Department of Microbiology – The Ohio State University
phage.org – phage-therapy.org – biologyaspoetry.org
This post is/was inspired by Stedman, K. M., M. DeYoung, M. Saha, M. B. Sherman, and M. C. Morais. 2015. Structural insights into the architecture of the hyperthermophilic fusellovirus SSV1. Virology 474:105-109. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25463608)
Turns out this spindle-shaped virus of Sulfolobus, potentially resembling “two fused fullerene cones”, is an almost perfect prolate spheroid, which (apparently) is the shape of a pig’s bladder, which in turn is the shape of the American football.
The virus itself, however, possesses a “hexameric tail”, which sort of looks like streamers emanating from one end of the “football”. And that, in turn, sure looks an awful lot like this, particularly were the tail trimmed:
http://www.entirelypets.com/jw-pet-cataction-football-streamers.html
“Art” imitates life belongs to cats!
For my renderings on this subject – archaeal virus as football – see:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bacteriophage-Ecology-Group/111721928901953
A Smaller Flea 