Watch A Virus Walk Across The Surface Of A Cell

Viruses: We think of them as tiny, inert packages of proteins and nucleic acids (like DNA or RNA), which only become active when they enter into a cell and take over its machinery. New research suggests that actually some viruses use leg-like proteins to meander around the outside of cells.

This was recently observed for the first time by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. Their work was published Jan. 10 in the journal Science.

The video below shows the bacteria-infecting virus T7 walking along the surface of the E. coli bacteria, searching for the perfect place to inject its package of genetic material.