Our Little Pals...

Ben Norwood <bdn...@aber.ac.uk> wrote in message news:Pine.GSO.4.20.9911211704330.29730-100000@xena...
> On Thursday, Krogg wrote:
>
> :                   <"> I am an ascii
> :                   _T_ virus,please
> :                   /Y\ Copy me.
>
> And here's it's big brother:
>               .
>            ,'/ \`.
>           |\/___\/|
>           \'\   /`/
>            `.\ /,'
>               |
>               |
>              |=|
>         /\  ,|=|.  /\
>     ,'`.  \/ |=| \/  ,'`.
>   ,'    `.|\ `-' /|,'    `.
> ,'   .-._ \ `---' / _,-.   `.
>    ,'    `-`-._,-'-'    `.
>   '                       `
>
>    T-series bacteriophage
>
> This 'phage is a virus that only attacks bacteria (a particular
> delicacy of this series is _Eschericha coli_ ), and is certainly one of
> the more sophisticated viruses. Upon contact with its host, the tube (
> |=| ) contracts, thus pushing the main shaft into the host. The virus's
> DNA then travels from the head down the tube and into the host, whereby
> it utilises the host's own DNA/protein manufacturing machinery to make
> multiple copies of itself. Eventually, when the cell has made as many
> copies of the 'phage as it can, the 'phage orders the cell to lyse
> (break apart), thus releasing multiple copies of the 'phage.
>
> Since viruses cannot reproduce by themselves (they have to hijack a cell
> to do so), grow, respire, excrete or feed, they are generally considered
> to be just a sophisticated bunch of molecules and NOT a form of life.
>
> --
> Ben Norwood - the (ex-)Mad Biologist From Hell
>  http://www.bigfoot.com/~bdn95/
>   bdn95  _@/" bigfoot.com
>







                               .-""-.
                             .':  "::`.
                           .'::   :::.'
                         .':"   ::.-'
                       .'    :. '        Meet Stachybotrys!
                      .  .:.'     He's a lot of fun, because he's a mold.
                     .:. .'      He likes damp cellulose, and he lives
                    .' .'       under a lot of folks' houses. Sometimes
                   .'.'        a plumber crawls under there to visit him, and
                  .'.'         then they get real sick. Sometimes they die.
                .'.'          Occasionally, when he feels gregarious, he'll
       ___...--; ; --.__      come inside your house. When he feels like he
    .-"::     . .       "-.   needs an education, he goes to school, just like
 .-"   .:.   ..   .:::.    '-.  your kids. Sometimes he plays the voyuer, and
 `.         ..               '-. moves into the rooms of an old hotel. He likes
.'.:  ;.   ..   ..:"   .".    .' appartment buildings, office buildings, and
`.:      .' `.      :.      .'  even auditoriums! He loves to see what's going
 ;             .:.       .-'   on, watching from some vantage point, where you
  `-._      ..       _.-'    often don't notice him. He loves to play little
      `-.___.--.__.-'      tricks on folks, like spreading his spore around,
                        which is filled with lovely mycotoxins that will do
                    neat things like cause headaches, suppress your immune system,
                  make women have longer periods (just what the world needs),
                 give your flu-like symptoms, and cause increased bleeding.
               He's been known to cause pulmonary hemolysis-hemosiderosis in
              babies, too. Generically, what he does is cause "Building Sickness".
             Nobody wants to talk about him, much, because getting him to move
             out is a bitch. The only way to get rid of his toxic spore, is to
            vacuum it up. If he's living on your walls or ceiling, you have to
           have new ones. He is hard to find, becuase most people don't even know
         to look for him. He's a lot of fun...

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