BIO 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Deinococcus Radiodurans, Actinomyces, Boiling Point
19 Jun 2015
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Bio 200_evolutionary biology-lecture 6: viruses, the tree of life, and prokaryotes. Thought to not be alive because they cannot replicate themselves without a host. Has either circular or linear genetic material and is either single or double stranded. Viruses are not cells and instead have their own term called virions. They mutate and evolve independently from pressure by host or outside environment. There are four structures: helical capsid, icosahedral capsid, icosahedral head with a helical tail, and helical capsid within envelope. Icosahedron: twenty equilateral triangles, this maximizes surface volume to space. Viruses are also highly variable in size and function. The virus directs all machinery on how to trick a host cell to replicate it to create new virus bodies to infect other cells (this usually destroys the host cell/s) It allows the cell to forget its own interests and needs. Tses used to be called slow viruses because years pass between time of infection and first symptoms appear.
