Viruses More Friends than Foes

Abstract

Viruses are normally defined as pathogens and have a bad reputation because of pandemics such as Influenza, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and SARS. Most viruses are, however, not enemies or killers but play important roles in the origin, development and maintenance of life of all species on our planet. This is new information we learnt by new technologies such as sequencing. Viruses are the most successful species on Earth, they are ubiquitous, in the oceans, in our environment, in animals, plants, bacteria, up in the air, perhaps even in the universe, within our body and even as part of our genomes. They influence our health, our well‐being, mental properties, our gut microbiota including obesity, and may help to cope with multi‐drug‐resistant bacteria. There the phages, viruses of bacteria, raise hopes. Viruses built our immunity: viruses protect against viruses. We do not have to lay eggs – thanks to viruses! They are the drivers of evolution and adaptation to environmental changes, also e. g. in plankton. The success story of viruses started about 3.5 billion years ago when life began. Newly discovered giant viruses are almost bacteria in their composition, suggesting that the borderline between dead matter and life is continuous. There are many open questions – how did life begin, is there life on exoplanets, how to find it? Are virus‐like elements, viroids, important for the origin of life? Will viruses eliminate mankind [1]?

Cellular and Natural Viral Engineering in Cognition-Based Evolution

“…In particular, a reconceptualization of viruses from foes to generalized friends is required. Viruses and sub-viral particles are critical components of cellular phenotypic plasticity and successful adaptation through intimate symbiotic partnerships across the cellular domains [ 13 , 273 ]. Viruses are crucial linchpins.…”

“…Consequently, it is now accepted that viruses represent fundamental evolutionary drivers [ 7–12 ]. Notably, the prior limiting view of viruses as exclusive pathogens is being recast within this unfolding evolutionary narrative [ 13 ]. Instead, there is a growing recognition of viral symbiogenesis, which views viruses as intimate symbiotic partners that function with cells through mutualism and commensalism as well as competitive parasitism [ 14 ; 15 ]; [ 15–17 ].…”

Oscillations in a Spatial Oncolytic Virus Model

“…For example many COVID-19 patients suffer from long lasting recurring effects ((24),(16)), and we can speculate that continued oscillations might have such an effect. The variability of virus infections is enormous (55), and even our abstract mathematical results might develop into useful tools in the future.…”

Development of environmental biotechnology and control of emerging biological contaminants: the grand challenge for a sustainable future

“…Viruses were and continue to be drivers of the evolution and adaptation of environmental changes (Enard, Cai, Gwennap, & Petrov, 2016). Recent studies show that viruses can be more friends than foes and how we can use selected viruses to limit the reproduction, abundance and presence of specific bacteria (Moelling, 2020). In addition, new frontiers of biotechnology are studying how to engineer biomasses using only specific bacteria or viruses that were accurately selected (Cheng et al, 2017;Wernick, Pontrelli, & Pollock, 2016) or genetically modified (Fujita, Ike, & Hashimoto, 1991;McClure, Fry, & Weightman, 1991).…”