Epsilon 15's tail, for example, has six 'spikes' in it, but they aren't arranged in a neat hexagonal ring. They're highly deviant. Because they're so off-kilter, only two of the spikes actually grasp the shell surface. It's probably not very exciting news to anyone who doesn't look at these things for a living, but what it shows us is that the viral world holds many unexpected secrets, and if we're going to unlock them, we need to see them first. |
Phage therapy as an antibacterial weapon was an idea that was introduced in the early 20th century, but it fell by the wayside as antibiotics came to the fore. It is possible that as we learn more about how viruses work on the molecular level, their promise as a medical tool will finally come to fruition. Until then, software will be the key to focusing our technological eyes, and teams like ours must keep improving it. |