Astro-virology

Biologists do not consider viruses to be alive. They are smaller than bacteria (20-300 nanometers compared to 500-1500 nanometers) and cannot replicate on their own - instead they must invade a host cell and use its genetic tools to aid its replication. Yet viruses completely dominate the planet - hypochondriacs might tremble at the fact that there are ten million trillion trillion viruses existing on Earth right now, with a tenth of them found in the oceans. Given their total dependence on cellular life in order for them to replicate, it is little surprise that wherever life is found on our planet, viruses are right there with them.

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