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EvC Forum ⇒ Science Forums ⇒ Origin of Life ⇒

What is Life?

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Author Topic:   What is Life?
Straggler
Member (Idle past 363 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006

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Message 37 of 268 (587214)
10-17-2010 5:59 PM 		Reply to: Message 36 by Parasomnium
10-17-2010 5:16 PM

Re: Clumsy label
Are viruses a form of life according to biologists or not?
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I have never been very clear on this.
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And I understand that the discovery of "large" viuses has confused the issue by suggesting a genetic history that may mean what we call viruses were not always so parasitic and may warrant their own branch on the evolutionary tree.
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Or something like that.......
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Sorry for my vagueness. I am looking for info from those that know rather than a debate about a topic I am wholly ignorant in.
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Straggler
Member (Idle past 363 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006

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Message 73 of 268 (592984)
11-23-2010 12:20 PM 		Reply to: Message 71 by Dr Adequate
11-23-2010 12:12 PM

Re: Life?
Is a virus a form of life by this definition?
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Straggler
Member (Idle past 363 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006

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Message 77 of 268 (592988)
11-23-2010 12:43 PM 		Reply to: Message 76 by Dr Adequate
11-23-2010 12:39 PM

Re: Life?
Is a strand of RNA a form of life by this definition?
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Straggler
Member (Idle past 363 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006

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Message 80 of 268 (592998)
11-23-2010 1:07 PM 		Reply to: Message 79 by Dr Adequate
11-23-2010 1:02 PM

Re: Life?
To be honest I was primarily asking because I don't know the answer to my own questions.
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I wanted to know where the boundary imposed by your definition lay in terms I could understand.
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But if it made you think more about the definition in question then I guess that is a good thing.
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