Viruses, the shadow domain of life

Viruses follow Darwin’s rules for evolution and provide paradigms for many biological processes.  However, until the invention of the electron microscope in the first half of the twentieth century (1931) viruses remained invisible. As a result, the atomic structures of intact viruses were a dream until the last quarter of the twentieth century when crystallography at synchrotrons first enabled some pioneer structures, which then advanced to the point where robust icosahedral viruses could be tackled routinely.  Due to significant technical advances electron microscopy has firmly moved back to centre stage -  I will use examples from some of our work to indicate how high resolution methods now enable not just basic science but also attempts to devise improved therapies. I also hope to convince you that further technology developments will enable advances that are even more spectacular in the future.