Viruses

[AndiFlatland]

On a recent edition of BBC2's Horizon series, entitled Why Do Viruses Kill?, I was hit between the eyes with a truly astounding piece of information.
One of the contributors to the programme put a pint glass into the sea, filling it with seawater. He then said that there were about 6 times as many viruses in the glass - around 35 billion - as there are people on Earth. The narrator then followed that by telling us that, although viruses are incredibly small, if you laid all the viruses on the planet end-to-end, they would stretch for 200 million (ready for this?...) LIGHT YEARS!! That's one heck of a long way!
I was thunderstruck by this revelation, but I'm still wondering whether it's really true. So, 2 questions:
Firstly, is this really true, and is there anybody out there who can verify it? And secondly, how the blazes can one work out something like this in the first place?

[steveb]

I was absolutely amazed by that fact too, I'm sorry I don't have an answer but ill be fascinated to read if anyone does.

[lslowry]

yes i saw that, but how can anyone deny what the scientists say, even though the effects of swine flu didn't achieve what they said, like a lot of other things they spout

[heathfield]

I'm verifying this. So far, placing viruses end to end, I've got to the bottom of the garden.

[wildwood]

You're cheating Heathfield. You are laying them end to end. I am placing them side by side and only just got out of the backdoor.