On: Mammals Made By Viruses

[ngvrnd]

Utterly fascinating. But the last paragraph in the article puts the lie to the title -- pigs and horses don't have this feature. Last I checked, both mammals.

[nhaehnle → ngvrnd]

But the last paragraph in the article puts the lie to the title -- pigs and horses don't have this feature. Last I checked, both mammals.

There is no indefinite plural article in English. The title is perfectly consistent with the content of the article, if potentially a bit misleading.

[yummies → nhaehnle]

i think he means to say the last paragraph contradicts the first:

"If not for a virus, none of us would ever be born."

if horses and pigs are a-ok without it, then the assertion that in its absence we would have no chance of existence seems a bit odd

[chc → nhaehnle]

"Some" generally functions as an indefinite plural article: think "I hope to see a hippopotamus" vs. "I hope to see some hippopotami".

[SideburnsOfDoom → ngvrnd]

If it was phrases "the presence or absence of certain viruses made mammals what they are now" would you be happier with it. That's more accurate (in terms of what the article says), but less poetic.