The structure of a giant virus

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 05:42 in Biology & Nature

The mimivirus is the largest virus known to scientists, about half of a micrometre (0.0005 millimetre) in diameter. It is more than 10 times larger than the virus that causes the common cold and - unlike other viruses - is large enough to be seen with a light microscope. In this week's issue of PLoS Biology, an international team of researchers have determined key structural features of the mimivirus, findings that could help scientists study how the simplest life forms evolved and whether this unusual virus causes any human diseases...

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