ULTIMATE COMPUTING - Quantum Consciousness Studies

186 Viruses/Ambiguous Life Forms
9.3 Virus Structure and Collective Oscillations
Virus structure includes up to three major components: genetic material
(either DNA or RNA), a protein coat which surrounds the genetic material, and a
membrane (Figures 9.1 thru 9.3). One example of a viral protein coat is the
cylindrical lattice similar to microtubule structure found in the tobacco mosaic
virus, the first virus to be isolated (by Russian botanist Dimitri Ivanovski in the
late 19th century). In adenoviruses, the protein coat is an icosahedron: a 20 sided
polygon with 12 vertices. Influenza virus protein coats are spherical and may
include outward extruding glycoproteins surrounded by lipid membranes.
Another interesting viral structure is that of bacteriophages which actively inject
their DNA into host bacterial cells. The bacteriophage looks somewhat like a
nanoscale lunar lander and has an icosahedron head mounted by a collar onto a
cylindrical tail which in turn is supported by a base plate which contacts a
bacterial cell surface. Upon an appropriate stimulus, the bacteriophage virus
protein coat undergoes a collective conformational event; contraction of the
entire tail assembly results in the active injection of viral DNA through the
bacterial cell wall and into the bacterial cell cytoplasm. This sequence of events
requires a coordinated communication and active response and may be construed
as a rudimentary intelligence.
Figure 9.2: Icosahedral structure of an adenovirus protein coat. By Paul
Jablonka.