DH+virus+homework+2


 * 1. "if we are unlucky..." the author writes we will see evolution in action. What does she mean? Why would it by unlucky to see the avian virus evolve.
 * it would be unlucky to see the avian virus evolve because if it did evolve, it would probably combine with the influenza virus to create a hybrid virus that would be even more deadly for humans
 * 2. Define parasite.
 * a parasite is like a small parcel that is mailed from one gene to the next. Parasites take over every cell that they come in contact with
 * 3. Define gene.
 * a gene is a sequence of DNA. Genes are found in cells.
 * 4. She compares viruses to tiny parcels. Why? How are these parcels mailed?
 * She compares viruses to tiny parcels because there is no limit to where the virus can go, like a parcel. The parcels, or viruses, can be mailed through sneezing, semen, and feces.
 * 5. 20 million people died of the Spanish Flu during World War II. Yet the author claims to know that this flu virus was particularly deadly not that it was a normal virus but because of the war and wartime "deprivation" people were more likely to get sick and die. What two pieces of evidence indicate this was a very deadly virus unlike the normal flu virus.
 * 6. What is H5N1?
 * H5N1 is an 8 gene virus
 * 7. Since H5N1 has killed mostly birds, why are we worried about it?
 * we are worried about H5N1 because there may be a possibility that the H5N1 virus will evolve and turn into a virus that can be spread to humans indirectly...either air borne, or just being in the close vicinity of the virus
 * 8. Two processes could change the H5N1 in a deadly way: sex and mutation. What is viral sex and how could it change the virus? What is viral mutation and how could this change the virus?
 * The virus could be changed during "sex" because the two different viruses come together, and create a new, baby virus that has the components of both viruses. And if the virus mutates, it could also become something more deadly than what it already is.
 * 9. How can mutation lead to evolution (origin of new species)?
 * Mutations can sometimes be a good thing, for example, if the mutation helps the animal. Giraffes could be the result of a mutation. They once could have been horses, but they couldn't reach the leaves on the trees in their environment. Something inside of them could have mutated and thus formed the long neck that they now have.
 * 10. How can sex lead to evolution (origin of new species)?
 * This example is best shown in dogs. For example, a labradoodle. Someone bred a labrador and a poodle to create a new type of dog called a labradoodle.
 * This example is best shown in dogs. For example, a labradoodle. Someone bred a labrador and a poodle to create a new type of dog called a labradoodle.