Philosophy
We may hate viruses for all the nasty things they can do to our bodies--I certainly do. For all their virulence, however, viruses are brilliant pieces of machinery if we think about them from a molecular and genetic point of view. First of all, viruses are too small for their behavior to be driven by anything like instinct and drives. Instead, they seem to be driven purely by chemistry, but their genetic composition makes them master this chemical environment as if they meant business. Scientists are not quite sure how viruses originated yet, but what we do know is fascinating... and frightening.
Unlike bacteria and other larger organisms, viruses don't even have the ability to replicate themselves (and they can still kick our butts!). They solve this major replication problem by becoming the ultimate parasites: they hijack the cells in our bodies and turn the machinery and metabolism of their host cells (you and me) into factories that churn out and assemble multiple copies of the virus in question... That's right, we are their bitches :)
If that caught your attention, you might also be interested in how tumors grow.
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- Seven Wonders Of The Microbe World
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- Why Do Viruses Kill?
You've gotten the quick intro to how viruses invade our bodies before (with Robert Krulwich, no less), but today we get the full BBC treatment, so to speak. Viruses are way more ubiquitous than we normally realize, and although they have a bad reputation...
- Pithovirus Sibericum...brought To Life
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- Dormant, Not Dead
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- "h1n1 Virus" Poll
Has the media over emphasized the threat of the H1N1 virus? Yes...4 No...0 "Dead pigs in China, evil factory farms in Mexico and an Al Qaeda plot involving Mexican drug cartels are a few wild theories seeking to explain a deadly swine flu outbreak that...
Philosophy
How Viruses Invade Our Bodies
We may hate viruses for all the nasty things they can do to our bodies--I certainly do. For all their virulence, however, viruses are brilliant pieces of machinery if we think about them from a molecular and genetic point of view. First of all, viruses are too small for their behavior to be driven by anything like instinct and drives. Instead, they seem to be driven purely by chemistry, but their genetic composition makes them master this chemical environment as if they meant business. Scientists are not quite sure how viruses originated yet, but what we do know is fascinating... and frightening.Unlike bacteria and other larger organisms, viruses don't even have the ability to replicate themselves (and they can still kick our butts!). They solve this major replication problem by becoming the ultimate parasites: they hijack the cells in our bodies and turn the machinery and metabolism of their host cells (you and me) into factories that churn out and assemble multiple copies of the virus in question... That's right, we are their bitches :)
If that caught your attention, you might also be interested in how tumors grow.
.
- Seven Wonders Of The Microbe World
Bacteria, and the fact that we have to use antibiotics against them every now and then to combat powerful diseases, may conjure up nasty and scary feelings for many people, but let's not be too quick to come up with sweeping generalizations, since...
- Why Do Viruses Kill?
You've gotten the quick intro to how viruses invade our bodies before (with Robert Krulwich, no less), but today we get the full BBC treatment, so to speak. Viruses are way more ubiquitous than we normally realize, and although they have a bad reputation...
- Pithovirus Sibericum...brought To Life
"Giant Virus Resurrected from 30,000-Year-Old Ice" The discovery of the largest virus yet, still infectious, hints at the viral diversity trapped in permafrost by Ed Yong and Nature magazine March 4th, 2014 Scientific American In what seems like a...
- Dormant, Not Dead
"Who to blame for flu? Maybe the U.S., study finds" by Maggie Fox and Peter Cooney May 27th, 2010 Reuters The United States may provide an incubating ground for some flu strains, helping them migrate to warmer climates, U.S. researchers said on Thursday....
- "h1n1 Virus" Poll
Has the media over emphasized the threat of the H1N1 virus? Yes...4 No...0 "Dead pigs in China, evil factory farms in Mexico and an Al Qaeda plot involving Mexican drug cartels are a few wild theories seeking to explain a deadly swine flu outbreak that...