Okay, wait. Your body doesn’t fight viruses with an animation. Otherwise Osmosis Jones would be required viewing for all biology classes, and nobody wants that. But as this TED-Ed video explains using easy-to-understand visual metaphors, the way your cells create antibodies to fight off invading viruses is pretty ingenious.
As narrator Shannon Stiles explains, viruses infect cells by sneaking in through their cell membranes disguised as something the cell needs. Once a cell is aware of an invasion, it destroys the virus using enzymes and sends out proteins called antigens out to other cells as warning, which starts the production of antibodies. Which, yeah, sounds pretty boring as a block of text — which is why animator Igor Coric decided to go with adorable mini-cell castles and antibody tanks instead. Trust us, you’ll love it.
(via Geek.com)
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