UNIT 6: Classification and Diversity

Textbook Article

Pandemics — Is the Next One on the Way?

Updated June 15, 2010 — Imagine that a new virus emerges and people have no immunity. There is no vaccine. If this were to happen, there could be mandatory travel restrictions, quarantines, and social distancing—including staying out of all crowded places. In the United States alone, such an outbreak could kill up to 2 million people. But how can such a virus emerge, and how can we prepare for it?

January 30, 2009B Memory Cells Still Remember 1918 Flu Virus

How long do the immune system’s B memory cells remember? Recent studies focused on the 1918 H1N1 influenza virus have finally given researchers a clue. In late 2008, lab tests revealed that survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic could still...

September 24, 2007Will There Be Another Flu Pandemic Soon?

The last flu pandemic ended in 1968; it was the third flu pandemic of the 20th century. Experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) believe that we are closer to another flu pandemic than any time since then.

September 24, 2007Avian Flu: The Current Situation

You haven’t heard about the bird flu infecting any people in North America — yet. H5N1 avian influenza A virus, commonly knows as bird flu, was reported originally in poultry and some wild migrating birds from Southeast Asia. Now, H5N1 virus strains are getting stronger than earlier strains and have been found in Asia, Europe, and Africa.

September 24, 2007Bacterium Evolves Stealth Strategy Against Tomatoes

Suppose a species has one defense against bacterial infection, then the bacteria evolve to get around the defense. The host species will succumb to infection until another defense evolves to stop the attack. This is known as an evolutionary arms race. Find out how bacteria now have the upper hand on tomato plants.