[ram1981]

Another important insight is that Viruses, and germs in general, try to evolve and adapt inside the host. They don’t gain if they end up killing the host because that ends them too. Not to sound apocalyptic but I think their holy grail is something like what the machines do to humans in the movie Matrix

[rumanator]

> Another important insight is that Viruses, and germs in general, try to evolve and adapt inside the host.

That assumption has no basis at all. Evolutionary pressures don't happen due to a intentional guidance from the evolving species. Individuals mutate by chance and replicate as they can. That's it.

[ram1981]

This does have basis Refer to this section in the publication from National Academy of Sciences. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209710/?report=reader#...

[_xerxes_]

I think their holy grail would be to become part of our genome like many others have:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/04/science/ancient-viruses-d...