Name: 3 ways to end a virus
Uploaded: 2022-12-22T16:08:33Z
Duration: 5 min 49 s
Description: Viruses are wildly successful organisms. There are about 100 million times as many virus particles on Earth as there are stars in the observable universe. Even so, viruses can and do go extinct. So, what is the possibility of the virus that causes COVID-19 going extinct? Explore the three main ways viruses can be driven to extinction. [Directed by Anton Bogaty, narrated by George Zaidan].

 TED-Ed: 3 ways to end a virus

3 ways to end a virus

Viruses are wildly successful organisms. There are about 100 million times as many virus particles on Earth as there are stars in the observable universe. Even so, viruses can and do go extinct. So, what is the possibility of the virus that causes COVID-19 going extinct? Explore the three main ways viruses can be driven to extinction. [Directed by Anton Bogaty, narrated by George Zaidan]. 

Viruses are astonishingly abundant, with around 100 million times more virus particles on Earth than there are stars in the observable universe. Still, entire viral species can be wiped out through three main routes: exhausting all hosts, effective vaccination, or being outcompeted by a stronger variant. The near-extinction of the B/Yamagata flu and the dramatic rabbit die-off from myxoma virus show how unpredictable these routes can be. While SARS-CoV-2 is now deeply rooted in humans and animals, its fate could change if a universal vaccine is developed.