Are viruses a form of life?

 I didn't know the answer, so I looked it up:
Q: Are viruses a form of life?

A: Based on the search results, there is ongoing debate and differing perspectives among scientists about whether viruses can be considered a form of life. Here are the key points to consider:

1. Viruses lack some key characteristics of living organisms:
  • They cannot maintain homeostasis on their own.
  • They do not grow or use energy independently.
  • They lack cellular structures and cannot reproduce autonomously.
2. However, viruses do exhibit some life-like properties:
  • They have genetic material and can replicate (with a host cell's help).
  • They evolve and adapt to their environment.
  • They have different levels of organization in their structure.
3. The definition of "life" is not universally agreed upon, making it difficult to categorize viruses definitively.

4. Some scientists argue that viruses exist in a gray area between living and non-living entities:
  • They have been described as leading "a kind of borrowed life".
  • They may be viewed as complex replicators rather than fully living organisms.
5: An alternative perspective suggests that viruses could be considered alive based on their ability to evolve independently:
  • Some argue that independent evolution is the most critical property of life.
  • Viruses fulfill this definition as they can replicate and evolve within their ecological niche.
6. The importance of viruses in biological systems is widely recognized:
  • They play a significant role in the evolution and ecology of their hosts.
  • Viruses are extremely abundant and influential in various ecosystems.

There you have it. Viruses might be a form of life depending on how you define life.

Q: Can viruses evolve independently?

A: Yes, viruses can evolve independently. Here are the key points supporting this: Viruses undergo evolution and natural selection, just like cellular life forms. They can adapt and change over time in response to environmental pressures. Many scientists argue that viruses are evolutionarily autonomous, with their own genomes and evolutionary trajectories that are distinct from their hosts.** This means they can evolve independently of the organisms they infect. Viruses, especially RNA viruses, often have high mutation rates that allow for rapid evolution. This enables them to quickly adapt to new environments or host defenses.

** For example, COVID is being found in all kinds of animals, including common ones humans live with. That includes dogs and cats, but the chance of those animals infecting humans appears to still be low to non-existent (as long as the virus does not evolve to be more infectious). 


Animation: a virus infecting a cell 


Virus infects a cell and then takes control of it


COVID animation with the role of sneezing



Bacterial virus (bacteriophage) T4 infects an 
E. coli bacterium in the gut



By Germaine: Microbiologist-lite

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