TWiM reveals a new type of satellite virus that requires only phage tails for producing infectious virus particles, and that highly virulent plague bacteria differs from its innocuous enteric predecessor by its resistance to lysis by human complement. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Viruses that steal bacteriophage tails (Cell Host Microbe) Y. pestis not susceptible to human complement (Appl Environ Micro) How Y. pestis got its pathogenic groove (Appl Environ Micro) Risks of another pandemic (TedEd) Take the TWiM Listener survey!