Book excerpt: Despite billions of dollars spent on decades of research, no vaccine has been found for the deadly HIV. Why has it been so difficult to find an effective vaccine for HIV, or the herpes simplex virus-2, while we have managed to find those for rabies, polio and smallpox? After years stalking the HIV and other viruses with a computer, the author detected something very strange in the outer shell protein of HIV-1. He believes that the virus is literally acting as a shapeshifter in evading the host immune system. This book is about a scientific adventure that covers the HIV, SARS, Yellow Fever, Ebola and other viruses. As this book explains, each virus has its own story in terms of evolution and its interactions with humans. It also argues that early vaccine successes with the smallpox, rabies and polio viruses were due to the hard shells of those viruses. The concept of viral shapeshifting also opens up a new world of possibilities in improved treatments for cancers and infectious diseases. The presentation in this book is aimed both at the curious layman and researchers.