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viruses (mander.xyz)

submitted 5 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 5 months ago

Is this what some virus really looks like? It looks like Tron-era CGI.

[-] rockSlayer@lemmy.world 105 points 5 months ago

The image is in fact CGI, but yes there are several viruses known as bacteriophages that look like this.

Trying to find this confirmed electromagnetic scan of this phage led me down a truly fascinating rabbit hole about antibacterial phage therapy, taxonomy, and more. Let your curiosity take the better of you on Wikipedia

[-] Doxatek@mander.xyz 33 points 5 months ago

Such awesome pictures

[-] Obi@sopuli.xyz 1 points 5 months ago

Let's all take a moment to appreciate the 3D artist that was given the task to make this image, probably looked up a bunch of grainy references and then delivered this kick ass render.

[-] Rubisco@slrpnk.net 28 points 5 months ago

At this scale we'd be seeing with electrons not photons, and everything would be gold coated. It's unlikely the head would be transparent. But other than that, not bad. False color gets applied to the B&W EM images, which helps.

Rabies is shaped like a bullet!

[-] moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 5 months ago

hmm yes rabies looks like a bullet because once you are shot with it you are dead

[-] Zink@programming.dev 6 points 5 months ago

That was my takeaway too. I knew Ebola was a big long shape, so it didn’t stand out much, but then “ohhh of course rabies just randomly looks like invisible nano bullets!”

[-] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Dannng. Cool reference pictures, thanks for sharing.

Complex viruses seem almost too complex to function. Just from a human lead engineering standpoint, I can see so many points of failure

[-] dch82@lemmy.zip 3 points 5 months ago

Viruses throw dung at the wall and see what sticks.

A real life genetic algorithm, essentially.

[-] Beryl@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Artist's view of bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria and look like this. They attach to the bacterial wall with these fibers that look like spider legs, and then inject their DNA into the bacteria by contracting the sheath that attaches to the DNA-containing head. They kinda work like a syringe.

[-] paddirn@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago

They almost seem like just a “living” reproductive system, as if that’s the entirety of their existence. Like real-life Daleks going “IN-SEM-IN-ATE!”

[-] prayer@sh.itjust.works 11 points 5 months ago

Yes, this is a bacteriophage. Truly fascinating stuff I'm lucky to work with every day.

[-] flora_explora@beehaw.org 5 points 5 months ago

More or less yes, that's the type of virus we learned about in biology class at least. Although there are various shapes a virus can have. Like covid that is round or other viruses that look more like bacteria.