The Inside Story of Viruses
Practically all species and orders of animals and plants — from germs to trees, and especially man, are subject to virus disease. Why they become subject to virus diseases is another question and belongs under the study of health.
In 1918, one of the most catastrophic plagues since the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages struck the world. Over ONE HALF BILLION PEOPLE throughout the world were affected. Some 20,000,000 died. The disease was influenza, produced by a virus in weak bodies.
One single polio virus particle can infect one human cell and produce 10,000 new polio virus cells in a matter of hours. But it takes millions of them to produce a visible speck.
"Although the individual virus is a great giant among chemical molecules, it would take 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 polio viruses to fill a ping pong ball. . ." (Viruses and the Nature of Life, Stanley and Valens, p. 9)
Size of Viruses
A simple plant virus like the Tobacco Mosaic Virus has one strand of nucleic acid (DNA) wrapped in a coat of protein.
Bacterial viruses are more complicated. They have special proteins by which they chemically attach themselves to cells. The smallpox virus is larger yet. It is just within the range of the light microscope. The others cannot be seen except under the electron microscope.
The gap in size between the largest virus and smallest bacterium is filled by a group of microorganisms called Rickettsia. They are responsible for such diseases as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Q fever.
Observing this phenomenon, one author comments:
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Robley Williams — Berkeley Virus Laboratory Photos
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"We can now see a single, continuous sequence of gradually increasing complexity. In terms of structure, we can trace a sequence of closely related objects all the way from the atom, through the simple molecule, the macromolecule, the virus, the bacterium, and the jellyfish, to man" (Viruses and the Nature of Life, Stanley and Valens, p. 37).
What does this continuity prove? Does it demonstrate evolution? Absolutely not!
All it proves is that there is a sequence of complexity from atoms to man! But does it prove one turned into another? Again, no!
Are Viruses Living Organisms?
Atoms are atoms, viruses are viruses — chemical packages of protein and nucleic acid. Bacteria are bacteria — very simple LIVING substances. No one has seen one "change" into another.
But viruses are UNUSUAL things. As mentioned . . . outside of a host cell — they seem to be completely lifeless combinations of nucleic acid and protein.
A virus has no means of locomotion. It is constantly pushed around by the bombardment of the speeding molecules of the liquid in which it is suspended.
Suddenly: Contact Is Made
As the virus is knocked around in solution, it brushes against cells. When it strikes a cell that is susceptible, the virus attaches itself chemically to the cell wall. Then another enzyme, connected with the protein covering, chemically DISSOLVES the cell wall, and the DNA of the virus is injected into the host cell.
Only the DNA goes into the cell! At that moment, the virus as such no longer exists. The protein coat is no longer part of the drama. It is discarded outside the cell! The DNA of the virus now becomes part of the host cell.
It subverts the cell's original DNA and takes over the cellular machinery. It now causes the cell to manufacture the virus components instead of the CELL parts.
The newly injected viral DNA not only reproduces itself but also serves as a template to produce a PROTEIN SHELL for itself! When enough viruses are duplicated, the cell explodes, releasing about a hundred virus particles — which are once again lifeless.
These inert viruses float around until once again they engage a weak cell and the process is repeated. It has been proven, for example, in the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) that if the cell has a special protein called interferon it can PROTECT itself against a virus infection. But if it is "weakened" through malnutrition and cannot produce enough of it, the cell becomes a candidate for infection.
Therefore, the REASON for the existence of viruses is quite clear. When bodies are diseased, because of wrong diet and living, cells may not contain the proper chemical nutrients. And viruses are there to check the spread of DISEASED plants, animals or whatever.
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ARE VIRUSES LINK IN "CHAIN OF LIFE"?
Top, Polio virus, magnified 130,000 times. Bottom, Tobacco Mosaic Virus, magnified 70,000 times. Viruses are highly unusual. When outside of most cells, they appear to be completely lifeless. But when the DNA of a virus enters a host cell, the viral DNA can subvert the cell machinery to produce copies of itself. Because of the unusual qualities of a virus, controversy rages as to whether viruses are alive or not. Some evolutionists even claim they are a link in the chain of life from atoms to man. The surprising answers in this article prove viruses do not demonstrate life evolved from atom to man.
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But scientists don't seem to realize WHY we have all these diseases or why viruses exist. Their minds are focused on the eater (the virus) instead of what is being eaten (the diseased or unhealthy cell). Too many are too busy trying to prove whether viruses are the link between living and nonliving. Or they are trying to identify viruses and destroy THEM — rather than bolstering the first line of body defense against the virus, by being sure the body is healthy in the first place.
Are Viruses a Link?
But what about viruses? Can they really be a link between the living and nonliving? Did lifeless molecules give rise to viruses which in turn gave rise to the simplest cells?
Let's have a scientist answer the question himself:
"What about the old idea that viruses are precursors of life? It is to be hoped that no reader of this book will fall for that any more.
"Cells, with their complex dynamic organization, are the absolutely essential prerequisite for virus propagation, and life must therefore have begun on the CELLULAR LEVEL.
"Even if some spontaneous act of generation had brought a virus particle forth from some sort of primordial slime [which it did not], that particle would have remained lonely and forgotten forever without the simultaneous presence of living cells" (Viruses, Wolfhard Weidel, p. 154).
Of course!
Viruses are, in a sense, "LIFELESS" without host cells to attack. They depend on cells for reproduction. Therefore, since, as a parasite, a virus relies on the existence of higher life, it is impossible that a virus could have existed initially, by itself.
In other words, the cell would have to exist before the virus did. Obviously, the virus couldn't have evolved into host cells.
This is really what's important. As to whether a virus is "alive" or not has no bearing on the question of the origin of life.
Besides, when the virus (only its DNA) enters the cell — the virus as such doesn't exist any longer. But then when the viral DNA is reproduced, the cell bursts. When the virus is then in existence as an entity outside the cell, it once again takes on the appearance of "lifelessness:"
It's quite clear that viruses are no link between living and nonliving. And to think of a cell as "suddenly" coming into existence by itself is intellectual insanity.
So what has science done or proven? Did the duplication of a copy of a viral DNA prove life had evolved from nonliving matter? Actually as this article has made clear, nothing such as this can be proved. And, incidentally, the scientists mentioned at the beginning of this article did not "create" life.
They didn't "create LIFE," after all — INSPITE of the sensational, shocking headlines! They managed to produce only an artificial DNA, by direct, intelligent interference, under IDEAL conditions — which would "REPRODUCE."
But remember, scientists worked years on achieving this artificial "reproduction." There was outside, intelligent interference here — the exacting environment of a sterile laboratory, chemicals, energy applied in exacting amounts!
What did these scientists — Drs. Kornberg, Goulian and Sinsheimer — really do?
Dr. Kornberg put a naturally occurring DNA of a virus into a test tube. This common virus, known as PHi X-174 attacks intestinal bacteria. Note this carefully. The natural viral DNA in the tube would serve as BLUEPRINT or mold from which the artificial DNA would be made.
Next, molecules of adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine were added to the brew. These naturally occurring molecules are the basic units of DNA.
Also, some E. coli DNA polymerase was also mixed in. This enzyme is crucial for guiding the copying procedure. This enzyme is obtained from living bacteria. Finally, another enzyme, ligase, was added to finish the duplication job.
The contents were then centrifuged to separate the artificial batter DNA from the natural mold DNA. The artificial DNA was able to infect host cells and reproduce itself.
Stop and think about this.
The original DNA of the virus already existed; the chemical building blocks of the DNA already existed; the enzymes already existed! The scientists had the mold. They merely reorganized matter (an accomplishment to be sure!) using an already existing MOLD.
But proof of evolution? Not at all!
"Life" in a test tube? Ridiculous! Life evolving from nonliving? Doubly ridiculous.
Probably, this article will seem tedious to some few persons. But this is only a GREATLY REDUCED part of the story. The whole story of the complexity of the cell would take many, many magazines this size, filled with seemingly endless formulas, relationships, and comparisons.
No, evolution is NOT proved — and never will be. It is a modern "FAITH," indulging in stentorian dogmatism, fear tactics, ridicule and intellectual pressure. Some evolutionists scornfully assert that only their own kind — those fully indoctrinated and "educated" in the special sciences, claiming to support the theory — are entitled to an opinion on the subject.
Yes, the world recognizes its own. Scientists "recognize" and "support" each other. Men profess themselves to be wise. But evolution remains a darkened, useless analogy — and is an attempt to throw God out the window. Men PLAY GOD, by making science the great DELIVERER, the LIFE GIVER, and the SUSTAINER of life!
But science will never produce life. It will never deliver from death. It will never become a god.
Like ancient deities it will have its worshippers. But as surely as those pagan superstitions were false — so is evolution!