects on people are still uncertain, some orthoreoviruses have been linked to serious illnesses. Feline Assistant Strikes Again Pepper, the house cat who gained attention last year for helping scientists identify the first...