First Photos of Avian Flu Virus

gobexe writes "The first high-resolution close-up photographs of the H5N1 avian flu virus to be taken by a scanning electro microscope appeared in the daily "Dagens Nyeter" on Sunday, in what the newspaper said was a world exclusive."

No utility here?

[dschuetz]

It just looks like a bunch of randomly-placed blue balls on an otherwordly landscape.

Definitely worth the trouble. :)

Re:No utility here?

[penguin_asylum]

yarr, here be a mirror of the swf soon: http://badgerville.org/Fagelvirus.swf [badgerville.org]

Re:No utility here?

[jgaynor]

You see this is all some sort of geek payola conspiracy. These pictures will be used by these guys [giantmicrobes.com] to create the next 'must have' giant microbe that will be sold here on thinkgeek [thinkgeek.com], which is owned by the same mega-hyper-nerd-congomerate [ostg.com] that runs slashdot [slashdot.org], which just gave them free advertising via this story . . . I too have unwittingly become a pawn in this whole twisted affair by noticing the connection (years of OSDN/OSTG brainwashing) and posting this.

Balls?

[Mr2cents]

Don't virusses need needle-like structures to insert their DNA? These things look like small round balls. How do they inject their "root kit"?

Re:Balls?

[penguin_asylum]

and, more importantly, can it run on linux?

Re:Balls?

[shawb]

The flash file linked to by clicking on the images shows protuberances in some of the pictures (In particular the second that comes up.)

No Needles Needed

[tempest69]

Viruses can pull a bunch of tricks, Some phages (viral cousins) like T4 have a cool needle, spiderleg arrangement, others change shape once they bind to their victim. Others are designed to be engulfed (eaten) like HIV. They bind to a receptor, and the cell decides that they need to be eaten (a process formally called endocytosis (sp?)). Now as far as the pictures go, it can give a nice clue as to how they touch the cell. A call isnt just a flat surface, it's a big fuzzy mess of recognition glycoprotie

Rootkit? Sploited!

[ThunderBucket]

Rename your DNA to $sys$sequence.dna

and the point is...?

[Anonymous Coward]

Is it useful to science to see this (does it reveal anything about the mechanism?)? No.
Is it useful to humanity to see this (does it show people what it is everyone is scared of?)? No (I'll bet you it isn't really blue).
Is it pretty? Kinda.

So, a world-exclusive of a kinda pretty picture. w00t.

Thanks, /. - you've made my day brighter and more fulfilled.

Re:and the point is...?

[CmdrGravy]

Hey is it true you are going for the Worlds Most Humpurless man competition again this year ? I think you're in with a real shot this year.

Re:and the point is...?

[CmdrGravy]

Gnnm Humpurless ! U kujw rgR QIES,

Re:and the point is...?

[fbjon]

What's the point with Hubble? It can't take pics in anything other than visible frequencies, totally pointless.

Meanwhile the rest of curious mankind takes an interested look...

world exclusive with film rights

[Ankh]

The virus signed an exclusive press contract? Now I'm *really* worried. A literate virus?

From the article

[Profane MuthaFucka]

Fotografen Lennart Nilsson har försökt i över ett halvår att få tag på viruset H5N1 som orsakar den dödliga fågelinfluensan. Men det har varit mycket svårt.

This translates to: "We're fucked."

Re:From the article

[richie2000]

"The photographer Lennart Nilsson has tried for six months to obtain the virus H5N1 which causes the lethal avian flu. But it has been very hard."

Oh, and the newspaper is called "Dagens Nyheter", literally "Daily News".

Re:From the article

[Anonymous Coward]

To be pedantic, it's "Today's News" (or alternatively, "The Day's News", but that doesn't make much sense.)

Re:From the article

[Crunchie Frog]

To be pedantic, it's "Today's News" (or alternatively, "The Day's News", but that doesn't make much sense.)

Of course truthfully, like all newspapers, it should be called 'Yesterdays News'

Lennart Nilsson

[Anonymous Coward]

See Wikipedia.org [wikipedia.org] and Google [google.com] for more information about this brilliant photographer.

what for?

[BinLadenMyHero]

"Wanted" posters on the streets with a big photo of the subject?

Those paparazzi

[jd]

They get everywhere. Even when you're minding your own business in the bloodstream of a duck, they'll STILL manage to track you down and take pictures with those really powerful telephoto lenses.

This should terrify celebrities the world over - if something this small and elusive can't escape the mercenary photographers of the tabloid press, what can?

Translation of Swedish Comments in the Flash file

[Mad Scientist In Tra]

Quick and rough translation of the Swedish commentary in the Flash graphics

Title screen) Viruses attack: here a cell is killed by the bird flu.

1) Viruses (blue) attacking a healthy cell.

2) When the viruses have managed to enter the cell, they occupy the whole cell machinery. The cell is forced to produce new viruses. They emanate from the surface of the host cell and begin their hunt for new healthy cells to kidnap.

3) A single cell can be forced to produce thousands of new viruses.

4) After a couple of days the host cell dies - exhausted by the virus production.

spelling flame

[jannesha]

scanning electro microscope

I think you mean scanning electron microscope, you moro!

Re:spelling flame

[fbjon]

Actually, it's the ew spellig stadard.