Never-Before-Seen GIANT Virus Found

[Monroe]

Thought this was interesting ... probably not much of a discussion topic but we can be greatful that it appears to be "harmless" unless it might mutate or "join up" with something more deadly one day.

Never-before-seen GIANT virus found that's so unusual it may have come from Mars

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2370100/Scientists-GIANT-Pandoravirus-come-alien-planet.html

Scientists have found a new virus thought to be the biggest ever seen on Earth.

The virus, dubbed Pandoravirus, is one micrometre big - up to ten times the size of other viruses - and only six per cent of its genes resemble anything seen on Earth before. Many traditional viruses range in size from around 10 nanometres (nm) to around 500nm. The Pandoravirus is around one micrometre big and there are 1,000nm in a micrometre. This means the Pandoravirus is big enough to be seen under the most basic microscopes.

Pandoravirus lives underwater and was found off the coast of Chile and in a pond in Australia.

They took sediment samples from the coast off Chile and from a pond in Australia. They took the samples to their laboratory and put them in a solution packed with antibiotics in an attempt to kill any bacteria present. These bacteria-free samples were then exposed to amoebas knowing that if they died, there must be something else in the samples killing them. This proved to be successful and large amounts of Pandoravirus were spawned.

When the team studied them they found that their genetic code was twice the size of the Megavirus, which was previously the biggest virus ever found at around 440nm. However, they were in for more of a shock as only six per cent of its genes resembled genes seen before in other organisms on Earth.

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Let's hope it stays harmless ... more info in the article.

Edited July 20, 2013 by duffy98

[dencorso]

Fascinating find!

[Monroe]

It just hit me about this new virus ... if it was found off the coast of Chile then that's salt water and a pond in Australia would be fresh water ... a very versatile virus.

[JorgeA]

Sounds like something that the late Michael Crichton might have written: meteor carrying a new pathogen in its core falls to Earth at the ocean floor. Curious biologists pick up a sample and start studying it. A few of the alien viruses escape and proliferate unchecked (there being no antibodies), killing the researchers and then most everyone on the planet. Martial law is imposed and then becomes irrelevant as soldiers and private citizens alike suffer gruesome deaths. Finally, one reclusive virologist manages to develop a serum to save the few thousand people left cowering deep in the woods.

Or maybe I've watched tooo many disaster movies...

--JorgeA

[Monroe]

"Or maybe I've watched tooo many disaster movies" ... that can be a problem, since I speak from experience ... the last several years it's been zombie movies for me. I know this is off topic but this a "general" discussion group but I was amazed at the ratings for the new SyFy movie "Sharknado" ... it first played on July 11 and was a hit on cable and then it played again on July 18th and the ratings jumped another 38% ... I did get to see it.

Syfy's 'Sharknado' Mania Continues as Encore Telecast July 18 Leaps 38 Percent in Total Viewers

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/07/19/syfys-sharknado-mania-continues-as-encore-telecast-july-18-leaps-38-percent-in-total-viewers/192850/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Tvbythenumbers+%28TVbytheNumbers%29

SYFY’S SHARKNADO MANIA CONTINUES AS ENCORE TELECAST JULY 18 LEAPS 38 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS

#1 MOST TWEETED PROGRAM ON CABLE

ALL-DAY SHARKATHON MOVIE FESTIVAL SATURDAY, JULY 27

NEW YORK – July 19, 2013 – The Sharknado Feeding Frenzy continued on Syfy when the encore telecast on July 18 jumped 38 percent in total viewers, 29 percent in Adults 25-54 and 24 percent in Adults 18-49 versus the premiere broadcast on July 11.

The movie also delivered 313K Adults 18-34, up 50 percent from the premiere and the most watched original movie in that demographic since Zombie Apocalypse in October 2011.

From 7-9PM (ET/PT), Sharknado averaged 1.9 million total viewers, 797K Adults 25-54 and 701K Adults 18-49.

Fueling the unprecedented social media buzz, the movie was the #1 most tweeted program on cable Thursday night (excluding sports and special events).

Keeping up the Shark-Mentum, Syfy will repeat Sharknado Saturday, July 27 at 9PM as part of an all-day Sharkathon movie festival from 9AM-5AM that will include such classics as Sharktopus, Two-Headed Shark Attack and Swamp Shark.

Sharknado will also air on Saturday, August 22 at 7PM, leading into the Original Movie Ghost Shark, about a great white shark, tortured and killed by a fisherman, who returns as an unfriendly ghost to exact vengeance on the human race. The movie stars Mackenzie Postman and Richard Moll.

... so many of the SyFy films are just so-so these days with not so good digital effects but this wasn't bad. Just thought I'd make a mention for anyone into disaster films. That's a very good comparision to Michael Crichton ... he's missed.

Edited July 20, 2013 by duffy98

[JorgeA]

I saw a report on Sharknado on the evening news the other night. Sounds like what's happening (IMHO) is that the premise of the movie is so ridiculous that it's fun!

--JorgeA

[Monroe]

Yes, you can't take the movie too serious but it seemed to strike something with the viewers. As one person said, fish including sharks are going to only have one mission ... to get back into the ocean or water as soon as possible and not gobling down humans but it's a fun movie.

Just 3 - 4 days ago SyFy announced a sequel in 2014 ...

Sharknado sequel to premiere in 2014

Sharknado 2,' set in New York City, greenlit by SyFy Channel

In the wake of the massive social media success of the first 'Sharknado,' the network announced a sequel set to air in 2014.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sharknado-2-set-new-york-city-greenlit-syfy-channel-article-1.1401052

Just when you thought it was safe to go back on Water Street ...

The toothy breakout stars of the SyFy Channel’s “Sharknado” will be returning in a sequel to last week’s monster hit -- and the forecast calls for the next storm to touch down in New York City.

Though the project is not even at the script stage yet, the network greenlit “Sharknado 2” based on the social media whirlwind the original made-for-TV film inspired and the premise of dumping big fish on the Big Apple.

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[dencorso]

Wow! That reminds me of "Tubaroes Voadores" (= Flying Sharks) a rock opera (in Portuguese) by Arrigo Barnabe', from way back in 1984!!!

Although, there, the killer sharks actually flied!

[JorgeA]

Wouldn't it be something if the scriptwriter for Sharknado actually knew of this rock opera (BTW what a strange concept for a musical work), and "borrowed" the idea for the movie?

This is all very strange, and now they're even going to do a sequel!

--JorgeA

[dencorso]

I wouldn't be surprised if the scriptwriter knew either the rock opera or even the comicbook by Luiz Ge it was based upon. I have known the rock opera from way back when, but I've just found out about that comicbook (which I've never seen as a hardcopy, I've just found some scans of panels), so it was really rather underground, but a comicbook may be more efficient at overcoming the language barrier than sung music, I guess. In any case, it's unusual enough as an idea, to appear twice, fully independently, I think...

[ROTS]

Soooooooo in future world not only do I have drones flying outside my window, a spy cam in my toilet seat, and super taxes, but scientist are being paid to dig up something god burried a long time ago?

Lets be frank, in the east Viruses are consideed demonic beings. They dug up a prehistoric demon and think nothing harmless will come of it. The thing is big enough to see, how the blazes they know it can't somehow grow wings or teleport.

Lets be realistic, this thing has been living happily in solitude for bilions of years, and you want to bring across the globe. Did we not learn this lesson from Species and the Thing??? seriously, how dumb are people.

[Monroe]

Just found some additional news out today (July 26) about "Sharknado" ... this SyFy TV movie is going to play for one showing in more than 200 select movie theaters for a midnight showing on Friday August 2nd ... chance to see it on the big screen. I can't say that I ever remember a TV movie going to a big screen theater ... it could have happened but I don't know. Now they are saying it has become an immediate worldwide sensation, generating nearly 5,000 tweets a minute. Amazing ...

EXCLUSIVE MIDNIGHT SHOWING OF SYFY’S GLOBAL SENSATION SHARKNADO GIVES FANS BIG SCREEN EXPERIENCE FOR ONLY ONE NIGHT

'Sharknado' to Screen in Movie Theaters at Midnight on Friday, August 2

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/07/26/sharknado-to-screen-in-movie-theaters-at-midnight-on-friday-august-2/194172/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Tvbythenumbers+%28TVbytheNumbers%29

NCM® Fathom Events and The Asylum Present the Syfy Instant Cult Classic in Select Movie Theaters on Friday, August 2

NEW YORK – July 26, 2013 – Up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s a…shark! A super-sized storm sucks sharks from the ocean and hurls them onto land in the Syfy cult classic Sharknado, presented for one night in select movie theaters for a special Midnight showing by NCM Fathom Events and The Asylum on Friday, August 2 (starting at 12:05 a.m. local time). Sharknado premiered on Syfy on July 11, becoming an immediate worldwide sensation, generating nearly 5,000 tweets a minute.

Sharknado 2 will premiere on Syfy in July 2014.

Tickets for Sharknado are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. Sharknado appears on the big screen in more than 200 select movie theaters through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the NCM Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

“’Sharknado’ was an instant hit with fans – and celebrities – from the moment they first saw it, creating a social media phenomenon on July 11 with nearly 400,000 social mentions,” said Shelly Maxwell, executive vice president for NCM Fathom Events. “Imagine sharks invading from the skies on 40-foot screens in movie theaters nationwide. Next week’s special midnight showing is a first for Fathom and will answer the age-old question: Who knew sharks could fly?”

Entertainment Weekly described it as “… an hour-and-a-half of ridiculous, slapstick, theatrical, scientifically-impossible fun” and New York Daily News said “’Sharknado’ is bad to the bone. It’s absurd. It’s ridiculous. If you’re a fan of low-budget horror movies and you miss it, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

...

[jaclaz]

Well, what about a flying shark jet drone?

http://easytigermodels.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=28

jaclaz

[Monroe]

Very nice sleek shark drone ... I really like it, also like what they say about their product with testing.

"And NO, nobody else has it! And YES, it is in stock and shipping now. And we fly what we sell, this plane has been under test quite some time, and we got it to the point where we love it!"

... if anyone's interested ... "Sharknado" plays tonight on SyFy at 9pm (est) ... disaster films all day long and then the sharks!

Edited July 27, 2013 by duffy98

[Monroe]

Found some additional information about the giant Pandoravirus virus from an article dating back three months

Giant virus 'opens Pandora's box', says French team

http://www.france24.com/en/20130802-giant-virus-pandora-box-pandoravirus-france-aix-science

Dr Chantal Abergel is not easily surprised by the discovery of giant viruses. A director of research at Aix-Marseille University and the CNRS (France’s National Centre for Scientific Research), she has already been involved in identifying two very large viruses, the Mimivirus and Megavirus.

"We were expecting giant viruses to have 1,000 genes; however, one of the two viruses we recently found had 2,556 genes, which is huge," Dr Abergel told France24.com, adding that the other virus’s gene count was around 1,500.

"This discovery has opened a Pandora’s box," said Dr Abergel. "It will force us to change the way we think about viruses. The Pandoraviruses are extremely complex. In fact, 90 percent of their genes are unlike anything we have known so far. Out of the 2,556 genes of the Pandoravirus, less than 200 are known to us. This discovery is bound to make us reconsider our perception of evolutionary biology."

According to the French researcher, the Pandoravirus is totally different from previously known viruses.

"Normally, under a microscope, viruses look like crystals. But Pandoraviruses looked like cellular structures. First, we thought they might be special bacteria because of their size and morphology. However, further tests confirmed that they were viruses", she said.

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