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carlos_6m t1_irnkeso wrote

Reply to comment by willywalloo in What lifeform has the shortest genetic sequence? by teafuck

But by that definition, a red blood cell is life, and it does not have genetic code...

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willywalloo t1_irqgyfk wrote

Red blood cells are tools of sorts formed from another structure, inside the bone marrow. There is a lot in common.

For myself this wouldn’t fit a version of independent life, but the cells are alive.

This is where the debate has some gray areas.

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carlos_6m t1_irqh6n9 wrote

You're confusing their process with the one for platelets I think...

Red blood cells are reticulocytes that have lost their nucleus, reticulocytes produce a lot of hemoglobin and other proteins and then lose their nucleus, then they are self sustaining for about 4 months, longer than many living organisms

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willywalloo t1_irsfc3w wrote

I’m just saying they don’t replicate on their own, this is a requirement for life.

A car is autonomous and today they don’t replicate. They show signs of life however in different ways, but a true life form has a code that allows for procreation.

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