New York City has become one of the largest epicenters of confirmed cases in the United States for coronavirus infections.

High-speed creature communication has been making the news recently. There was underwater research on deep-sea squid,¹ and now bird communication. In fact, the rapid signaling discovered in the honeyeater bird is all part of an intricate multi-part message that has scientists in awe at both its rapidity and complexity.²

A virus is a very tiny structure. In its simplest definition, a virus is some nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) packed inside a protein coat. It is designed to replicate inside living cells. Not all viruses are bad, but the disease-causing ones such as COVID-19 get all the press coverage.

As we are embroiled in a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to know the basics of these tragic viral infections and why the medical community can’t just prescribe common antibiotics as they do with bacterial infections.

In the deep, dark, cold waters of the Pacific Ocean—about 1,500 feet below the surface— hundreds of Humboldt squid the size of small humans (~ 5 feet long) were recently observed feeding on a school of lantern fish only about 3 to 4 inches long. The scientists used a high-tech remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with highly sophisticated photographic equipment to document the squid’s behavior.