Mind-blowing Discoveries About Viruses and Their Relationship With Us

Anton Petrov
11 Mar 202420:47

Summary

TLDRThis video delves into the surprising and complex world of viruses, revealing recent discoveries that challenge our understanding of these microscopic organisms. It explores how certain viruses can protect plants during harsh conditions, how bacteriophages can enhance human cell metabolism, and the existence of 'viral satellites' that compete with other viruses. The video also discusses the potential dangers of ancient 'zombie viruses' reawakening due to climate change and the intriguing fact that space travel can reactivate dormant viruses. These findings highlight the diverse and often beneficial roles viruses play in the ecosystem and their potential impact on human health.

Takeaways

  • 🌿 **Plant-Virus Symbiosis**: Some viruses, like the poty virus, can switch from harming to helping plants during stressful conditions like drought, by altering gene expression and potentially increasing survival rates.
  • 🦠 **Bacteriophages and Mammals**: Bacteriophages, which infect bacteria, can also interact with mammalian cells in unexpected ways, such as increasing cell metabolism and promoting growth, similar to vitamins.
  • 🔬 **Evolutionary Adaptations**: Viruses and bacteria co-evolve, with bacteria developing strategies like viscous substances to deter viruses, and viruses evolving longer tails to penetrate these defenses, especially in extreme environments like hot springs.
  • 🧬 **Satellite Viruses**: Certain viruses can enter cells and remain dormant, waiting for another virus to infect the same cell, and then hijack its replication machinery to reproduce, effectively acting as a virus of a virus.
  • 🌊 **Giant Viruses**: Giant viruses, like the Medusa virus, have complex replication processes and genomes that suggest they use host cells as energy factories, and their discovery challenges traditional views on the simplicity of viruses.
  • 🚀 **Space and Viral Reactivation**: Dormant viruses, such as herpes, can reactivate in space, indicating that space travel may not be suitable for humans and that Earth's environment is crucial for our health.
  • 🧊 **Zombie Viruses**: Ancient viruses, potentially thousands of years old, can remain active in permafrost and may become infectious again as the Arctic warms, posing potential risks to modern life.
  • 🌍 **Virus Diversity**: The Yara virus, a giant virus with a largely unknown genome, highlights the vast diversity and unknown aspects of viral life that remain to be discovered and studied.
  • 🦀 **Virus as Food**: Some marine organisms, like sponges, have evolved to consume viruses as a part of their diet, showcasing the complex relationships between viruses and other life forms.
  • 🔍 **Ongoing Research**: The discoveries mentioned are just the beginning, and ongoing research is needed to fully understand the implications of these findings and the role of viruses in our world.
  • 📈 **Positive Viral Impacts**: The script emphasizes that viruses are not always detrimental, as they can have surprisingly positive effects on life, challenging the traditional narrative of viruses as solely harmful entities.

Q & A

  • What is the main focus of the video?

    -The video focuses on exploring the complex and often surprising interactions of viruses with life on Earth, highlighting recent discoveries that challenge traditional views of viruses as solely harmful entities.

  • How do some viruses help plants survive harsh conditions like drought?

    -Some viruses, such as the poty virus, can switch from being pathogenic to beneficial for plants under stress. They do this by altering certain genes to help the plant conserve water and adjust its circadian rhythm, thereby increasing the plant's chance of survival during drought.

  • What is the significance of bacteriophages in relation to human health?

    -Bacteriophages, which infect and replicate inside bacteria, can have a positive impact on human health. They can increase cell metabolism, strengthen cells, and regulate positive feedback loops, acting similarly to vitamins and promoting growth and resilience in human cells.

  • How do some viruses adapt to environmental changes?

    -Viruses can adapt to environmental changes by evolving new strategies and shapes. For instance, the 'Rapunzel bacteriophage' has evolved an unusually long tail to puncture bacteria with a viscous substance, allowing it to survive in harsh conditions like hot springs.

  • What are viral satellites and how do they function?

    -Viral satellites are a strategy evolved by some viruses to compete for cellular resources. They enter a cell, integrate their genes, and remain dormant until another virus tries to infect the same cell. They then hijack the cellular machinery meant for the other virus, effectively blocking its replication.

  • What is unique about the Medusa virus and its replication process?

    -The Medusa virus is unique because it replicates in a way that resembles more complex eukaryotic cells. It produces separate parts within the host cell using different genes and releases various particles that must recombine outside the cell to form a new Medusa virus.

  • How do giant viruses differ from typical viruses in terms of size and genetic content?

    -Giant viruses are significantly larger than typical viruses, often containing more genes. Some of these viruses, like the Yara virus, have genomes that include many proteins never seen before in any organism, highlighting the vast diversity and complexity of life that is yet to be explored.

  • What is the concern with ancient viruses being released from permafrost due to climate change?

    -The concern is that ancient viruses, potentially thousands of years old, may become active again as permafrost thaws. These viruses could infect modern life forms, and since they are so old, there may be no immunity to them, posing a potential threat to both wildlife and human populations.

  • How do some viruses behave in space?

    -In space, dormant viruses such as the herpes virus can reactivate. This has been observed in astronauts, where herpes infections have reawakened, suggesting that space travel may not be conducive to human health due to the potential for viral reactivation.

  • What is the role of viruses in the ocean ecosystem?

    -Viruses play a significant role in the ocean ecosystem by controlling bacterial populations. Some marine organisms, like sponges, have even adapted to consume viruses directly, with a typical sponge capable of consuming 98% of viruses it encounters.

  • What does the study of viruses teach us about the complexity of life?

    -The study of viruses, especially the discovery of giant viruses and their unique replication processes, highlights the vast complexity and diversity of life. It shows that there is still much to learn about the evolutionary relationships between different organisms and the potential roles viruses play in shaping life on Earth.

Outlines

00:00

🦠 The Surprising Role of Viruses in Nature

This paragraph discusses the complex and often positive relationship between viruses and life on Earth. It highlights the discovery that certain viruses, like the poty virus affecting plants, can switch from being harmful to beneficial under stressful conditions like drought. The paragraph also touches on the fact that viruses contribute to human DNA and play a role in human reproduction. Furthermore, it introduces the concept of viruses acting like vitamins, enhancing cell growth and resilience, and the potential implications of these findings for both wild plants and humans.

05:01

🌿 Viruses and the Coevolution with Bacteria

The focus of this paragraph is on bacteriophages, viruses that infect and replicate inside bacteria, which are among the most diverse and common entities on Earth. It discusses the discovery that T4 bacterial phages can be internalized by mammalian cells, enhancing cell metabolism and growth rather than causing harm. The paragraph also delves into the complex strategies viruses employ to enter cells, such as the Rapunzel bacteriophage with an unusually long tail for penetrating bacterial defenses. The concept of viral satellites is introduced, explaining how they can hijack a cell's machinery to block other viruses from replicating, highlighting the ongoing evolutionary arms race between viruses and bacteria.

10:02

🌊 Giant Viruses and Their Unusual Characteristics

This paragraph explores the fascinating world of giant viruses, which are significantly larger and more complex than typical viruses. It describes the unique replication process of the Medusa virus, which assembles itself outside the host cell from separate particles. The paragraph also mentions the discovery of extremely large viruses with genomes larger than some bacteria, suggesting they may bridge the gap between bacteria and viral organisms. The Yara virus is highlighted for its mysterious nature, containing mostly unknown genes, emphasizing the vast amount of undiscovered life and the infancy of modern biology.

15:02

🚀 Space, Zombies, and the Future of Virology

The final paragraph discusses the potential dangers of ancient 'zombie viruses' being revived due to climate change, as evidenced by the 2016 anthrax outbreak from permafrost. It also touches on the reactivation of dormant viruses like herpes in space, suggesting that humans may not be well-adapted to long-term space travel. The paragraph concludes with the intriguing fact that certain marine organisms, such as sponges, can consume and neutralize viruses, offering a glimpse into the diverse and complex interactions between viruses and other life forms on our planet.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Viruses

Viruses are small infectious agents that can only replicate inside the living cells of a host organism. In the video, viruses are portrayed as having complex relationships with life on Earth, sometimes aiding in survival and other times causing diseases. The script discusses various types of viruses, including bacteriophages and giant viruses, and their surprising roles in the ecosystem.

💡Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect and replicate within bacterial cells. They are the most abundant and diverse entities on Earth, with potential applications as antibiotics. The video highlights the discovery that certain phages can also benefit mammalian cells by increasing metabolism and cell resilience, akin to vitamins.

💡Co-evolution

Co-evolution refers to the process by which two or more species influence each other's evolutionary path through processes such as competition, predation, or mutualism. In the context of the video, co-evolution is crucial in understanding how viruses and their hosts develop complex relationships, including the development of beneficial interactions between viruses and their hosts.

💡Giant Viruses

Giant viruses, also known as mega-viruses, are a class of viruses that are significantly larger than typical viruses and contain a more complex genome. They challenge the traditional definition of a virus and blur the line between viruses and cellular life forms. The video describes the discovery of these viruses, which have unique replication processes and may play a role in the evolution of life.

💡Zombie Viruses

Zombie viruses refer to ancient viruses that have been dormant in environments like permafrost but can potentially reactivate due to climate change. These viruses may contain genetic material that has not been seen in modern organisms, posing potential risks to ecosystems and human health.

💡Space and Viral Reactivation

The phenomenon where dormant viruses, such as herpes, reactivate in the unique conditions of space. This reactivation can pose health risks to astronauts and suggests that long-term space travel may have unforeseen biological consequences.

💡Viral Satellites

Viral satellites are a type of virus that enters a host cell and remains dormant, waiting for another virus to infect the same cell. Once another virus is present, the satellite hijacks the cellular machinery intended for the new virus, using it for its own replication. This strategy is an example of the complex interactions and competition among viruses.

💡CRISPR

CRISPR is a revolutionary gene-editing tool derived from a bacterial defense system against viruses. It allows for precise editing of DNA and has numerous applications in genetic research and medicine. The video suggests that CRISPR may have originated from a type of viral satellite, illustrating the unexpected benefits that can arise from viral-bacterial interactions.

💡Yara Virus

The Yara virus is a giant virus with an unusually high number of unknown genes, making it one of the least understood viruses. Its discovery highlights the vast amount of undiscovered life and the potential for finding new genetic material in the natural world.

💡Sponges

Sponges are simple multicellular organisms that have the unique ability to consume and neutralize viruses. This discovery suggests that even invertebrates have evolved strategies to combat viral infections, adding another layer to our understanding of the complex interactions between viruses and life forms.

Highlights

The video explores surprising discoveries about viruses that challenge our understanding and show a more complex relationship between viruses and life.

Viruses, though simple and not technically life, have a significant impact on all life on Earth, including humans who are 8% virus in DNA content.

Some viruses help plants survive tough conditions like drought by altering their genes, thus showing a positive role for viruses in plant survival.

Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, can be beneficial and are more common than any other life form on Earth.

Bacteriophages can increase human cell metabolism and act like vitamins, making our cells stronger and more resilient.

The study of bacteriophages reveals complex strategies and shapes, including the 'Rapunzel bacteriophage' with an unusually long tail.

Some viruses have evolved to not infect or harm cells but instead wait for other viruses to enter the cell and then hijack the replication process.

Giant viruses, like the Medusa virus, have complex replication processes and contain genes associated with metabolism, suggesting they use cells as energy factories.

The discovery of the Yara virus, a giant virus with mostly unknown genes, highlights the vast amount of undiscovered life forms.

Ancient viruses, referred to as 'zombie viruses', can reawaken from permafrost due to climate change, potentially carrying diseases.

Experiments have shown that ancient bacteriophages can be revived even after thousands of years, raising concerns about the potential dangers of these viruses.

Space travel may reactivate dormant viruses like herpes in astronauts, suggesting that humans may not be adapted to live in space.

Some marine animals, such as sponges, have developed ways to consume and neutralize viruses, showcasing a unique interaction in the ecosystem.

The study of viruses and their interactions with life on Earth is ongoing, with new discoveries continually reshaping our understanding of these microscopic organisms.

Transcripts

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so in this video I wanted to explore the

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absolutely insane world of viruses but

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not the types of viruses we usually get

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scared about not the types of viruses

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that normally cause pandemics we're

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actually going to be discussing viruses

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or discoveries about viruses that are

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somewhat surprising and will hopefully

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help you see these very mysterious

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organisms in a very different light

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because despite being relatively simple

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and obviously being the tiniest

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organisms on the entire plan planet with

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some scientists even suggesting that

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they're technically not even life and

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instead represent something entirely

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different in reality all life on planet

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Earth has a really complex relationship

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with viruses of all sorts and it's not

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always negative as a matter of fact it's

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usually kind of positive one of the

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older videos in the description even

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talks about how technically you and I

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are approximately 8% virus in terms of

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DNA contents with these strange

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organisms also technically responsible

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for human human reproduction you can

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learn more about this in the description

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but in this video we're going to discuss

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some of the other very unusual

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discoveries from the last few months

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focusing on things we really didn't know

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about or things that surprised everyone

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and so h on full person this is Anton

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let's discuss viruses and their

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interaction with various life on the

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planet once again focusing on several

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topics such as viruses that seem to

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protect us viruses with some really

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extreme morphology and shape various

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types of giant viruses that are even

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more complex than certain bacteria and a

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few viruses inside of us that

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potentially act like vitamins as in they

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literally make us grow stronger just

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through sheer interaction with certain

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cells and well let's start with one of

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the more unusual discoveries from the

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last few months so there's this type of

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a virus that's mostly responsible for

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infecting various plants known as poty

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virus these are usually responsible for

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harming plants such as for example

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various cabbages broccoli cauliflowers

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and even potatoes often making them turn

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somewhat black and naturally eventually

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causing their demise or so the

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scientists thought at first but one of

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the recent studies you can find in the

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description surprisingly discovered

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something entirely different when some

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of these plants experience very tough

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conditions such as for example drought

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during drought or other conditions when

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plants experience a lot of stress it was

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discovered that some of these viruses

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actually switch from killing the plant

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to suddenly helping it and it did so by

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switching off certain genes and

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preventing the plant from losing water

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while also affecting its circadian clock

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or the way it responds to light and so

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plants infected with this virus had a

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much higher chance up to about 25% to

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survive the drought in other words some

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of the viruses inside these plants

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dramatically increase the survival rate

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just by changing certain genes they even

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increase the amount of production of

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various antioxidants boosting the health

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of the plant in the process which is a

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super important Discovery because it

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implies that environmental conditions

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dramatically change the effects of

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viruses on plants and possibly even

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animal life helping them switch from

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being a pathogen to actually being

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helpful and obviously because planet

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Earth might experience more drought in

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the future this is a super important

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Discovery although interestingly this

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mostly had an effect on wild plants and

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not so much effect on various cultivated

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plants or the ones usually used in

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farming implying of course that the

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viral coevolution is super important for

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survival of various species so basically

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by Sheltering a plant from viruses and

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protecting them we're sort of making

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them much weaker and a lot less likely

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to survive any potential environmental

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disaster but you and I are not

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vegetables we're not cabbages so does

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this actually apply to us as well well

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at the moment it doesn't look that way

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but something else was discovered in

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regards to mammals or I guess humans as

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well and here this is mostly in regards

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to what's known as bacterio fages and

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extremely important type of a virus that

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only infects and replicates inside

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bacteria representing some of the most

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common and most diverse entities on the

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entire planet as a matter of fact there

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are most likely more bacterial fases on

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Earth than anything else for example in

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the oceans they seem to be the most

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prominent organisms as a matter of fact

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they can also technically be used as

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antibiotics because they only attack

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bacteria and nothing else here's for

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example a beautiful electron micrograph

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of several bacteria fages attacking a

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bacteria and as you probably aware we do

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have lots of bacteria inside of us as

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well technically more bacterial cells

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than your physical body cells and so

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technically it would not be incorrect to

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assume that we're basically real estate

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for various bacteria lots of them tend

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to live inside and outside of us and

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thrive in different conditions in our

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bodies but it just so happens that in

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our stomachs and inside human gut

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millions and millions years of evolution

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resulted in a very strange relationship

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between these unusual viruses and

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mamalian cells now inside of you right

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now there are probably at least a

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thousand trillion figures inside your

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Gat or basically a quadrillion of these

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unusual viruses and they're mostly

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preoccupied trying to attack the

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bacteria that's living inside there as

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well but this new study that just came

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out a few weeks ago discovered something

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nobody expected these unusual T4

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bacterial fages can sometimes be also

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internalized by mamalian cells as well

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accumulating inside certain structures

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known as macropinosomes but instead of

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causing the mamalian cell to explode or

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to be infected it does something

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entirely different they actually seem to

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dramatically increase cell metabolism

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reorganizing the cell making it stronger

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and even regulating a lot of positive

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feedback loops literally acting as a

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typical vitamin they make our cells grow

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stronger and become more resilient and

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so for reasons that we still don't

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understand instead of being infected by

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these viruses our cells seem to accept

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bacteria phases and use them as an

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important resource promoting growth and

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Metabolism which at the moment is very

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difficult to understand but that's

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exactly what this paper discovers it's

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basically once again a result of

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coevolution for millions and millions of

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years which somehow resulted in

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ourselves learning how to use these

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bacterial fages and as I mentioned there

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are quite a lot of them inside of us to

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make ourselves much stronger and much

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more resilient which of course implies

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that bacterial phase therapy that's been

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used for hundreds of years might be a

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really important source for human health

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and so these are some really important

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positive discoveries but when it comes

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to bacteria figes because of the sheer

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numbers of these anural viruses things

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get complex really quickly for example

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even though in a typical textbook this

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is kind of what the bacterial is usually

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depicted as quite a lot of bacterial

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fages use other strategies and other

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shapes to try to enter the cell for

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example right here you're actually

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looking at something that has a very

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long t tail because in this case some

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bacterial Fes have a very large

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compartment and a tail attached to a

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spiky protein that usually contains

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their DNA and though normally these

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tailes differ a little bit in terms of

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length and style recently the scientist

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discovered something super strange they

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refer to this as a Rapunzel bacterio

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bacterio whose stale is at least 10

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times longer than usual up to 1

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micrometer in length and so because of

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this long tail it's now known as the

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Rapunzel bacteria of Ag and obviously

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serves only one purpose to puncture the

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bacteria and to try to enter inside the

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cell in order to then inject all of the

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RNA or DNA but why exactly is the tail

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so long well normally a lot of bacteria

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will actually contain a kind of a

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viscous substance around them in order

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to protect themselves from various

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viruses and so once again through Co

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Evolution they evolved longer and longer

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Tales because I guess some bacteria were

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just getting a little bit slimy moreover

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it looks like these types of viruses and

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these types of bacteria seem to mostly

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reside inside Hot Springs so these are

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some of the toughest bacteria on the

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planet making these viruses also super

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super tough in this case Rapunzel virus

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seem to actually survive very hot

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temperatures for a very long time

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potentially making this one of the most

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resilient viruses out there but exactly

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how it's able to survive so long is

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currently unknown but some viruses

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adapted in different ways actually not

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all viruses are technically bad for us

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as I mentioned a lot of them Co to help

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us quite a lot and normally in a typical

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textbook a typical viral infection looks

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something like this basically you have a

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virus attached to the cell it then sort

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of hijacks the Machinery inside the cell

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to produce more and more copies which

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then leads to the major release of

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viruses in a process this is of course

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extremely simplified and quite a lot of

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viruses out there found even easier and

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better strategies as a matter of fact

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some viruses evolve to not make anyone

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sick and not infect cells at all and

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instead just enter the cell and kind of

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wait for things to happen and the reason

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this evolved is once again visible in

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this picture there's a lot of

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competition out there sometimes viruses

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are competing for the same cell so what

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do you actually do if there's a virus

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inside the cell already and the

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Machinery from the cell is already being

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used well certain bacterial phages

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evolved something else entirely they

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evolved a concept known as viral

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satellites and the way all of this works

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is even more intriguing some of these

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viruses will enter the cell and then

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some how find a way to stay dormant

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sometimes they'll even integrate inside

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the chromosome inserting their own genes

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inside but they do this for one simple

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purpose they're waiting for someone else

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they're actually waiting for another

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virus to come into the cell in order to

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then hijack all the Machinery that the

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virus was going to use to start

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replicating inside the cell blocking the

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other virus and interestingly a lot of

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bacteria out there seem to have a huge

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number of these satellite helper systems

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inside of their genes already

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in some sense constantly competing for

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the use of bacterial machinery and

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evolving new ways to continuously

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exploit each other as a matter of fact

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the famous genetic modification tool

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known as crisper the tool that we now

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use for genetic modification is very

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likely the result of this unusual

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relationship and Once Upon a Time was

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one of these satellite viruses but

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interestingly some bacterial fages found

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an even more unusual way to compete or I

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guess to some extent a much lazier way

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instead of entering the cell and stay

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dormant they literally do this this is

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an image of one of these bacterio fages

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attached to the one with a much longer

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tail and so this is the first ever

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satellite that seems to actually not

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stay inside the cell but instead evolved

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a very short appendage to grab onto the

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neck of another virus and then hijack

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the Machinery inside the cell once the

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bacteria Fage attaches to the cell here

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the larger virus is referred to as the

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mine flare and a smaller virus is now

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called mini flare and so they have a

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very unusual almost like a vampire

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relationship where the larger virus once

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it finds a cell is going to find itself

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very disappointed when not only does it

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have to carry someone around itself it

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also doesn't get to reproduce because

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the satellite virus is going to take

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over and reproduce instead and so in

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some sense this is actually a virus of a

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virus and as you can probably imagine

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trying to understand how these virus

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viruses work and how to maybe use them

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to protect ourselves from actual

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pathogens would be super important for

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future study now currently this is only

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for bacteria and bacterio fages but it's

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quite likely something similar exists in

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a lot of other viruses we tend to think

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of as dangerous so definitely a pretty

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cool vampire virus but not the strangest

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virus out there because some of the

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strangest viruses are probably giant

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viruses viruses that are normally at

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least 10 times bigger than a normal

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smaller virus and that will often

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contain a lot of genes and in some of

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the recent studies some of the

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researchers were actually kind of

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surprised to discover that a lot of

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these giant viruses contain genes

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associated with metabolism suggesting

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that they infect cells and then use them

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as a kind of a massive energy Factory

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for reasons still not really understood

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but all of these giant viruses are

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normally found in the ocean and one of

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the stranger viruses discovered in the

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ocean recently is what's known as Medusa

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virus a virus whose replication process

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and whose genome seem to be so different

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from anything else as a matter of fact

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the way it reproduces seems to be

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actually similar to much more complex

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eukariotic cells here's actually a

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picture of some of these giant viruses

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inside a typical amoeba and so unlike

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other viruses these viruses tend to

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produce completely separate parts by

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using several different genes inside of

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them releasing a variety of different

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particles to the outside of the cell

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which then have to recombine into an

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actual Medusa virus in other words

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inside the cell they tend to produce

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individual Lego blocks which are then

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released to the outside and have to

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recombine to recreate new virus this is

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extremely different from anything else

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and involves a lot of complexity we've

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never seen before in this case they

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actually produce four separate types of

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particles which were then found outside

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of the cell and which then when

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connecting to each other once again

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recreate a new Medusa virus and actually

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one of the reasons this virus is called

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Medusa virus is because it does

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something very unique to various types

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of amoeba After The Infection these

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amoeba Harden forming a hard Stone WX

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structure at first first and then

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exploding afterwards I guess borrowing

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from the Greek mythology and from the

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infamous Medusa on top of this

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scientists also discovered ridiculously

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complex giant viruses nobody thought

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were possible here we're talking about

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the actual genome and the amount of

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proteins on the inside to date the

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largest discovered so far contains over

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700,000 base pairs or essentially

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representing genome that's about 15

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times larger than usual it's actually

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even larger than certain bacteria and so

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these types of of giant viruses

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evolutionary speaking May finally bridge

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the gap between bacteria and viral

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organisms these huge fages were only

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discovered relatively recently so it's

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not entirely clear how they evolved just

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yet but they're definitely one of the

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more intriguing discoveries and it's

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also not clear what most of their genes

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do but it's a very surprising and a very

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intriguing Discovery I'm sure we'll find

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out more once there is more analysis and

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once there are more studies and then

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there was a discovery of this Yara virus

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another Giant virus but in this case

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unusual for a different reason when the

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researchers sequenced its DNA they

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actually discovered that only six genes

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in the DNA were known to us with about

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70 proteins never seen before anywhere

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in any life making Yara virus

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essentially the least known virus to us

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containing genes nobody has ever seen

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before in any type of an organism and

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this is not to show you that this is

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some kind of an alien organism from

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another planet instead is to show you

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that there is just a a huge amount of

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Life out there we still haven't

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discovered and haven't analyzed life

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that possesses lineage no biologist has

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ever explored and this y virus reminds

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us of that it reminds us that Modern

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Biology is still in its infancy there's

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still so much stuff out there that we

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haven't found here's another picture of

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this virus in this case attacking an

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amoeba but the thing is we might be

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discovering more and more viruses for I

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guess one simple reason and this is a

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More unnerving Concept known as the

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zombie vir viruses a lot of ancient

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viruses that might have been buried in

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for example permafrost are now slowly

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coming to the surface as the temperature

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in the Arctic is changing weakening some

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of the layers in the Perma Frost and

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naturally some of this permafrost

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contains ancient viruses that might have

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infected ancient life or not even that

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ancient we're talking about life from

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just a few thousand years ago and though

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it might sound like some kind of a doom

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and glom and maybe something we

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shouldn't be worrying about there was a

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case in 2016 that made made us worry you

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can read about this in one of the

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studies in a description but in essence

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in 2016 a bunch of reindeer greasing in

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parts of Siberia specifically in the

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location you see right here managed to

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catch antrax when some of the ancient

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spores from basilis and tris resurfaced

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during one of the hotter Summers very

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likely coming from some kind of a old

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animal carcass that the reindeer

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approached and so approximately 2,000

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reindeer and several dozen humans were

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infected by Anthrax as a result of this

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luckily this was contained pretty

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quickly but this definitely made

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everyone worry and so in the last year

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some scientists were actually trying to

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figure out okay let just say it happens

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with a different virus would it still be

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infectious and would it have a potential

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to maybe become super dangerous

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specifically if this virus is like

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thousands of years old and so several

play16:47

scientists from several different teams

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in the last decade or so performed

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various experiments trying to revive

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various bacteria fages discovered in

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Pera Frost and so far they've been able

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to successfully revive all of them even

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viruses as old as 50,000 years old

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suggesting that these ancient viruses

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are still quite active and can still

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infect a lot of different cells Even

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after spending thousands of years inside

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eyes and so at this point we can only

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hope that no dangerous super deadly

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virus is hiding in some of the size and

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though this kind of sounds a little bit

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scary and maybe a little bit unnerving

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especially with a name like zombie virus

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at this point we just have to be really

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careful but we don't really know if this

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applies to more complex viruses

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especially because most of this so far

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has only been done with simple bacteria

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phases so we don't really know if this

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applies to everything but we might find

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out one day and I guess last but maybe

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not least we also once again discover

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that space travel is not so good for us

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turns out that when you live in space a

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lot of dormant viruses such as the

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herpes virus tend to reawaken as a

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matter of fact as the study discovered

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most astronauts infected with the herpes

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virus had herpes reactivate in space and

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this is also probably true of other

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viruses hiding inside our bodies which

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once again means that we're probably not

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really meant to live in space and we

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probably should consider taking care of

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planet Earth just a little bit better oh

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wait one more interesting Discovery

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turns out that because there are so many

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viruses in the oceans certain animals

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discovered the way to actually eat them

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and that includes organisms like crabs

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different types of anemones and more

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interestingly sponges apparently a

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typical sponge can easily kill 98% of

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viruses by eating them directly I'm not

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sure what we're going to do with this

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information just yet but cool sponges

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eat viruses so yeah lots and lots of

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intriguing new discoveries about viruses

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that we basically never knew about up

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until a few months ago but as with

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previous studies this is just the first

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step we'll come back and talk more about

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this in some of the future videos until

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then thank you for watching subscribe

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check out previous videos on the similar

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Topic in the description below support

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this channel patreon by join Channel

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membership or by Buy in the wonderful

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person t-shirt you can find in

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description stay wonderful I'll see you

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tomorrow and as always

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[Music]

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[Music]

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bye-bye

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Viral BenefitsLife EvolutionPlant-Virus InteractionBacteriophagesMammalian CellsGiant VirusesZombie VirusesSpace TravelEnvironmental ImpactOcean Ecosystems
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