Andromeda Strain And Virus Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Andromeda Strain And Virus Evolution - Essay Example To some extent this is a theme in Michael Crichton's novel the Andromeda Strain, where a team of scientists must try to prevent the outbreak of a rapidly evolving extraterrestrial virus. The virus remains one step ahead of them for most of the book. While this is only a novel, it has real world counterparts in the difficult steps taken to reduce the evolution of other real viruses. Antibiotics have caused some viruses to evolve and become less treatable. We need to take a page from this clever book and work hard to limit the evolution of real world viruses. If we do not, we may face a resurgence of diseases we once thought were eminently treatable. The Andromeda Strain is a work of science fiction, but it shows us a great deal about our own world. While it is unlikely that a virus would come from outer space, it is entirely possible that such a virus might occur from any of the viruses currently present on Earth. Due to the incredible rate of transportation and interconnectedness of the contemporary world, it will be very challenging to prevent it from rapidly spreading around the world. We must be very mindful of this as such a situation is a potential existential threat.