As life forms, viruses are just inherently interesting. It's the microworld - this universe of life too small for us to see - but it's profoundly complicated, and immensely powerful. Ebola is like a beautiful and frightening predator. There is a wonder in the operations of nature that can't be denied, even when we're the losers.
Interpretation
The complexity of viruses reveals the wonders and challenges of nature that are often beyond our perception.
This quote by Richard Preston reflects on the fascinating and complex nature of viruses, highlighting their dual role as both beautiful entities and dangerous predators. It emphasizes the intricate balance of life in the microworld, where even the tiniest organisms can have a profound impact on our lives, eliciting both wonder and fear in humanity as we grapple with their potential consequences.
In practice
A scientist discussing the significance of viruses in a public health seminar.
Scientific facts are often described in textbooks as if they just sort of exist, like nickels someone picked up on the street. But science at the cutting edge, conducted by sharp minds probing deep into nature, is not about self-evident facts. It is about mystery and not knowing. It is about taking huge risks.
It is a mere question of time when men will succeed in attaching their machinery to the very wheelwork of nature.
Natural gas emits only half the carbon dioxide of coal when burned, but if methane leaks when oil companies extract it from the ground in a sloppy manner - methane is far more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide - it can wipe out all the advantages of natural gas over coal.
Now that we can read and write the genetic code, put it in digital form and translate it back into synthesized life, it will be possible to speed up biological evolution to the pace of social evolution.
Burning fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide. And carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. There is no debate about that. The link is as certain as the link between smoking and cancer.
Reply when questioned on the safety of the polio vaccine he developed: It is safe, and you can't get safer than safe.
Mushrooms are miniature pharmaceutical factories, and of the thousands of mushroom species in nature, our ancestors and modern scientists have identified several dozen that have a unique combination of talents that improve our health.
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