ProspectingforViruses-MontanaStateUniversity.pdfVIP

Prospecting for Viruses Date Sunday, August 04 @ 22:43:52 Topic Extreme Life Under scalding, acidic conditions, how do life processes function? Because of their simplicity relative to cellular life forms, the 3500 described viruses may offer scientists the best opportunity to glean information about survival in extreme environments. Viruses are just nucleic acid - either RNA or DNA - protected by a protein coat. Parasites at the molecular scale, viruses take over the machinery of host cells, using it to reproduce themselves. Prospecting for Viruses Anne M. Rosenthal Scientists are prospecting for viruses in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park - and they are being richly rewarded with intriguing new finds. The pools where virologists collect typically reach temperatures of 78 to 90 degrees Celsius (172 to 194 degrees Fahrenheit). Its a tough environment for life - unless, that is, youre a thermophile, a life form specially evolved to survive at high temperatures. Not only are the waters twice the temperature of a comfortable bath, they have an acidity considerably above the survival level of most aquatic organisms. Generally the pools are between pH 2 and 3.5 (between that of lemon juice and carbonated drinks), with some pools as acidic as pH 1 (about the acidity of stomach acid). Under scalding, acidic conditions, scientists wonder, how do life processes function? Because of their simplicity relative to cellular life forms, viruses may offer scientists the best opportunity to glean information about survival in extreme environments. Viruses are just nucleic acid - either RNA or DNA - protected by a protein coat. Parasites at the molecular scale, viruses take over the machinery of host cells, using it to reproduce themselves. Therefore, the number of genes encoded by