One of our staff scholars, Anjeanette “AJ” Roberts, is a virologist and molecular biologist. I have heard her speak several times on viruses and their connection to the Christian faith. It is an outstanding talk. She brilliantly explains why, on every biological and medical level, we need to thank God for viruses.

As one trained in the physical sciences, I am interested in how viruses play a critical role in the water cycle, in geochemical cycles, and in geophysics.1 Now, a chemist, Bogdan Dragnea at Indiana University, has written a review article wherein he explains how viruses are helping engineers to make major advances in nanotechnology.2

Nanotechnology is the manufacture of machines and systems of machines on atomic and molecular scales. Such manufacture is considered nanotechnology in that scientists are building devices and machines that measure in size from 1 to 100 nanometers. (1 nanometer = one billionth of a meter. The diameter of a helium atom = 0.1 nanometers. The diameter of a ribosome molecule is about 20 nanometers.) Such devices and machines already have yielded breakthroughs in medicine, electronics, and computers.

In his article, Dragnea explains how chemists have developed assembly-line factories for manufacturing nanomachines where they use different viruses and virus shells as scaffolds, templates, and assemblers. Dragnea also shows how nanotechnologists have used viruses as actual components in the nanomachines they are constructing.

Chemists and nanotechnologists are busy surveying the over 100,000,000 different viruses3 for the most useful scaffolds, templates, and assemblers. Their goal is to exploit these viruses to build an array of molecular circuit boards, molecular chemical reactors and engines, molecular magnetic and photonics beacons, and molecular machines that can transport therapeutic devices to destroy cancers and repair damaged tissues and organs throughout the human body.

While nanotechnologists have made considerable progress in using selected viruses and virus shells to manufacture the nanomachines they desire, they currently face a scalability problem. To be effective, most of the medical and electronic applications  require the manufacture of thousands, if not millions, of identical nanomachines. Some applications demand the integration and organization of thousands of different nanomachines. Thus, current research is focusing just as much on boosting the scalability and sustainability of manufacturing very large numbers of nanomachines as it is on designing brand new ones.

It is thanks to viruses that humanity is on the verge of a nanomachine revolution. Such a revolution may well be the next big technological leap forward and gives humans yet another reason to be grateful that God created a world with such a great abundance and diversity of viruses.

Endnotes

  1. Hugh Ross, “Another Reason to Thank God for Viruses,” Today’s New Reason to Believe (blog), Reasons to Believe, October 31, 2016, http://www.reasons.org/blogs/todays-new-reason-to-believe/another-reason-to-thank-god-for-viruses; Hugh Ross, “Design of Cellular and Protein Aerosols,” Today’s New Reason to Believe (blog), Reasons to Believe, May 15, 2005, http://www.reasons.org/articles/design-of-cellular-and-protein-aerosols.
  2. Bogdan Dragnea, “Virus-Based Devices: Prospects for Allopoiesis,” ACS Nano 11 (April 2017): 3433–37, doi:10.1021/acsnano.7b01761.
  3. “How Many Viruses on Earth?,” Vincent Racaniello, Virology Blog: About Viruses and Viral Disease, last modified September 6, 2013, http://www.virology.ws/2013/09/06/how-many-viruses-on-earth/.

Subjects: cancer, Viruses

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About The Author

Dr. Hugh Ross

Reasons to Believe emerged from my passion to research, develop, and proclaim the most powerful new reasons to believe in Christ as Creator, Lord, and Savior and to use those new reasons to reach people for Christ. I also am eager to equip Christians to engage, rather than withdraw from or attack, educated non-Christians. One of the approaches I’ve developed, with the help of my RTB colleagues, is a biblical creation model that is testable, falsifiable, and predictive. I enjoy constructively integrating all 66 books of the Bible with all the science disciplines as a way to discover and apply deeper truths. 1 Peter 3:15–16 sets my ministry goal, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience." Hugh Ross launched his career at age seven when he went to the library to find out why stars are hot. Physics and astronomy captured his curiosity and never let go. At age seventeen he became the youngest person ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society. With the help of a provincial scholarship and a National Research Council (NRC) of Canada fellowship, he completed his undergraduate degree in physics (University of British Columbia) and graduate degrees in astronomy (University of Toronto). The NRC also sent him to the United States for postdoctoral studies. At Caltech he researched quasi-stellar objects, or "quasars," some of the most distant and ancient objects in the universe. Not all of Hugh's discoveries involved astrophysics. Prompted by curiosity, he studied the world’s religions and "holy books" and found only one book that proved scientifically and historically accurate: the Bible. Hugh started at religious "ground zero" and through scientific and historical reality-testing became convinced that the Bible is truly the Word of God! When he went on to describe for others his journey to faith in Jesus Christ, he was surprised to discover how many people believed or disbelieved without checking the evidence. Hugh's unshakable confidence that God's revelations in Scripture and nature do not, will not, and cannot contradict became his unique message. Wholeheartedly encouraged by family and friends, communicating that message as broadly and clearly as possible became his mission. Thus, in 1986, he founded science-faith think tank Reasons to Believe (RTB). He and his colleagues at RTB keep tabs on the frontiers of research to share with scientists and nonscientists alike the thrilling news of what's being discovered and how it connects with biblical theology. In this realm, he has written many books, including: The Fingerprint of God, The Creator and the Cosmos, Beyond the Cosmos, A Matter of Days, Creation as Science, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, and More Than a Theory. Between writing books and articles, recording podcasts, and taking interviews, Hugh travels the world challenging students and faculty, churches and professional groups, to consider what they believe and why. He presents a persuasive case for Christianity without applying pressure. Because he treats people's questions and comments with respect, he is in great demand as a speaker and as a talk-radio and television guest. Having grown up amid the splendor of Canada's mountains, wildlife, and waterways, Hugh loves the outdoors. Hiking, trail running, and photography are among his favorite recreational pursuits - in addition to stargazing. Hugh lives in Southern California with his wife, Kathy, and two sons.



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