What Is a Virus?

By Karen A. Bellenir

Current news stories seem dominated with practical and political matters associated with the global coronavirus outbreak. There are questions about how to treat people with symptoms, how to prevent the virus’s spread, and what to do about the economic impact of business closures and stay-at-home edicts. There are guidelines for handwashing, sanitizing surfaces, and wearing masks. A myriad of suggestions also circulate, offering advice for virtual social gatherings and spending time in isolation.

Although the coronavirus is presenting some unique challenges, other viral outbreaks have preceded it. For just a few examples, you may recall a time when names such as the Ebola virus, Zika virus, West Nile virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and hepatitis C dominated the headlines. Or, perhaps you remember when the news focused on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Historically, humanity has battled these and other viral foes, including polio (caused by the poliovirus) and smallpox (caused by Variola viruses). Additionally, a host of other viruses (such as those that cause influenza, measles, mumps, chickenpox, herpes, rabies, and even the “common cold”) capture people’s attention from time to time.

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through electron microscopy, shows the structure of the coronaviruses. Corona is a Latin word that means crown. It refers to the spikes on the virus’s outer surface which give it a crown-like appearance. Photo credit: Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS. CDC, public domain.

So, what exactly is a virus?

In today’s world, many people may be more familiar with computer-related jargon than with biological terms. A computer virus is a piece of software that can insert itself into other software, replicate itself, and do malicious or mischievous things. Computer viruses were so named because of parallels that exist between them and their biological counterparts. In biology, a virus is a type of particle that invades cells within the body and replicates itself by hijacking the infected cells.

Viruses may be round like the coronavirus, but they also come in other shapes. They are infinitesimally small, measured in nanometers (that is, billionths of a meter). The coronavirus measures about 120–125 nanometers. To understanding how small this is, consider a strand of human hair, which might average about 75 microns in diameter (a micron is a millionth of a meter). It would take approximately 600 coronaviruses lined up in a row to span the diameter of a single hair.

On their own, viruses are dormant. They do not become active until they invade a host’s cells. When the virus seizes the reproductive apparatus of cells within a person’s body, the immune system goes into action and tries to figure out how to expel the invader. People get sick as a result of the immune system’s response to the viral attack (a fever, for example results from the immune system trying to eliminate the threatening infectious agent). People can also get sick as a result of the virus itself when it causes interference with cellular function or results in cell death.

Antibiotics, which are used to combat bacterial infections, are ineffective against viruses because viruses and bacteria are different types of infectious agents. Strategies used against viral disease include vaccines that teach the immune system how to fight off specific viruses and antiviral medications that thwart viral replication. The best strategy for remaining healthy, however, is to avoid becoming infected.

Here are some resources for more information:

U.S. National Library of Medicine

• “Viral Infections”

The National Academies

• “Viruses”

• “How Infection Works”

• “How Pathogens Make Us Sick”

The Conversation

• “What Are Viruses Anyway and Why Do They Make Us So Sick”

False Witness

By Karen A. Bellenir

Photo by William Iven on Unsplash.

Many Christians know about the Ten Commandments. The first few talk about honoring God and the last five list things to not do. The ninth commandment says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5:20, ESV*).

In answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told one of his most famous parables, the story of the Good Samaritan (read it in Luke 10:29-37). Other New Testament passages further explain the kinds of talk Christ’s followers should avoid. Christians are exhorted to avoid being gossips, slanderers, and busybodies (see Romans 1:29-30, 2 Corinthians 12:20, and 1 Timothy 5:13). In addition, Jesus himself warned against insulting people and calling them names (Matthew 5:22).

In recent weeks, as people are spending more time at home due to the global struggle against the spread of the coronavirus, it seems that social media channels have become more active. These social media options help fill a gap in the human desire for connection by providing a way to talk with family, friends, and strangers when face-to-face interactions are not possible.

Maintaining connections is important, but the desire to strengthen ties through sharing posts may have outpaced people’s motivation or ability to verify the accuracy of posts they help distribute. I have seen quotes attributed to authors who did not write them. I have seen medical tips, including some that are dangerously erroneous, attributed to authorities who deny producing them. I have seen statistics quoted out of context and some that seem entirely fabricated. These are often accompanied by a heavy dose of gossip, slander, and insults. These types of false witness are especially problematic when they are sandwiched between posts identifying a person as a Christian because they present to the world the notion that to be a Christian is to be unconcerned with truth or even civility.

I’d like to offer a suggestion. Before you “like,” “love,” or otherwise share a post, check to make sure it is true. You can navigate to a purported source’s website and see if that source did indeed distribute the information. Look up the text of legislation being referenced and see if it actually says what is claimed. Conduct your own research and check facts. If you can’t independently verify something as true, don’t help distribute it.

If you want to share your own opinions, political or otherwise, please do. This is the hallmark of America’s cherished First Amendment rights. If you can do so while avoiding lies, gossip, slander, insults, and name calling, you’ll also be aligned with biblical instructions regarding how to best communicate.

*The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What Time Is It?

By Karen A. Bellenir

Roman time-keeping device, Prague, Czech Republic (Photo by Fabrizio Verrecchia on Unsplash).

For many people, this weekend marks the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, when clocks “spring forward” one hour. The change officially takes place at 2:00 a.m. on March 8. At that hour clocks will be reset to read 3:00 a.m. When everyone makes the adjustment at the same time, schedules remain predictable.

For most of history, however, clocks were set using a different standard. Noon occurred when the sun reached its highest point. Because the earth spins continuously, the moment of this occurrence, solar noon, was a local phenomenon. Noon in Boston, for example, might occur nearly a half hour before noon in Washington, DC.

In Europe and in North America, the need for a standardized time-keeping method arose along with the railroad industry. U.S. railroads divided the continental stretch between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans into four zones. In 1918, these were finalized and formally adopted as the time zones Americans know today. Around the globe, time zones add or subtract hours or fractions of hours from a conventional standard known as Coordinated Universal Time (abbreviated UTC), which is centered on the Prime Meridian, an historically important reference point running through Greenwich, England.

Earth’s time zones designate areas that each encompass approximately 15 degrees of longitude, although there are many adjustments to accommodate commercial, social, and geopolitical needs. By establishing a median standard within the zones, local solar noon often became displaced from noon on the clock. For example, on March 7, 2020, solar noon in Washington DC will occur a few seconds before 12:19 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Switching to Daylight Saving Time increases the difference by an hour. On March 8, 2020, solar noon in Washington DC will occur a few seconds before 1:19 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

You can use the NOAA Solar Calculator, produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory, to determine the time of solar noon in your location.