Shaking Virus To Death
Scientists may one day be able to destroy viruses in the same way that opera singers shatter glasses.
This could be done by mathematically determining the frequencies at which simple viruses could be shaken to the point of death.
All objects have resonant frequencies at which they naturally oscillate and viruses are also susceptible to the same kind of mechanical motion. But it isn’t easy to calculate what sort of push will kill a virus due to the millions of atoms in its structure.
Researchers are working hard to develop methods to calculate the vibrational motion of every atom in a virus shell. From then onwards, they can determine the lowest resonant frequencies.
It is unlikely that viruses will be able to develop resistance to mechanical shaking, as they do to drugs.
Source: “New Way to Kill Viruses: Shake Them to Death”, Live Science, 5 February 2008
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