VViruses

Viruses are not cells. They are DNA or RNA genomes in protein coats — sometimes wrapped in a stolen membrane — that can make more of themselves only inside a living host.

That host rule explains the whole public story: vaccines train recognition, antibiotics miss the target, and most viral lineages on Earth never notice a human being.

This atlas treats viruses as a branch of the microbial world, not a synonym for 'the worst disease'. Later topics cover phages, vaccines and everyday encounters.