Abstract
We examine the inter-relationships between viruses and human society. Following a short discussion of the etymology of the word “virus”, we consider the mutual impact of viruses and science, including the relationship between technological developments and virus discovery, advances in other biomedical sciences gained through virology, and examples of harnessing viruses for specific purposes. We then survey the impact of viral diseases in terms of the human cost of pandemics throughout history to modern times. To end, we briefly touch upon the influence of viruses on art, literature and popular culture.