Did you know that viruses were essential to the evolution of the placenta? Or, that every morning when you wake up your mouth is full of viruses? In this conversational class we take a fresh perspective on the role of viruses in animal’s lives – especially ourselves – and on how scientists study them. We introduce a framework for organizing different types of viruses, discuss how viruses can be “captured” for study, and then talk about a handful of cases of viruses doing surprising things in our bodies. Discover your own personal wealth of viruses and you’ll never feel alone again.