2007-03-28 | EDUCATION
The Virus Hunters

Few things on Earth are spookier than viruses. Not surprisingly the word virus means "poisonous slime" in Latin. They are very small  billions fit in one drop of water. They have no means of locomotion, yet they travel around the world, by hitching a ride with living things. Stripped down to the bare essentials, they have no need for movement, breathing, growth  their only function is to create other viruses like themselves. Not quite alive, but not really dead, these strange entities have caused unimaginable suffering, disfigurement and death throughout history. And today, the world watches and waits for another pandemic to sweep the planet. But for all their destructive power, many scientists believe that viruses are the earliest form of life - our ancestors - responsible for our very lives, and that of all life on Earth. In fact, viruses are the number one entity on the planet. Ken Stedman is a particular breed of virus hunter. He hunts extreme viruses that live in the boiling acid pools of Lassen Volcanic National Park in California  viruses that have been around since the birth of the planet. What these viruses tell us about life on Earth is that they are here to stay. So we better be prepared to deal with them.

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