Cryptic crossword clue
Study deadly virus in a bright young dwarf 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DENEBOLA

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
D
E
N
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B
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A

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The straight part
We know that "bright young dwarf" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case bright young dwarf = denebola.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

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