You've gotten the quick intro to how viruses invade our bodies before (with Robert Krulwich, no less), but today we get the full BBC treatment, so to speak.Viruses are way more ubiquitous than we normally realize, and although they have a bad reputation (what, with killing millions of people world-wide every now and then), these marvels of evolutionary molecular engineering actually seem to be responsible for a substantial contribution to the development of complex life on the planet (and to our understanding of the origins of life), so our relationship with them is rather complicated.
Say what you will about them, it is undeniable fact that they are a force to be reckoned with. And if we momentarily ignore the harm they sometimes cause us, we might even be able to see them as a thing of beauty... just keep your distance.
And if you don't think they could be a thing of beauty, check out this art exhibit based on glass sculptures of deadly viruses.
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