Hi everyone,
I’m not very knowledgeable about science, so I’m struggling to understand the notion that viruses aren’t “alive”, and the robot analogies people use. I understand that they don’t have some of the characteristics (cells, ability to reproduce), but my mind can’t wrap itself around the notion that they’re like objects. Can you please give some examples that could explain this in a way that is accessible to someone who isn’t very advanced in the subject?
Thanks
EDIT: wow thanks so much guys for so many amazing replies!!!
In: 29
Life is defined partially by having the means to self-replicate. That requires both the blueprints to replicate and the machinery to run those blueprints on.
The problem with viruses is that while they do have the blueprints for replication, they lack the machinery to run it on. They have to hijack a host cell and feed their blueprints to that host cell’s replication machine to get it to make copies for them.
It’s like having data files for making a widget on a 3-D printer on a USB stick, but you lack the actual 3-D printer itself, so instead you break into your neighbors house, plug the USB stick into his 3-D printer, and use it to make your widget.
It’s sort of arbitrary and a matter of some debate whether this definition of “life” is really a good one to use. But as long as the definition includes the ability of the species to replicate with its own internal machinery, then a virus won’t count because it has to brainwash a host organism to manufacture copies of the virus for it.
it needs a host to survive. Just like how white blood cells aren’t amoeba, as they need a “host” to live.
Viruses make more of themselves, but don’t respond to the environment (outside of natural selection through mutation). If nothing you do to it will make it change it’s way of doing things, it’s not alive.
Here’s a simpler answer.
Every other single living thing does two things(with no exception):
1. All living things replicate in some way, whether it’s mammal reproduction, or highjacking another cell and forcing it to duplicate you, or lay an egg or whatever. As long as you’re passing down genetic material, #1 is covered.
2. All living things can convert an external source (ie food) into energy. With no exception. Viruses DO NOT convert an external source (food) into energy. A byproduct is that they also don’t produce waste, other than the carcass of the cell they obliterated.
That’s the exact thing that separates viruses from life, they don’t do #2. They don’t utilize any food/energy source, and metabolize it. They’re truly closer to nanobots that only have 1 directive. Replicate.
It truly is as simple as that.
Source: School of Hard Knocks. But real talk, that’s how my Biology Professor described it to me when I asked him to ELI5 years ago. That description stuck with me because of its simplicity.
Get real,guys
Viruses are how the aliens seeded life into this planet long,long ago…lol 😄 🤣
Because viruses don’t really show any aspect of the definition of living things, they don’t eat, they don’t interact with the surroundings and they don’t reproduce for themselves, they need a host
Also, their structure is even simpler than a bacteria, is just ADN or ARN inside a protein capsule like a candy and very little more
The only thing that is more simple than a virus is a prion, and a prion is just a pice of protein folded the wrong way
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