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First Photos of Avian Flu Virus
gobexe writes "The first high-resolution close-up photographs of the H5N1 avian flu virus to be taken by a scanning electro microscope appeared in the daily "Dagens Nyeter" on Sunday, in what the newspaper said was a world exclusive."
It just looks like a bunch of randomly-placed blue balls on an otherwordly landscape.
:)
Definitely worth the trouble.
Don't virusses need needle-like structures to insert their DNA? These things look like small round balls. How do they inject their "root kit"?
"It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
Is it useful to science to see this (does it reveal anything about the mechanism?)? No.
/. - you've made my day brighter and more fulfilled.
Is it useful to humanity to see this (does it show people what it is everyone is scared of?)? No (I'll bet you it isn't really blue).
Is it pretty? Kinda.
So, a world-exclusive of a kinda pretty picture. w00t.
Thanks,
The virus signed an exclusive press contract? Now I'm *really* worried. A literate virus?
Live barefoot!
free engravings/woodcuts
Fotografen Lennart Nilsson har försökt i över ett halvår att få tag på viruset H5N1 som orsakar den dödliga fågelinfluensan. Men det har varit mycket svårt.
This translates to: "We're fucked."
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
See Wikipedia.org and Google for more information about this brilliant photographer.
"Wanted" posters on the streets with a big photo of the subject?
Why would some of the viruses appear to be larger than others? I thought virus shells were composed of a fixed arrangement of protiens.
This should terrify celebrities the world over - if something this small and elusive can't escape the mercenary photographers of the tabloid press, what can?
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Quick and rough translation of the Swedish commentary in the Flash graphics
Title screen) Viruses attack: here a cell is killed by the bird flu.
1) Viruses (blue) attacking a healthy cell.
2) When the viruses have managed to enter the cell, they occupy the whole cell machinery. The cell is forced to produce new viruses. They emanate from the surface of the host cell and begin their hunt for new healthy cells to kidnap.
3) A single cell can be forced to produce thousands of new viruses.
4) After a couple of days the host cell dies - exhausted by the virus production.
Viruses can pull a bunch of tricks, Some phages (viral cousins) like T4 have a cool needle, spiderleg arrangement, others change shape once they bind to their victim. Others are designed to be engulfed (eaten) like HIV. They bind to a receptor, and the cell decides that they need to be eaten (a process formally called endocytosis (sp?)). Now as far as the pictures go, it can give a nice clue as to how they touch the cell. A call isnt just a flat surface, it's a big fuzzy mess of recognition glycoprotiens for all sorts of things. However the flu binds to the cell presents a target for potential drugs. If this flu is doing something novel then it needs to be understood as soon as possible. And getting a photo is a one way to notice if something funny is going on. You might notice some tree like structures in some of the photos I'm betting those are glycoprotiens, those can be pretty important. Storm
Rename your DNA to $sys$sequence.dna
"All I do is eat and poop!" -- Bean
I think you mean scanning electron microscope, you moro!
Does this mean that humanity as we know it need to fear little blue balls of DOOOOOOOM!?!!?!