are virus living things?, major science debate |
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 Oct 12 2009, 03:00 PM
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#1
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 Senior Member  Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 4,665 Joined: Aug 2008 Member No: 676,364  |
your thoughts pl0x.
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Oct 12 2009, 04:03 PM
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#2
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 in the reverb chamber. Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 4,022 Joined: Nov 2005 Member No: 300,308 |
uhhmm? neither. viruses are non-cellular, non-living, infectious agents. they aren't even organisms.
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Oct 12 2009, 04:28 PM
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#3
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 in a matter of time Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 7,151 Joined: Aug 2005 Member No: 191,357 |
...neither. The real virus debate is whether or not they're living at all.
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Oct 12 2009, 06:18 PM
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#4
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 /人◕‿‿◕人\ Group: Official Member Posts: 8,283 Joined: Dec 2007 Member No: 602,927 |
If you had to argue for one of those, it would be prokaryote. But like others have said, they're not even living organisms.
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Oct 12 2009, 06:38 PM
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#5
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Senior Member Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 4,665 Joined: Aug 2008 Member No: 676,364 |
changed title. o_o
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Oct 12 2009, 06:47 PM
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#6
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/人◕‿‿◕人\ Group: Official Member Posts: 8,283 Joined: Dec 2007 Member No: 602,927 |
Answer is no. They can't reproduce on their own.
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Oct 12 2009, 07:02 PM
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#7
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Senior Member Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 4,665 Joined: Aug 2008 Member No: 676,364 |
By itself, a virus is a lifeless particle that cannot reproduce. But inside a living cell, a virus becomes an active organism that can multiply hundreds of times
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Oct 12 2009, 07:16 PM
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#8
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in a matter of time Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 7,151 Joined: Aug 2005 Member No: 191,357 |
Well I don't think the answer to this question is as rigid. A virus definitely treads the line between living and non-living.
- Do not have a real cell structure (which is what makes them NOT prokaryotes or eukaryotes) - BUT they have their own genetic material - However, they cannot reproduce without a host - BUT they also mutate, following laws of natural selection ..among other things. But I've always thought of them as not living things, because I consider cells to be the building blocks of life. And since viruses do not have enough structures to be considered cells, not even a nucleus but just some floating genetic material, they're not living. Also they can't even reproduce without a host. It's just kind of sad and not alive. |
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Oct 12 2009, 07:32 PM
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#9
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/人◕‿‿◕人\ Group: Official Member Posts: 8,283 Joined: Dec 2007 Member No: 602,927 |
QUOTE(Gigi @ Oct 12 2009, 07:16 PM)  not even a nucleus but just some floating genetic material, they're not living. Same with Bacteria, but they're almost universally considered living. |
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Oct 12 2009, 07:36 PM
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#10
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in a matter of time Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 7,151 Joined: Aug 2005 Member No: 191,357 |
Yeah bacteria are iffy too (there are some bacteria that cannot reproduce without a host either), but definitely not as much as viruses.
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