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>One study estimated that viruses in the ocean cause a trillion trillion infections every second, destroying some 20 percent of all bacterial cells in the sea d
by cowboysauce 9y ago
>One study estimated that viruses in the ocean cause a trillion trillion infections every second, destroying some 20 percent of all bacterial cells in the sea daily.
That excerpt really put it into perspective for me. I guess I always thought that viruses didn't have much of an impact, aside from ocasionally causing a pandemic and incorporating themselves into our genome. But the thought of viruses killing a fifth of all bacteria in the sea everyday is staggering.
- perl4ever 9y agoGiven the number of recent articles about how gut bacteria may regulate body and mind, it makes me wonder how viruses may regulate those bacteria.
- Robotbeat 9y agoBacteria are the "grey goo" catastrophe. Viruses are the cure.
- virtu0so 9y agoMeh, what is it about viruses that makes the NOT grey goo? Or what if prions are grey goo? I think grey goo's is pretty much anything small enough to be gooey.
- Robotbeat 9y agoBecause grey goo is supposed to consume non-biological matter. Viruses and prions require biological substrates, and when those are used up they stop.
- pureGarbage 9y agoSo, first of all, it's vague jargon to describe a hypothetical concept that does not exist and may not ever exist. Second, the defining characteristic of "grey goo" is that it's of an artificial or synthetic origin, and hence, the "grey" part of the concept intimates technology, but not much else. The only other characteristic is that "grey goo" is typically depicted as a swarm of microscopic contraptions stuck on a runaway chain reaction, although the consumables that sustain the reaction can be anything at all. So, there's no real limit to the inputs or outputs of this hypothetical monstrosity, except that it's an all-consuming blob or nebulous swarm. Third, you contradict yourself, since you ascribe microbes as grey goo, but then you tack on "non biological" sustenance as an afterthought. The microbial life at hand are not necessarily autotrophs or even consumers on non biological material, they are all heterotrophs made of biological material, eating each other. Furthermore the microbes are not "grey goo" because they are of natural origin and process. In conclusion, grey goo is a thought experiment about a man made disaster or industrial accident, involving microscopic systems gone haywire. No other requirements are really specific to the idea.
- Robotbeat 9y agoOf course, I’m familiar with the term and its origins. Obviously bacteria were not created by humans, but they were a runaway reaction that ended up covering the entire planet and even deep below the surface. The early microbes were things like hydrogenotrophs (etc) that could feed on non-biological matter, although limited compared to the hypothetical technological version. I was just pointing out the oft-observed notion that the development life itself (especially simple life like bacteria) was a kind of grey go moment, but is being held in check by viruses.
- ta76567656 9y agoSeems like gp was being figurative, and saying that something like the mythical "goo that consumes everything" actually exists already.
- PeterisP 9y agoBecause they are unable to multiply on their own. A weird bacteria or nanomachine might convert everything to other weird bacteria or nanomachines. A weird virus can only convert all cells to weird viruses, since it needs cells to multiply. A weird prion can only convert other prions to their form, which is even more limited. Both of the latter scenarios can be very dangerous, up to an extinction event, but they're different from gray goo.
- otempomores 9y agoViruses are helpless without bacteria.. They need them to replicate and continue existance.. Viri are the apex predator.
- Terr_ 9y agoThe Grey Goo catastrophe happened a few billion years ago -- everything around today is an inheritor of that legacy one way or another. Including multicellular organisms.
- cup-of-tea 9y agoMost people are infected by a few viruses for their whole life and the bacteria inside us are infected by many. We don't know what any of them do or whether they are good for us.
- tasty_freeze 9y ago"Viruses, A Very Short Introduction" by Dorothy H Crawford, says this on page 21: "There are around 10e6 different viral species in a kilogram of marine sediment where they infect and kill co-resident bacteria. Overall, marine viruses kill an estimated 20-40% of all marine bacteria every day."
- kreetx 9y agoSince the info presented in the article is totally new to me, would you say this book is a good intro to a non-scientist on this entire topic?
- imdsm 9y agoI haven't read it, but I have read some of the Very Short Introduction books, and they're pretty good for a layman. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Viruses-Very-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0199574855 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Viruses-Very-Short-Introduction-Int... Update: looks like there is a new version published last month, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Viruses-Very-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0198811713 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Viruses-Very-Short-Introduction-Int...
- sitkack 9y agoI had no idea that bacteria had it so hard. I thought they mostly had "easy liv'n".
- ams6110 9y agoOne would assume the reproduction rate of the bacteria is sufficient to make this sustainable.
- adrianN 9y agoGiven that bacteria and viruses existed for billions of years...
- fipple 9y agoYes, in the lab, bacteria can double in less than an hour.
- ars 9y agoEasily. The bacterial population can double in just half an hour. The only thing limiting them is nutrients. And they probably get a lot of those nutrients from bacteria that died, so it self balances.
- enitihas 9y agoThat sounds like exponential reduction in the number of bacteria. How do any bacteria survive with this rate, unless I am missing something.
- laser 9y agoBacteria grow at an exponential rate :) What at an incredible equilibrium. In optimal conditions E. coli can double every twenty minutes! These organisms live on a completely different time scale.
- enitihas 9y agoIndeed, a very special equilibrium then.
- narag 9y agoReproducing at a higher rate?
- pas 9y agoThe lucky ones exponentially conquer the freed up space, then some lucky virus gets to them, rinse, repeat.