A New Way to Kill Viruses: Shake Them to Death
Scientists may one day be able to destroy viruses by mathematically determining the frequencies at which they can be shaken to death.
All objects have resonant frequencies at which they naturally vibrate. But too much vibration can destroy the object. Recent experiments have shown that laser pulses tuned to the right frequency can kill certain viruses. However, at present, locating these resonant frequencies is a trial and error task.
Researchers are hard at work developing methods to calculate the vibrational motion of every atom in a virus shell. From this, they can determine the lowest resonant frequencies. For example, the satellite tobacco necrosis virus resonates strongly around 60 Gigahertz (60 billion cycles per second).
It is unlikely that viruses will be able to develop resistance to mechanical shaking, as they do to drugs.
7 comments on A New Way to Kill Viruses: Shake Them to Death
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While working for Raytheon Marine Electronics I repaired a Sonic Oscillator, which was used to kill viruses and bacteria. It oscillated at 10,000 Hertz and had a metal cup in which was placed the bacteria or virus to be inactivated. After inactivation all that was left was the shell, which no longer could cause disease. The shells could then be used to make vaccines which would fool the body into making it immune to those pathogens. This was about thirty years ago. I do remember the loud screaming noise the device made. Very annoying. It was used at a medical school.
30 years ago????? Hum and why is it not being used for the public??
Thanks for sharing your information.
Wonder if the "screaming noise" was the virus dying, or the divice?
Hmmm.... And how does the human with said virus withstand such shaking? Is that why we shiver when we have a fever? Hmmm....
You made me laugh, perhaps you are right, shiver and do the Hokey Pokey...
Shake, Shake, Shake--Shake your boody!
It was the device that made the noise, 10,000 Hertz, audible, even with just plain water in the cup. A calorimetric test was used to check the device, a measured amount of water and a temperature rise. It was used at that time in the LSU Medical School lab. I don't know if they actually made any sort of vaccines, just inactivated the bacteria or virus, and made them harmlesss. The equipment was brought to me in a pick-up truck, wrapped in a cadaver bag! (An unused bag ).
WOW interesting job!