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GeneralRe: Words from the wise Pin
User 1106097928-Mar-20 5:21
User 1106097928-Mar-20 5:21 
GeneralRe: Words from the wise Pin
Nelek28-Mar-20 5:35
protectorNelek28-Mar-20 5:35 
GeneralRe: Words from the wise Pin
dandy7228-Mar-20 2:51
dandy7228-Mar-20 2:51 
GeneralRe: Words from the wise Pin
Gerry Schmitz28-Mar-20 7:16
mveGerry Schmitz28-Mar-20 7:16 
GeneralRe: Words from the wise Pin
ZurdoDev29-Mar-20 16:57
professionalZurdoDev29-Mar-20 16:57 
GeneralRe: Words from the wise Pin
kalberts29-Mar-20 20:37
kalberts29-Mar-20 20:37 
QuestionRe: Words from the wise Pin
ZurdoDev30-Mar-20 1:06
professionalZurdoDev30-Mar-20 1:06 
AnswerRe: Words from the wise Pin
kalberts30-Mar-20 5:04
kalberts30-Mar-20 5:04 
At least it has the capability to kill you.

There is a long, more or less continuous scale from the pure elements to intelligent life such as (some) humans. A block of pure iron certainly is not life. Nor is a simple compound such as salt (NaCl). Then you can start walking the line: At what level of chemical complexity do you cross the line separating "life" from "non-life"?

The decision is more or less arbitrary, so scientists have been arguing back and forth for at least a couple of generations. Virus certainly is not far away from the dividing line, but for quite some time now, there has been a common understanding among scientists that virus is not on the "life" side of the line. If the line were to be moved, to include virus, it would be very difficult to define the criteria that puts virus on one side and certain other complex compounds on the other side.

Scientists have (more or less) agreed on a set of criteria that all must be fulfilled to call it "life", and virus fails at least one of these criteria. I am not a biologist, so I don't dare to list the criteria from memory, and I do not off hand know where they are found.

I believe that virus fails I some criterion that they are capable of performing other life functions in isolation - they are fundamentally dependent on a host for a number of things that life should be able to handle on its own. If there is a biologist around, feel free to correct me on this! (And then also point to the requirements where virus fails.)
QuestionRe: Words from the wise Pin
ZurdoDev29-Mar-20 16:57
professionalZurdoDev29-Mar-20 16:57 
AnswerRe: Words from the wise Pin
Dan Neely29-Mar-20 17:02
Dan Neely29-Mar-20 17:02 
GeneralRe: Words from the wise Pin
kalberts29-Mar-20 20:43
kalberts29-Mar-20 20:43 
GeneralRe: Words from the wise Pin
ZurdoDev30-Mar-20 1:06
professionalZurdoDev30-Mar-20 1:06 
GeneralPetard: hoist it high! PinPopular
OriginalGriff27-Mar-20 9:10
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Richard Deeming27-Mar-20 9:45
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OriginalGriff27-Mar-20 10:18
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Greg Utas27-Mar-20 10:30
professionalGreg Utas27-Mar-20 10:30 
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Jörgen Andersson27-Mar-20 10:36
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den2k8827-Mar-20 10:36
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Greg Utas27-Mar-20 10:54
professionalGreg Utas27-Mar-20 10:54 
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OriginalGriff27-Mar-20 11:54
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DRHuff27-Mar-20 12:41
DRHuff27-Mar-20 12:41 
NewsMore good news Pin
Kent Sharkey27-Mar-20 8:39
staffKent Sharkey27-Mar-20 8:39 
GeneralRe: More good news Pin
Mark_Wallace27-Mar-20 8:49
Mark_Wallace27-Mar-20 8:49 
GeneralRe: More good news Pin
Kent Sharkey27-Mar-20 8:57
staffKent Sharkey27-Mar-20 8:57 
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Mark_Wallace27-Mar-20 17:45
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