ORIGINS AND RESEARCH (VIRUSES)

[K. Shannon]

If we are going to talk of the evolution of viruses, that makes for a long and 
diverse conversation.  From the theory that they branched off the ancestrial 
cell to the theory that they are aliens from space.  I have not committed to a 
decision yet.  But I do feel that most viruses have a strong tendency for 
preservation of their own kind.  The high level pathogenic viruses such as E. 
bola and Marburg are analogous to the cheeta, they have overevolved and 
burn themselves out.
     As for the posting below,  I would like to know how one could possibly 
conduct the experiment for retroevolution of the cell?

MC31411 at swt.edu wrote:
> 
> HELLO
>   YESTERDAY, I WAS READING THE VIROLOGY SECTION OF A MICROBIOLOGY
> TEXT ( THE BOOK WAS PUBLISHED THIS YEAR ), AND IT SAID THAT VIRUSES
> ARE EITHER THE RESULT OF A MUTATION ON THE GENETIC MATERIAL OF THE CELL
> ( LETS SAY EUKARYOTIC CELLS ) OR THE RESULT OF RETROEVOLUTION OF THE CELL.
> 
>  MY QUESTION IS;
> IF VIRUSES RESULTED FROM THE MUTATION OF GENETIC MATERIAL, HAS ANY
> SCIENTIST IN THE FIELD ATTEMPTED TO CREATE SUCH MUTATION TO TEST THIS
> THEORY OR HYPOTHESIS?

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Kevin Shannon,
kmshannon at uoknor.edu
shannon.kevin at oklahoma.va.gov
VAMC Microbiology Lab,
Oklahoma City, OK

"in situ  de viri vivescere "
"Viruses survive in nature."
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