In an episode of the classic 1950s television comedy The Honeymooners, Brooklyn bus driver Ralph Kramden loudly explains to his wife, Alice, "You know that I know how easy you get the virus." Half a century ago even regular folks like the Kramdens had some knowledge of viruses--as microscopic bringers of disease. Yet it is almost certain that they did not know exactly what a virus was. They were, and are, not alone.

For about 100 years, the scientific community has repeatedly changed its collective mind over what viruses are. First seen as poisons, then as life-forms, then biological chemicals, viruses today are thought of as being in a gray area between living and nonliving: they cannot replicate on their own but can do so in truly living cells and can also affect the behavior of their hosts profoundly. The categorization of viruses as nonliving during much of the modern era of biological science has had an unintended consequence: it has led most researchers to ignore viruses in the study of evolution. Finally, however, scientists are beginning to appreciate viruses as fundamental players in the history of life.

This article was originally published with the title Are Viruses Alive?.

2 Comments

1. 1. Sfar_1 09:30 PM 5/24/08

   a

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2. 2. Dov Henis 04:27 AM 8/9/08

   Are Viruses "Alive"?
   
   alive = organism:
   
   arth's organisms: temporary self-replicable constrained-energy genetic systems that support and maintain Earth's biosphere by maintenance of genes.
   
   Every "self-replicable" genetic system has a unique package of essentials for replication...and viruses are not different in this respect than other organisms.
   
   Dov Henis
   
   PS: 21st Century Life Comprehension
   
   1. Definitions Of Earth Life, Organism, Gene, Genome And Cellular Organisms.
   
   Earth Life: 1. a format of temporarily constrained energy, retained in temporary constrained genetic energy packages in forms of genes, genomes and organisms 2. a real virtual affair that pops in and out of existence in its matrix, which is the energy constrained in Earth's biosphere.
   
   Earth organism: a temporary self-replicable constrained-energy genetic system that supports and maintains Earth's biosphere by maintenance of genes.
   
   Gene: a primal Earth's organism.
   
   Genome: a multigenes organism consisting of a cooperative commune of its member genes.
   
   Cellular organisms: mono- or multi-celled earth organisms.
   
   
   2. Update of life sciences conceptions is now feasible and urgently desirable
   
   - Earth's biosphere phenomenon is a distant relative of black holes, a form of constrained
   energy pocket.
   
   - First were independent individual genes, Earth's primal organisms.
   
   - Genes aggregated cooperatively into genomes, multigenes organisms, with genomes' organs.
   
   - Simultaneously or consequently genomes evolved protective and functional membranes, organs.
   
   - Then followed cellular organisms, with a variety of outer-cell membranes shapes and
   functionalities.
   
   
   3. Nature, Origin, Function And Purpose Of Life
   
   
   Nature of Earth life: a replicating construction temporarily constraining and maintaining energy.
   
   Origin of Earth life: serendipitous energy-induced formation of Earth's primal organisms, individual independent genes.
   
   Nature of Earth's organisms: temporary self-replicable constrained-energy genetic systems that support and maintain Earth's biosphere by maintenance of genes.
   
   Function of Earth life: uphold and maintain as much constrained energy as possible by upholding and maintaining Earth's biosphere.
   
   The purpose of OUR life and its promotion is ours to choose and set. It derives solely from our cognition.
   
   
   Dov Henis
   
   http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-P81pQcU1dLBbHgtjQjxG_Q--?cq=1

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