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Giant Virus Living in Bradford (not SARS)

Saveloy

10:29 / 28.03.03

Is this an early April 1st story or what?

"A giant virus that lurks inside amoebas and may cause pneumonia in humans has been spotted by scientists."

""Mimivirus" is the biggest virus found so far, and was discovered in a sample taken from a water cooling tower in Bradford in 1992. "

Mimivirus, eh? Hmmm. How big is it? Well:

"It can be spotted through a good optical telescope"

A telescope, as in the thing you use to look at the moon or the Isle of Wight? This thing must be f***ing enormous!

grant

13:27 / 28.03.03

They seem to have changed it to "microscope."

Which is reassuring.

I find this pgh to be the most interesting bit:

They believe it is a virus because it lacks certain genes which are universal to bacteria - but contains others which are known to have key functions in viruses.

Implying that at first, someone said, "Hey, that's a weird looking bacteria...."

Sort of like coming across a four-foot-long cricket on the African savannah and thinking, "Gee, that's a weird-looking hyena...."

gravitybitch

14:47 / 28.03.03

I'm wondering what sort of artifacts might be generated in a sample taking a ten year vacation in somebody's freezer(s)...

Wish there was a reference to the research. I doubt that 900 genes are going to miraculously appear where none had been before, but if there've been freezer problems and moving samples around as happens so often in labs, it's entirely possible that that sample's been through a couple of freeze-thaw cycles in which stuff can precipitate, clump together, and generally get a little unreliable.

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