[riri]

Unfortunately, I don't think we are fortunate enough to just "burn out" on this story. We are stuck with it.

DC, maybe you can anser this..I have a nagging question. Why is this virus so durable? Are other corona viruses this durable and capable of living for such long periods of time?

Admitted tin foil time, but is the durability something that could have been "added"? Could someone have taken the durability of a, say, smallpox virus and somehow given it to a virus such as this?

[aristeides]

The coronavirus that causes feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) can survive on surfaces for weeks.

[realpatriot71]

Excelent FYI on the Corona virus family, and some good info on SARS - with color pictures!

[_Jim]

Admitted tin foil time, but is the durability something that could have been "added"?

A 'contagion' that is only visible using an electron microscope and you're hypothesizing that some back-woods labs in China 'cooked' this contagion up?

SINCE you brought it up - one must assume that you have some knowledge on how this might be done -

- care to share this with us?

It wasn't until 1935 that a virus was actually identified and by 1939 a virus could be seen for the first time using the newly developed electron microscope.

From: http://www.scienceandyou.org/articles/edit_05.shtml

[Domestic Church]

"Why is this virus so durable? Are other corona viruses this durable and capable of living for such long periods of time?"

I think I read somewhere perhaps here:

http://www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/3035/Coronaviruses.html#SARS

that some coronaviruses don't have the rapid mutiplication that we see in flu cases and some common colds...it takes longer to get established in the body and perhaps that also has something to do with the longevity of it in the body. Have you ever noticed that some colds stick around longer(for 3 or 4 weeks) than others? Maybe they are the coronaviruses. This past winter seemed to have a bumper crop . I have a feeling some younger folks and those with over active immune systems will incubate this SARS a little longer.