In the 1980s AIDS haunted people. It still haunts. The virus came out of ==African Green Monkey== and gained the ability to infect - and kill - people.

Then came SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), caused by a virus that came from a small carnivorous animal, the ==African civet==. This virus - also from the coronavirus family - produces severe pneumonia with respiratory failure. Hundreds of people died in China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.

The Ebola virus, which in Africa has already killed hundreds of people, came from primates that may have become infected with ==Megabats==. It still scares us.

Many fatal flus have killed people. Its most current viruses came from birds - bird flu - or pigs; swine flu.

Therefore, from time to time, we are surprised by a “new” fatal virus.

Experts believe that there must be - to our concern - more or less 1,700,000 wild viruses yet to be identified that quietly inhabit some animals.

We humans are natural predators. To the extent that we come into contact with these animals carrying these “new” viruses, we are opening space for them to acquire the ability to invade and kill us. By eating monkey meat, for example, or bat soup, we are opening our guard against these enemies.

Viruses can quickly mutate. Mutations are changes in your DNA or RNA structure. These changes make them quickly turn into lethal weapons for us. Therein lies the great advantage of its simple structure and engineering: changing - or undergoing a mutation - is very easy.

We humans have the intelligence that guarantees us the “power” to produce the most beautiful works of art, the most important scientific discoveries that save lives, or send ships to other planets, for example.

However, our fragility is wide open when we are amazed at the possibility of dying, attacked by a structurally rudimentary being, microscopic and invisible to our eyes. Incredible, isn't it?