• angrystego@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    4 hours ago

    There are viruses that make some plants look more appealing to some people. For example they are the cause of these striped patterns on tulip petals.

    • Telorand@reddthat.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      6 hours ago

      Additionally, a good chunk of our DNA is from ancient viruses, so homosapiens wouldn’t be what we are today without viruses.

  • angrystego@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    3 hours ago

    Some viruses are useful for studying genes - you can make them transfer a genetic sequence into a cell.

    They can be used in gene therapy - a very promising field of medicine.

    And some viruses could also be used instead of antibiotics, which could potentialy solve the resistence problems and also help avoiding collateral damage to symbiotic bacteria. (Research of this technology is quite old, unfortunately it was abandoned for a long time and everyone focused on antibiotics instead.)

  • eran_morad@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    5 hours ago

    Probably, yeah. Their whole schtick is to move DNA around and fuck up genomes n shit. They’re evolutionary drivers.

  • lost_faith@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    6 hours ago

    There is the “Luck Virus” and “Sexual Magnetism Virus” poor Rimmer