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Article: Viruses Are Most Troublesome Creatures on Earth.
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
- Article date:
- April 30, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Robert S. Boyd, Knight Ridder Washington Bureau Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Apr. 30--WASHINGTON -- SARS, West Nile, HIV, measles, flu, the common cold. All these afflictions and many more have one thing in common: They are caused by viruses, the smallest, most primitive, most troublesome creatures on Earth.
Even though viruses can move and reproduce, most scientists don't consider them to be alive. They don't grow, eat or use energy -- basic attributes of life. They work only by hijacking living cells.
Here are some basic facts about viruses:
Q: What is a virus?
A: It's a tiny packet of genes, wrapped in a coat ...