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Griffith Archive

Our story - acknowledging our past, celebrating our present, creating our future

Why We Need Viruses to Survive

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General descriptionIn just 1 ml of fresh water you will find 100 million viruses. That's equivalent to four and a half times the population of Australia squeezed into the bottom of this test tube. There are more viruses in the ocean than there are stars in the sky. Combined they would weigh as much as 75 million whales. Viruses are not living. Each is a small piece of DNA covered in a protein coat. They are parasites and to replicate need a host, like a bacterial or human cell. They inject their DNA into the host, make many copies of themselves, then burst out of the host cell. Now that might sound evil, but this process is mostly beneficial. It ensures that bacteria don't get out of control and that nutrients are recycled on the planet. So while viruses might have a bad public image bringing to mind death and disease, most are crucial to ecological stability. Indeed, the survival of our species depends on viruses.CreatorPeter PollardDate created2014ContributorMarketing and CommunicationsPeople depictedPeter PollardLanguageEnglishIs or was included inKnow More in 60 Seconds Video Series

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