Viruses have big impacts on ecology and evolution as well as human health
They are ubiquitous, diverse and very powerful
I
The outsiders inside
HUMANS ARE lucky to live a hundred years. Oak trees may live a thousand; mayflies, in their adult form, a single day. But they are all alive in the same way. They are made up of cells which embody flows of energy and stores of information. Their metabolisms make use of that energy, be it from sunlight or food, to build new molecules and break down old ones, using mechanisms described in the genes they inherited and may, or may not, pass on.
This article appeared in the Essay section of the print edition under the headline “The outsiders inside”
From the August 22nd 2020 edition
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