[neverdem]

It's a little dated, but it's the first that I heard about the Mimivirus.

The complex interior of a Mimivirus. Electron microscopy at magnification of about 200. Credit: D. Raoult, N. Aldrovandi

A Mimivirus particle infecting an amoeba cell. Electron microscopy at magnification of about 200. Credit: D. Raoult, N. Aldrovandi

[ApplegateRanch]

Mimivirus

Does it infect her; or does she infect it?

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

Somewhere between a virus and a bacteria.

Reminds me of a witticism about Bavarians being the transition between Austrians and Human beings.

[Gumlegs]

From the article:

The typical virus is 200 nanometers, or 8 millionths of an inch wide and writes its genetic code in either of two molecules: DNA or RNA, but not both.

Mimivirus, however, is more than 400 nanometers wide and has both DNA and RNA. It is so large and complex that researchers had trouble recognizing it as a virus.

It took the French so long to figure it out because they are probably unfamiliar with the concept of the "double-wide," which any American scientist from tornado country can identify in an instant.

[shuckmaster]

But, it's still a virus...