Massive Mystery Virus Observed By Global Team of Researchers

We're talking about a virus and it's not the swine flu (or H1N1, for scaremongering sites trying to sound like they know science.)  We're fairly sure that makes us unique in internet, possibly all media, because as we all know the world can only concentrate on one thing at a time.  And it really should be the Giant Mimivirus, the largest virus ever, which we've just discovered opens up like an alien mothership.  Really.

The massively misnamed "mimivirus" is so large it's really halfway between viruses and a full-fledged cell, while its name sounds like a particularly small thing possibly wearing a pink dress.  The huge infectious agent can actually be seen by a regular microscope, and is almost as large as a bacteria.  We're also not sure whether it can infect humans or not which, if you think about it, is possibly scarier than if we did.

While no cases of human mimiviral sickness have been observed, anti-huge-virus antibodies have been seen in pneumonia patients.  This and other unique aspects of the virus prompted a global team of researchers to analyze it, hoping to find its weaknesses (and also whether we needed to find those weaknesses or not.)

They discovered an almost icosohedral shape, a twenty-sided structure displaying five-fold symmetry and a "special vertex".  This preferred point is what prevents the protein shell from being perfectly icosohedral, as the five facets around it are altered.  This part of the structure can actually open up, like an unfolding flower or - more accurately - like an invading alien deploying ground forces.  The viral RNA is then injected into the host cell to begin replication of more massive mimiviruses.

The science involved in reconstructing the viral structure is at the cutting edge of medical research.  Like all good science, it helps us understand the unknown, learn about brand new things, and work out how to kill them as necessary.  Go Humanity!

Posted by Luke McKinney.

New Details About Mysterious Giant Virus

Comments

[Travis]

Terrible article, Luke. You sound like an incredibly uninformed alarmist that's hitting the virus bandwagon like every other crappy writer. You don't even describe what this thing can infect.

"We're also not sure whether it can infect humans or not which, if you think about it, is possibly scarier than if we did."
-Hype...way to bloat the sense of urgency for something that we don't even know can infect humans. You also fail to explain what this thing can infect. So far, you just sound dumb.

"This and other unique aspects of the virus prompted a global team of researchers to analyze it, hoping to find its weaknesses (and also whether we needed to find those weaknesses or not.)"
-More hype and if they're already looking for this thing's weaknesses, does it really matter at this point whether they needed to find them or not?

Buried for the stupid article this is. I know 13-year-olds that can write more professional literature.

[Jose]

I agree with the previous poster. Luke McKinney, you sound like you have no clue about viruses. A little background reading (not terribly deep stuff) would have helped. Many (if not most) viruses have 'special vertex[es]' which act 'like an unfolding flower'. The last two paragraphs of the article are fluff. In fact there is very little useful factual information in the whole article.

[C3]

"MASSIVE. MYSTERY. VIRUS."
Captivating, and alarmist.

Should be ..
"GINORMOUS. ZOMBIE. FLOWER."

[sam]

Travis, that last note you made is aufly offenceive to myself, I'm thirteen and have written quite fine articles.

[themidnightjudge]

Why do you people complain so much?
Seriously, how is his writing alarmist? We don't know if the virus can infect humans, so we acknowledge the possibility that it may be able to. He tells us people are looking into it. It's fact man. You should be able to say a fact without being labeled an alarmist. Even saying something is scary doesn't mean you want everyone to panic.
Furthermore a lack of scientific explanation of viruses isn't necessary. Anyone who wants to know can look that up on their own. The purpose of the article is to relay the unique aspects of the virus.
Before you post a hateful responce, think for a moment if such a responce is really justified. You're clearly prejudiced.
And if you don't like the articles you need not read them.

[James Rich]

Until we actually know what this bug can do, it's just going to be a great idea for Sci Fi Channel to make (yet) another bad movie.

[JamesB]

Cool picture. Why the negativity you other commenters? Is everybody already a virus expert that's just reading up here? I come for the cool stories. If I wanted the lowdown on every detail of viruses, I would presumably seek out other sources. Please relax.

[John Lancia]

No, its definitely alarmist. As well as sensationalist and done in a particularly immature style of writing. I got the distinct impression that the author must have been writing for one of those terrible muck-rakking, right wing rumour mills that were so popular during the last American election.
It is not in fact 'massively misnamed' its name comes from the greek "Mimiviridae". It also may be a the missing link between virus and bacteria. Much more interesting than anything covered in the article. And all easily found out about by visiting Wikipedia and google. Not a hard slog at all.
This is why so many are rolling their eyes at the article as it was represented.
As for why everybody is getting down on the author. Why shouldn't we? We were duped into reading a sensationalist fluff piece that the author spent no time researching.

[T.Zukumori]

It's also not news; it's olds. See this article from 2004: http://www.livescience.com/animals/041111_giant_virus.html

And why was this article, almost word for word, re-published a few days later, here? http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/05/1st-pics-of-viral-missing-link-.html