Viruses: Intimate Invaders

"It''s alive! It''s alive!" - Mel Brook''s Young Frankenstein

An introduction to viruses through some examples that illustrate the size, quantity, and diversity of viruses on earth, followed by a short history of the discovery of viruses. The chapter focuses on the concepts that define life through an examination of animals, plants, and single-cell organisms. These basic features of living organisms are then related to viruses to demonstrate that viruses fail most of the definitions of life and act instead as unique, self-replicating nano-machines.

1.1. Weird Facts and Big Numbers

A playful discussion of the sizes and numbers of viruses in our world

1.2. From Ignorance to Fascination

A brief history of the discovery of viruses

1.3. A Biological Primer - Multicellular Organisms

The biological, functional, and genetic characteristics that define plants and animals

1.4. Smaller, but St