“How Do Viruses Do Their Dirty Work?”
Date
4-10-2021
Location
Online
Description
The average adult will catch the common cold about three times each year, and when a cold strikes, one cannot miss the annoying symptoms that indicate that the immune system is mounting a defense against these irritating viruses. Yet, how did the viruses enter one’s body in the first place? How did they elude the ever-active immune system? These are good questions, and the answers have wide-ranging implications for everyone, not just curious biology majors. Thus, the purpose of this talk will be to examine the fascinating methods that some common viruses use to invade and evade. Countless years and endless fights have allowed viruses, deceptively simple packets of protein and genetic material, to evolve sophisticated techniques to hijack cells, and these techniques are worth a closer look. This talk will also cover humanity’s similarly evolving responses to the threat of viruses. (For example, we use it nearly constantly today, yet how and why does hand sanitizer work?)
Presentation Type
Presentation
“How Do Viruses Do Their Dirty Work?”
Online
The average adult will catch the common cold about three times each year, and when a cold strikes, one cannot miss the annoying symptoms that indicate that the immune system is mounting a defense against these irritating viruses. Yet, how did the viruses enter one’s body in the first place? How did they elude the ever-active immune system? These are good questions, and the answers have wide-ranging implications for everyone, not just curious biology majors. Thus, the purpose of this talk will be to examine the fascinating methods that some common viruses use to invade and evade. Countless years and endless fights have allowed viruses, deceptively simple packets of protein and genetic material, to evolve sophisticated techniques to hijack cells, and these techniques are worth a closer look. This talk will also cover humanity’s similarly evolving responses to the threat of viruses. (For example, we use it nearly constantly today, yet how and why does hand sanitizer work?)