carl zimmer

Wash Your Hands... Author:  Carl Zimmer What defines life?  The discussion has gone on for millennia, but ever since their discovery just over a century ago the official verdict has been that viruses – composed of only a small amount of genetic material in a tiny capsule – aren’t truly alive.  But over recent decades, it’s becoming clear that any definition of life that doesn’t include viruses may be lacking.  A Planet of Viruses – part of the World of Viruses project funded by the NIH – concisely presents why the scientific view of viruses has been changing. Dividing the [...]