Giant viruses open Pandora's box

[Big Bad Voodoo]

http://www.nature.com/news/giant-viruses-open-pandora-s-box-1.13410

The organism was initially called NLF, for “new life form”. Jean-Michel Claverie and Chantal Abergel, evolutionary biologists at Aix-Marseille University in France, found it in a water sample collected off the coast of Chile, where it seemed to be infecting and killing amoebae. Under a microscope, it appeared as a large, dark spot, about the size of a small bacterial cell.

[kannin]

oh wow this is rather interesting indeed, imagine that a virus so big its considered a life form, very very scary indeed

[ReaperS_ParadoX]

Yeah that is pretty interesting

[kannin]

its creepy if you ask me, oh sir you have a virus living in you thats considered a living being, ick!

[kannin]

im looking forward to seeing more about this

[Big Bad Voodoo]

im looking forward to seeing more about this

If we ever hear about it again.

[kannin]

If we ever hear about it again.

you think they will attempt to hide this?

[Big Bad Voodoo]

Not hide but ignoring public curiosity.

[kannin]

Not hide but ignoring public curiosity.

i understand, its sad but it does seem to happen alot, ive always wondered what would happen if all the ignored or hidden information all leaked out in just one day how the public would react to it!

[Big Bad Voodoo]

i understand, its sad but it does seem to happen alot, ive always wondered what would happen if all the ignored or hidden information all leaked out in just one day how the public would react to it!

As some members here do.

[JesseCuster]

its creepy if you ask me, oh sir you have a virus living in you thats considered a living being, ick!

Well you already have ten times more bacterial cells on or in you (which are living things) on you than you have human cells.

As to the OP's question ("alien bacteria?") the answer is no. This is a virus. A bacteria is not just a large virus. These life forms lack some of the very basic things that define bacteria.

[kannin]

Well you already have ten times more bacterial cells on or in you (which are living things) on you than you have human cells.

As to the OP's question ("alien bacteria?") the answer is no. This is a virus. A bacteria is not just a large virus. These life forms lack some of the very basic things that define bacteria.

was stating a virus, didnt mean the other living cells inside the human body, its disturbing that its a virus

[Jello]

[kannin]

lol epic

[EllJay]

Later, after the researchers discovered a similar organism in a pond in Australia, they realized that both are viruses — the largest yet found.

But these viruses, described today in Science1, are more than mere record-breakers — they also hint at unknown parts of the tree of life. Just 7% of their genes match those in existing databases. “What the hell is going on with the other genes?” asks Claverie. “This opens a Pandora’s box. What kinds of discoveries are going to come from studying the contents?” The researchers call these giants Pandoraviruses.

Made me think of Dean R Koontz - Phantoms.

[kannin]

Made me think of Dean R Koontz - Phantoms.

you know what, your right! and i agree! it does

[DONTEATUS]

SALT WATER !!!!