Virus Hunters - DVD

To many people, viruses are simply agents for disease, but to Dr. Luis Villarreal, Director of the Center for Virus Research at the University of California Irvine, they may possess far greater power than originally thought. He guides us through evidence that viruses gave rise to the first complex cells, played a role in the diversification of life, changed how our young are born, drove evolution, and perhaps gave us emotions. One exp

Larry Forbes visits his fiancee in a small French town where Dr. Renault, her scientist father resides. There he meets Noel, Dr. Renault's bizarre assistant, who has more than a few ape-like tendencies. After a series of mysterious murders, Larry discovers Dr. Renault's secret and figures out the killer's identity.

Imagine a flu that kills 70 percent of those it infects and has the potential to become as contagious as the common cold. Would a wide spread panic break out? Would martial law have to be imposed? Would the global economy come to a halt? These are only a few of the concerns surrounding a deadly strain of avian influenza that first made news in Asia in 1997. Join National Geographic as we follow a swat team of virus hunters and the worl