"Viruses are very intelligent. They can think. They do things that we do not expect. They adapt to the environment. They change themselves in order to survive," said Lai in an interview with USC Trojan Family Magazine in 1999.
The magazine also quoted Lai as saying: "Viruses can pick up pieces of cellular genes or incorporate their genes into the cell's genome. That means that evolution occurs all the time in viruses."
"It's a very dynamic process -- that's why I always feel that the viruses are alive," Lai said.
The magazine concluded that: "after all these years, studying viruses' ways continues to leave Lai with a sense of amazement. Part of this comes from their ability to shuffle genes as deftly as some genetic engineers can."
Perhaps still amazed by the viruses' ability to change, Lai is now set to launch another significant study on the coronavirus that might leads to the recovery of the hundreds of lives now threatened by SARS.
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