Monday, April 16, 2018

Viruses: Friend or Foe

         Viruses have a mostly negative connotation because they are often associated with diseases. Have you ever sat and wondered where exactly viruses come from? Turns out they literally drop from the sky from being swept up by sea spray, and not in small amounts either. It is an estimated 800 million viruses fall per square inch on the planet. They have a huge impact on our ecosystem. The ARC virus is known to be responsible for our evolution into what we are today. The virus gave us conscious, which influences our everyday life and decision making skills. They are also responsible for killing off most of the hooved-animal population in 1887 North Africa. Ironically, they can also be beneficial. There have been cases of invasive algae species being wiped out in a matter of days due to viruses. So it turns out that viruses not only make up the largest population on the planet, some of them are actually beneficial and keep our environment thriving.


  1. I never thought of viruses as something that was good. I enjoyed reading this because I learned that viruses can be beneficial to our ecosystem.

  2. I have always had a negative connotation with the word virus. I never knew that anything beneficial could ever come from it. It is also riveting to know where they come from. It is crazy how something so minuscule can have such a large impact on the ecosystem. As well as the fact that they make up the largest population on the planet, still blows my mind. I enjoyed this information.