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Author Topic:   What is Life?
Straggler
Member (Idle past 324 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


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?
I have never been very clear on this.
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.
Or something like that.......
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.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 36 by Parasomnium, posted 10-17-2010 5:16 PM Parasomnium has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 39 by Blue Jay, posted 10-17-2010 10:25 PM Straggler has not replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 324 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


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?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 71 by Dr Adequate, posted 11-23-2010 12:12 PM Dr Adequate has replied

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 Message 76 by Dr Adequate, posted 11-23-2010 12:39 PM Straggler has replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 324 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


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?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 76 by Dr Adequate, posted 11-23-2010 12:39 PM Dr Adequate has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 79 by Dr Adequate, posted 11-23-2010 1:02 PM Straggler has replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 324 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


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.
I wanted to know where the boundary imposed by your definition lay in terms I could understand.
But if it made you think more about the definition in question then I guess that is a good thing.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 79 by Dr Adequate, posted 11-23-2010 1:02 PM Dr Adequate has replied

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