Lindsey Shumway

Section 409

Scientist Spotlight A: Paul E. Turner

1. What was most interesting to you in reviewing these resources?

I thought that it was very interesting to learn about the way that viruses work and the
way that they differ from other organisms. The video was especially interesting to me. I
think with everything that is happening in the world it is good to learn about the way
viruses work because of the worldwide virus that has had such a huge impact on the
world. It was interesting to learn that it is not a cell but has a protein shell and Nucleic
acid on the inside. It is interesting to see how that differs from the cells of all other forms
of life.

2. What did you learn from these resources about viruses and also evolution?

From these resources, I was better able to understand how viruses work and what they
are made of. I learned that they are not made of cells but they are made of protein
shells and Nucleic acids. I also learned that the viruses spread because they can
duplicate and when that is blocked that is when those viruses die. I learned about
evolution as well because as a virus spreads it needs to evolve or change in order to
keep spreading. If it doesn't change then the virus will quickly be blocked and die. This
is why it needs to evolve and adapt so that it can live and keep spreading.

3. What new questions do you have after reviewing these resources?

I have many more questions about viruses and how they work. It is also interesting to
know that not all scientists think of them as forms of life. It would be interesting to dive
deeper into that argument and why people think the way that they do about viruses. It
would also be interesting to learn more about how different viruses form and how they
spread.

4. What do these resources tell you about the types of people that do science?

I thought it was very interesting to see that Turner uses his students to help him in his
biological pursuits. He uses them as coauthors and inspiration. This shows that
scientists are really anyone and they are very open to the ideas of other people. As we
study we need to see other people’s perspectives and understanding to help in ours.
Scientists embrace this by using other scientists and peer reviews and this example
from the article about Turner shows that everyone can have an impact and have ideas
that may inspire new scientific ideas or understandings for other scientists.