Puzzle Description:

This structure of a common virus has three main parts. The top part that looks like a crystal is the capsid that contains the nucleic acid. The center rod is the sheath. The bottom part that looks like spider legs are the tails. But is it alive? Find out in the comments.

#1: Teresa K (fasstar) on Sep 4, 2009 [SPOILER]

A virus is little more than a strand of DNA or RNA covered by a protein coating. Viruses are a thousand times smaller than bacteria and come in a wide range of shapes. Some look like weird, tall spiders whereas others look like prickly porcupinelike soccer balls. But are they really alive?

Read this to find out what scientists say, and to see the image I used as a model:
http://come-over.to/Play/PBN/VirusAlive.pdf

Fun puzzle. The link didn't work for me.

It is now a live link, different source - a pdf file with the same info and picture.

Comment Suppressed:Click below to view hints

A bacteriophage. Differrent viruses have very different appearances. You stole my idea, Teresa, I was mulling over creating a flu virus particle, in recognition of the new flu strain. (The best name for it seems to change week by week; I think this week it's "novel H1N1.")

Whether viruses are alive or not depends on your definition of life! Nature likes to push the limits of our silly human tendency to pigeonhole things. I tend to fall on the side of "alive" because they use the same genetic code as every other organism (and therefore must share a common ancestor) and they evolve the same way any other organism does. They just take parasitism to its absolute extreme.

Those who argue that viruses are not alive point to the fact that you can actually crystallize some viruses, just like many chemicals, and do not have the cell machinery needed for reproduction.

nice puzzle. what a beautiful structure the virus has and yet it is so deadly!

I love it! Great job. :)

Thanks, Diana.

Nice puzzle.

Viruses are a retrograde lifeform - one that has lost many abilities. It has shed all the functions that it can. In this way it is one form of "ultimate evolution" in that it cannot shed any more functions. Note that it cannot survive without other life forms to parasitise.

Deadliness is actually a defect for them. If they killed all their hosts, they would "die" (in that they could never reproduce again). It arises in two fashions:

1. Mutation - this will end itself by burning itself out by killing all its host species (or all the hosts within range).

2. (Most common) Species jumping - It develops a mutation that allows it to infect a different species. This is often swiftly fatal for the new species if it has no mechanism to limit the virus' damage.

This type of mutation is hard to get rid of as even if it kills all the new species within range, other of the new species in other ranges are still in danger as the original virus still exists in the original host species.

This is where swine flu and bird flu come from. Also Hantavirus from mice. Luckily the jump from species to species is rare. (And a mutation has to happen each time it jumps - once it jumps it cannot go back to the first species without mutating again.)

It is also lucky (in a way) that it is so often swiftly fatal to the new species. This tends to burn it out quickly (by limiting its range) instead of allowing it to spread.

Wow, the stuff e learn just doing silly puzzles!

That's one of my favorite parts of this site: there are kindred spirits who enjoy sharing tidbits of knowledge. <3

Wow Teresa. I didn't know any of this. Thanks for the neat puzzle and the very interesting information.

Interessting.

Thanks, Bill, Kristen, Robert, and of course Joe. :-)

Did somebody say "virus"?

Thanks, David, for finding this for me. I was wondering where it was. I still can't get over the fact that a virus is not really alive. And that it is a thousand times smaller than a bacteria.

My daughter used to be a germophobe. Now she's just normal. (❛ᴗ❛)

The new normal.

Therapist: You have OCD
The CDC: You must wash your hands all the time.

Reality is funny sometimes. In a strange sort of way.

Funny seeing the 2020 comments on a 2009 puzzle about a virus. :)

Show: Hints

Goto next topic

You must register and log in to be able to participate in this discussion.