Diameter120 billionths m
40 millionthsSesame seeds
231 billionthsHuman forearms
14.1 billionthsLimousine lengths
120 nm
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
HIV Virus
The retrovirus that reshaped modern medicine/Scientific Objects
The human immunodeficiency virus is a roughly spherical retrovirus about 120 nanometers in diameter. It contains just 9 genes and about 9,700 base pairs of RNA. Despite its minuscule size, HIV infects CD4+ T cells, hijacks their machinery, and has driven decades of breakthrough research in virology, immunology, and drug design.
Measurements
Virion mass1 quintillionths kg
1.9 quintillionthsWater bottles
2 sextillionthsGrand pianos
7.1 septillionthsBlue whales
About 10^9 daltons
Genome size9,700 B
2.4 thousandthsDownloaded MP3s
2.1 millionthsEntire Shrek DVDs
9,700 base pairs (2 bits each)
RNA genome length (stretched)3.3 millionths m
9.9 billionthsAircraft carrier lengths
1.8 millionthsPicnic table lengths
1.6 thousandthsAnt body lengths
3.3 micrometers
Replication cycle86,400 s
21,600Silences
685 millionthsUS presidencies
About 24 hours