Newly-Discovered Monster Virus From The Depths of the Antarctic Waters

[Aesop Rocks]

I **** you not.

At the edge of the world it lay undisturbed for thousands of years. They should never have awakened it. They did. Coming this summer: Virophage!

An Australian research team working in Antarctica brought up something that was the stuff of nightmares - but not our nightmares. It's the kind of thing that keeps viruses awake at night, a rare creature known as a virophage. Virophages are viruses that eat viruses. Along with this new specimen, there are only three virophages in existence. One was discovered in a cooling tower in Paris (A polluted society gives birth to a new horror!), one was discovered earlier this month in a marine environment (It rose from the sea!), and this latest was discovered in Organice Lake in Antarctica. (They should have left it alone! Now it walks the earth!)

Virophages are selective killers, and tend to confine themselves to very specific diets of certain viruses. The first one was found in amoebas only, and did not replicate unless the amoeba was infected with the giant mimivirus or mamavirus. The newest virophage, named Organic Lake Virophage or OLV for short, only preys on Phycodnaviruses, which attack algae. While virophages are not necessarily on the side of the hosts, their predatory ways reduce the load of viruses and help the infected organism survive (Humanity's last hope was a ruthless killer bent on destruction!).

The rate of virophage discovery is speeding up. The first one was discovered in 2008, the next last month, and now OLV joins the family. It's likely that there are a lot of assassin viruses out there, waiting to be discovered. (It looks like we're safe. . . . But for how long?)

SOURCE

The Thing...is that you?

 

[enterthemadness]

Hooray, we're dooomed!

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Am I going to die? If not, **** this pu**y virus.

 

[Franklin Richards]

We need MacReady.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

I'm pretty sure Kurt Russell is growing his beard out as we speak.

 

[Metamorpho1977]

Are they releasing these news stories just to give Syfy new movie ideas?

 

[Aesop Rocks]

new movie ideas? If anything, John Carpenter predicted the future.

 

[bored]

Guillermo del Toro didn't scrap "At the Mountains of Madness", he just reformatted it.

 

[Donut]

This sounds like a bad Syfy movie

 

[Gotham Knight]

So.... We're good?

 

[knowsbleed]

So.... We're good?

No, we're not "good". You still have my underwear from last night.

 

[chaseter]

Virophages can be a good thing............................................

They eat viruses...how is that bad?

 

[Gotham Knight]

No, we're not "good". You still have my underwear from last night.

If I had something oozing with toxic waste in my house, I'm pretty sure I would smell it.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

I haven't read the article(I definitely plan to) so this is just some fanboy scientist excitement:

If this sucker can be genetically engineered to go after HIV or some other horribly pathogenic virus, this could be veeeery useful. So long as it can be stopped once it's mission is accomplished. You don't buy 50 dogs to get rid of 30 cats w/o having a way to get rid of the dogs later

 

[Ultra Lantern]

If it can cure any type of disease,that's good for me.

If they make a SyFy movie about this,I'll have a heart attack.

 

[Gotham Knight]

Virophages can be a good thing............................................

They eat viruses...how is that bad?

Because they themselves are viruses..... Not sure if they're deadly though so..... I guess I have no clue.

 

[Donut]

If it can cure any type of disease,that's good for me.

If they make a SyFy movie about this,I'll have a heart attack.

I guarantee there will be a movie about this on Syfy called Virophages

 

[Ultra Lantern]

I guarantee there will be a movie about this on Syfy called Virophages

Who would star in it?

 

[Franklin Richards]

Morris Day and The Time.

 

[SuperFerret]

I haven't read the article(I definitely plan to) so this is just some fanboy scientist excitement:

If this sucker can be genetically engineered to go after HIV or some other horribly pathogenic virus, this could be veeeery useful. So long as it can be stopped once it's mission is accomplished. You don't buy 50 dogs to get rid of 30 cats w/o having a way to get rid of the dogs later

Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn’t that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we’re overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They’ll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren’t the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we’re prepared for that. We’ve lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we’re stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that’s the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.

 

[SuperFerret]

Because they themselves are viruses..... Not sure if they're deadly though so..... I guess I have no clue.

Racist.

 

[Matt]

A virus that eats other viruses? Couldn't that be a good thing?

 

[enterthemadness]

A virus that eats other viruses? Couldn't that be a good thing?

Yes, until it watches CSI Miami or Casper van diens acting...

 

[Gotham Knight]

Racist.

I don't know what you're talking about bro, I have plenty of virophage friends.

 

[Assassin]

sweet, what if they find the virophage that eats HIV? or the Flu? aww ****!