Coronavirus

Coronavirus are a family of viruses, the Coronaviridae (a group of similar species of viruses) that cause different diseases in humans. Most of the species cause the common cold and some of them such as the MERS-CoV and the SARS-CoV. In the beginnings of 2020 a new coronavirus was discovered: the SARS-CoV19, that causes the CoViD-19.

Even when a lot of the people thinks the virus was designed in a laboratory, its origin is totally natural. Viruses evolve and change during time. If it was designed in the laboratory we could find “clues” about this, remains of the genetic manipulation. Viruses rapidly evolve in nature and are very adaptable. It probably originated in bats, passed to civet (probably) and then to humans.

Viruses are NOT living beings, because they cannot perform the three basic living functions: nutrition, reproduction and interaction. The smallest living beings are cells. We can say that viruses are very complex molecules that are able to infect cells. Viruses are made, normally of genetic material (the instructions for making virus’s copies) and a protection. Viruses infect cells, cheating them, in order to self replicate. The virus is recognized by a cell, the cell inserts the virus inside and takes the virus’s genetic material, making thousands of copies of the virus. When the cell dies because of the infection, thousands of virus’s copies are released and infect the near cells. Examples of virus are the influenza virus (that causes the flu), the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV, that causes AIDS), the varicella virus (that causes varicella and shingles) and the coronavirus family.