Should a virus be considered as a living entity?

[sweep_shot]

Virus is currently not considered as a living entity. Why is that?

Should it be considered as a living entity?

I think virus should be considered as a complex living entity because once it enters a living cell, it starts to do things on its own.

 

[globalcitizen]

Good question.

Based on my study in various journals in this subject after the corona virus broke out. This actually is an ongoing debate.
The virus is just a nucleic genetic material with information about a host cell. It needs a host cell to survive and derive energy. It does not contain cells of its own and do not have a metabolism. That means it does not classify as a living being.
Another theory is that it can adapt and mutate to infect new cells whose structure is unknown before. This is very essential for survival of species. When we say that virus has jumped from species to species or has become aerosol, it means exactly that they have attained super powers now.. That classifies it as a living being because it can evolve and adapt!!

But again some question if the meaning of life that we know, itself is correct?!!

 

[Ronaldo7]

It should.

We should give it all the rights us humans have.

 

[Knight_Rider]

Yes absolutely!

 

[sweep_shot]

Good question.

Based on my study in various journals in this subject after the corona virus broke out. This actually is an ongoing debate.
The virus is just a nucleic genetic material with information about a host cell. It needs a host cell to survive and derive energy. It does not contain cells of its own and do not have a metabolism. That means it does not classify as a living being.
Another theory is that it can adapt and mutate to infect new cells whose structure is unknown before. This is very essential for survival of species. When we say that virus has jumped from species to species or has become aerosol, it means exactly that they have attained super powers now.. That classifies it as a living being because it can evolve and adapt!!

But again some question if the meaning of life that we know, itself is correct?!!

I think virus should be considered as a living parasite. It really behaves like one.

It doesn't have its own "cell" but it has a thing called capsid. Capsid is the shell that protects the things inside virus.

 

[sweep_shot]

It should.

We should give it all the rights us humans have.

Good one.

To be fair, I am more cautious about a virus than a human being.

 

[Technics 1210]

In scientific terms life has two main characteristics :

Biogenesis: life from life
Replication : Cell division and multiplication.

A virus is not life.

 

[kk1992]

In scientific terms life has two main characteristics :

Biogenesis: life from life
Replication : Cell division and multiplication.

A virus is not life.

There you go.

 

[sweep_shot]

In scientific terms life has two main characteristics :

Biogenesis: life from life
Replication : Cell division and multiplication.

A virus is not life.

How should one describe it then? It takes over a host cell like a living parasite.

 

[Itachi]

How should one describe it then? It takes over a host cell like a living parasite.

Define taking over.

 

[sweep_shot]

Define taking over.

Coronavirus.

It is behaving like a living entity. It is entering a host cell and then it multiplies. It then rinses and repeats.

Is it fair to consider it as a unique form of living entity?

 

[Shaddy86]

It should.

We should give it all the rights us humans have.

Then it'll have to be taken to court and prosecuted for it's murders.

 

[sweep_shot]

Then it'll have to be taken to court and prosecuted for it's murders.

Coronavirus = biological Hitler.

 

[Shaddy86]

Coronavirus = biological Hitler.

Let's hope and pray that it doesn't get to Hitler level damage.

 

[Itachi]

Coronavirus = biological Hitler.

Then why blame the Chinese for for eating strange foods?

Blame totally lies on the virus as it is doing things out of its own will.

 

[sweep_shot]

Let's hope and pray that it doesn't get to Hitler level damage.

You are right. We shouldn't have this type of biological carnage in 21st century.

Then why blame the Chinese for for eating strange foods?

Blame totally lies on the virus as it is doing things out of its own will.

I blame any person who eats dangerous and raw food (doesn't matter whether Chinese or non-Chinese). There are some strange meals in Africa and Europe also. Any dish that is dangerous needs to be banned to avoid another catastrophe.

Anyway. Let's not go off-topic.

 

[Sirris]

Your understanding of the virus is quite wrong. A virus is just a random piece of genetic information. DNA or RNA a special combination of proteins. All the cells in our body have our unique DNA. The cells job is to read the DNA and act on the information provided like extract energy from food.

A virus has no will. It doesn't enter over body with an intent. It enters our body by chance. A lot of stuff is entering our body without our permission. Like dust particles. A virus just happens to be made up of the same stuff as our DNA.

Plenty of viruses have no affect on humans since that random piece of information can't interact with our DNA. It is like gibberish and our cells can do anything with it. Then there are viruses which can interact with our DNA and change it. Hence the effected cell who is just reading what the DNA tells it to do starts behaving differently and this causes adverse reactions.

Virus isn't a living being since on it's own it can't do things typical for living beings. Like reproduce or extract energy. It always requires a host cell to do all this stuff.

Virus is just a piece of paper with random lines of code written on it flying around in the air. Some of those can be compiled and others have Syntax error. A living being would be an app which is the collection of code in a proper design so that specific functions can be performed.

 

[sweep_shot]

Your understanding of the virus is quite wrong. A virus is just a random piece of genetic information. DNA or RNA a special combination of proteins. All the cells in our body have our unique DNA. The cells job is to read the DNA and act on the information provided like extract energy from food.

A virus has no will. It doesn't enter over body with an intent. It enters our body by chance. A lot of stuff is entering our body without our permission. Like dust particles. A virus just happens to be made up of the same stuff as our DNA.

Plenty of viruses have no affect on humans since that random piece of information can't interact with our DNA. It is like gibberish and our cells can do anything with it. Then there are viruses which can interact with our DNA and change it. Hence the effected cell who is just reading what the DNA tells it to do starts behaving differently and this causes adverse reactions.

Virus isn't a living being since on it's own it can't do things typical for living beings. Like reproduce or extract energy. It always requires a host cell to do all this stuff.

Virus is just a piece of paper with random lines of code written on it flying around in the air. Some of those can be compiled and others have Syntax error. A living being would be an app which is the collection of code in a proper design so that specific functions can be performed.

Thanks for the explanation.

It is quite fascinating actually. It is like a biological robot.

 

[Manager101]

For earth, Modern age human beings are virus.

Earth hosts it and then we mercilessly consume it, destroy its natural environment. Once earth's capacity reaches its limit, it will be destroyed along with the virus (Humans)

The same thing is done by a deadly virus to us but at a faster pace.

 

[Robert]

It replicates itself and multiplies. It’s the simplest form of life.

 

[Kroll]

Due to the difference of opinion, I've read they have been described as organisms at the edge of life. What that means in terms of the thread topic, I don't know.

 

[sweep_shot]

It replicates itself and multiplies. It’s the simplest form of life.

So, do you consider it to be alive?

 

[Itachi]

It replicates itself and multiplies. It’s the simplest form of life.

Little bit of correction.

A virus doesn't replicate itself. The host does it for them. Without a host, a virus can't replicate unlike even primitive living organism such as amoeba.

 

[Robert]

Little bit of correction.

A virus doesn't replicate itself. The host does it for them. Without a host, a virus can't replicate unlike even primitive living organism such as amoeba.

Actually it forces the host to do it for them. Your amoeba can’t replicate unless it ingests bacteria and breaks down their molecules to have enough raw materials to replicate itself.

 

[Itachi]

Actually it forces the host to do it for them. Your amoeba can’t replicate unless it ingests bacteria and breaks down their molecules to have enough raw materials to replicate itself.

1. The virus doesn't force the host cells. Multiplication occurs because the host cells can't differentiate. Forcing is when you know that some alien entity is compelling you to do something yet you still have to do it. In case of virus, the host cell doesn't have the ability to differentiate and this lack of security leads to Replication rather than the virus doing something by itself.

2. Amoeba is a living organism and it will require energy for various functions. Reproduction is also no different. But it doesn't necessarily needs a bacteria to undergo reproduction. It can reproduce via on its own.

These are textbook concepts that could be found in junior high level school books. I don't know how people finding it so complicated to differentiate.

 

[Robert]

1. The virus doesn't force the host cells. Multiplication occurs because the host cells can't differentiate. Forcing is when you know that some alien entity is compelling you to do something yet you still have to do it. In case of virus, the host cell doesn't have the ability to differentiate and this lack of security leads to Replication rather than the virus doing something by itself.

But it wouldn't replicate the virus if the virus wasn't there; the bacteriophage (literally 'eater of bacteria') has still locked onto its antigens and pumped it with DNA and the bacterium is therefore compelled to make more virus.

2. Amoeba is a living organism and it will require energy for various functions. Reproduction is also no different. But it doesn't necessarily needs a bacteria to undergo reproduction. It can reproduce via on its own.

But it would need energy to do that which it has to derive from external sources such as bacteria which if goes around engulfing.

These are textbook concepts that could be found in junior high level school books. I don't know how people finding it so complicated to differentiate.

When I did my BSc, my Professor of Miciobiology considered a virus to be alive.

 

[Itachi]

But it wouldn't replicate the virus if the virus wasn't there;

It would still replicate only difference is, it would be the exact replica and not that of the virus. The process continues the same way. The only action that virus does is, injecting in itself in the process.

the bacteriophage (literally 'eater of bacteria') has still locked onto its antigens and pumped it with DNA and the bacterium is therefore compelled to make more virus.

This is the exact reason why i stated that it wasn't a "forced" process. The bacteriophage doesn't multiply immediately. It just passes its sequence to the offsprings (which would have happened regardless of the presence of the bacteriophage). And then at some point of time, the trigger comes in and it will start its cycle. I don't know how it can be seen as "forced to replicate".

But it would need energy to do that which it has to derive from external sources such as bacteria which if goes around engulfing.

every living organism requires energy. it is one of the basic requirements to consider it living.

When I did my BSc, my Professor of Miciobiology considered a virus to be alive.

i have studied in two different curriculum. Indian and Russian. In my major in zoology, virus was non living.

And also in russian curriculum, virus was taken as non living in pathology in med uni.

Note: multiplication is not the only criteria to consider something as living organism (as i've seen most people doing it here).

 

[Technics 1210]

Science is forever changing. Relying on textbooks from decades ago is a grave mistake.

Virus doesn't replicate like a cell does; this is a modern biological fact.

 

[Itachi]

Science is forever changing. Relying on textbooks from decades ago is a grave mistake.

Virus doesn't replicate like a cell does; this is a modern biological fact.

This i agree with. At the current scenario, Virus doesn't replicate like a cell does.

In future, if viruses are discovered which could multiply like a cell does (let's assume though the definition itself forbids it), then the attribute of "non living" is also subjected to change.

 

[Robert]

This i agree with. At the current scenario, Virus doesn't replicate like a cell does.

In future, if viruses are discovered which could multiply like a cell does (let's assume though the definition itself forbids it), then the attribute of "non living" is also subjected to change.

“Multiply like a cell does” isn’t my criterion. We just have a different definition of ‘alive’. This is useful if twelve years old....

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-viruses-alive-2004/

 

[Itachi]

“Multiply like a cell does” isn’t my criterion. We just have a different definition of ‘alive’. This is useful if twelve years old....

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-viruses-alive-2004/

That article took a more of a philosophical path. If I go by that logic, every entity, starting from electron, protons are also living as they constitute the building blocks of living organisms. Why we are stopping only at DNA or RNA? you just need to change the frame of reference and you can define anything as living.

That's why, choosing an origin is very important. A fact is a fact w.r.t an origin.

You are taking about "being alive" and I am talking about "living organism". If I go by philosophical path, I can also state that a man who has lost all will to live, isn't alive anymore even though he does all basic chores that any man would do.