Poll of the Day > Did you know that a virus is not considered a living organism?

(+) Yeah! (+)

iirc it's because it can't reproduce. It needs a host to do that.

Viruses also do not undergo metabolism, which is generally a requirement to be considered "life"

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Only by certain definitions of what constitutes a living thing

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Yes, because I paid attention during high school biology.

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Men need a host to reproduce. Are we not alive? :(


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They're sort of in a gray area. And beyond that, the definition of living organism is kind of arbitrary when you think about it. Who defined what a living organism id? Living organisms, of course. Kind of like how our brain tells us it's the most important organ in our body.

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Arguing about the distinction is pretty pointless

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This knowledge will surely enrich our lives.

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I know, they're basically microscopic zombies.

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Anyone who has passed American 10th grade at the very least should know this.

Youre right, TC.

Viruses do NOT perform all 8 life functions.

I like to think of them as little robots.



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There are so many layers and levels of interconnected processes. From the smallest quantum object up through enormous living beings that are made up of countless smaller objects. All of the little bugs, viruses, cells, atoms, etc. that exist everywhere and in all things, including the very space between objects visible to the naked eye.

Life is just the process of energy soup moving between different levels. How far down do you go in the constituent chain before life is no longer evident? How far up? Is the earth alive? The universe?

Seems like the classification is only relative to our conscious, physical experience, and not on any sort of infallible basis.