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theSPOOKYnegus t1_jboxtqq wrote

Reply to comment by Nymaz in I just learned that the known shortest DNA in an “organism” is about 1700 base pairs in a certain virus. Is there a minimum amount of “code” required for an organism (or virus) to function in any capacity? by mcbergstedt

Viruses aren't dead but they don't fit the definition of alive either, it's just a coded set of genetic information that uses the cells processes to reproduce. They float without direction until they hit a cell they can hijack

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Krail t1_jbrbzeh wrote

I've heard one interpretation that a virus particle could be thought of as analogous to a seed, and that an infected cell effectively becomes a virus organism.

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rickdeckard8 t1_jbp807r wrote

Everything alive is dependent on something else in their environment to stay alive. If you define life by function instead of properties you can arrive at a different conclusion.

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