Viruses are very small particles made of proteins and genes that use living cells to make copies of themselves. Viruses can infect people, animals, plants, and even bacteria. They are responsible for many diseases, from the common cold to rare deadly infections like ebola. Sometimes the same virus can make one person very sick while not affecting another person at all. For more information about viruses and how our bodies defend against them, watch the Virology Tutorials.

In Whyville, viruses look different than those in real life, but they work in similar ways. Whyville viruses are colored patterns that attach to Whyville faces. There are 15 different colors that make up viruses that can attach to a face. If a face has a patch of colors that is close to a virus's pattern, the virus will attach. Different color combinations in the virus will cause different symptoms.

In this Virus Lab, you can create viruses and test them on a sample population to figure out how viruses work in Whyville. The sample population is a random collection of faces on Whyville.

Level 1 COMPLETED
You will choose from a menu of viruses and test them on a sample population. Your goal is to find a virus that successfully infects at least 1 subject, causes 1 or more symptoms, and lasts for at least 1 day. Succeeding in this level will result in a 1-clam salary increase.
Go to Level 1

Level 2 COMPLETED
You will design your own virus in this level. Your goal is to make a virus that successfully infects 3 subjects in the sample population. Succeeding in this level will result in a 1-clam salary increase.
Go to Level 2

Level 3 COMPLETED
Your goal in this level is to make a virus that infects at least one subject for at least 1 day with a symptom. The possible symptoms are: sneezing, coughing, pox, and confusion. Symptoms are related to color, and duration has to do with how colorful a virus is. Succeeding in this level will result in a 3-clam salary increase.
Go to Level 3

Level 4 COMPLETED
In this final level, you will attempt to create a virus that infects one subject for at least 2 days and has at least 2 symptoms. Succeeding at this will result in a 5-clam salary increase.
Go to Level 4