You know, I'm really not sure. I like to think of them like zombies - somewhere in f he grey area of living vs inanimate. The discovery of the megaviruses combined with some the extreme genome reduced bacteria also has me torn on whether viruses gave rise to complex cells, or if they're radically streamlined prokaryotes!! I'll happily sit in the "I don't know" team until new evidence comes out to sway me one way or another! You??
I'm in the viruses are not alive camp- I consider them highly complex mobile genetic elements, like transposons or plasmids. I also think, since viruses can't all be traced to a single common ancestor and have multiple origins as you point out, they seem more like molecular extensions of their hosts rather than a different tree of life. But I know this largely hinges on how "life" is defined which is not simple! :)
I think you hit the nail on the head there! It all hinges on how we define "life". I think prions are another intriguing weirdo of the natural world, and they make viruses seem very lifelike in comparison! I think work on the evolution of viruses (no easy task!) is going to be so interesting as the various sequencing technologies advance and give us so many more tools to play with!
Great summary of a complex subject. My latest microbial mystery novel is about Fasciola hepatica, the liver fluke, which falls into the eukaryote animal category. It's microscopic in earlier stages, then quite large, up to 2-3 cm, in livers and bile ducts.
This was a really fantastic read! I loved the tone and clarity.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate such kind words - keeps a girl driven 😁
Great summary! Love the similies. Where do you fall on the are viruses alive or not debate?
You know, I'm really not sure. I like to think of them like zombies - somewhere in f he grey area of living vs inanimate. The discovery of the megaviruses combined with some the extreme genome reduced bacteria also has me torn on whether viruses gave rise to complex cells, or if they're radically streamlined prokaryotes!! I'll happily sit in the "I don't know" team until new evidence comes out to sway me one way or another! You??
I'm in the viruses are not alive camp- I consider them highly complex mobile genetic elements, like transposons or plasmids. I also think, since viruses can't all be traced to a single common ancestor and have multiple origins as you point out, they seem more like molecular extensions of their hosts rather than a different tree of life. But I know this largely hinges on how "life" is defined which is not simple! :)
I think you hit the nail on the head there! It all hinges on how we define "life". I think prions are another intriguing weirdo of the natural world, and they make viruses seem very lifelike in comparison! I think work on the evolution of viruses (no easy task!) is going to be so interesting as the various sequencing technologies advance and give us so many more tools to play with!
Great summary of a complex subject. My latest microbial mystery novel is about Fasciola hepatica, the liver fluke, which falls into the eukaryote animal category. It's microscopic in earlier stages, then quite large, up to 2-3 cm, in livers and bile ducts.