Viruses alive or not?

EBOLA                                        Hepatitis

                                  West Nile                                                     Polio


              HIV                                        Measles 

That is the questions.  Are viruses alive or not?  Here is what we found out.

We will get you!

Did the first living things come from viruses?  It is possible viruses evolved from living cells?  Are there viruses living anywhere other than Earth?  Turns out no one is exactly sure if viruses are living or not, no one knows exactly how viruses evolved, and no one is exactly sure if viruses live anywhere but Earth.

Read more.

So what do we know?

~The word virus comes from virulentus which is Latin for slimy liquid/poisonous.

~We know that viruses cannot reproduce without a host.

~We know that viruses do not metabolize food into energy.

~We know that viruses do not have organized cells.

~We know that viruses are made up of genetic materials (similar to DNA/RNA but only one to two strands) which are protected by a protein coating (CAPSID).

~We know that viruses do not have a cell nucleus.

~We know that viruses are very small particles that can infect plants and animals which makes them sick.

~We know that viruses can take over the cells of living organisms by injecting their own genetic material into the cell which in turn causes more cell production.

~We know that viruses are not active if they are not inside a living cell.

Image of Ebola virus.

~We know that when a virus attack a body's cell, they begin to multiply quickly, which makes you sick.

~We know that viruses are responsible for all kinds of diseases.

~We know that viruses spread rampantly.

~We know viruses can float through the air.

~We know that viruses can live in water.

~We know that viruses can live on skin.

~We know that viruses can be passed from person-to-person easily.

~We know that viruses can be passed on by bad food, animals, and insect bites.

Help prevent getting infected.

Watch a video
fromBlendspace.

~Wash your hands!!!!!  Just plain old soap will work.

~Take vitamins and eat veggies rich in vitamins naturally.

~If you must eat meat (gag), cook it well.  Meat is often contaminated with bacteria and all kinds of other dangerous garbage.  I will stop here on that topic.

~Get plenty of rest and sleep along with exercise each day.

What can you do if you get a virus?

~Not much!

~You body's own immune system should begin to fight off the virus.

Factoids about viruses.

~Viruses are between 20 and 250 nanometers in size.

~There are more than 1 million virus particles in one milliliter of seawater.

~A virus that contains DNA instead of RNA is a retrovirus.

HIV retrovirus schematic from wiki

~Yellow Fever (yellow plague) was discovered in 1901 by Walter Reed.  This was the first human virus.

~Most viruses are so small they cannot be seen with a microscope.

~Viruses do not fit any of the five kingdom classifications which means they are not animals, plants, protists, fungi, or bacteria.

~Viruses can often kill off bacteria.

Wash your hands, get plenty of rest and exercise, and eat food that is good for you.

Here is a list of viruses.
Intro to viruses.  Great link.