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Perfect-Height-8837 t1_j5iqwa7 wrote

Reply to comment by ensui67 in How do we know how old viruses are? by Darth_Fatass

The best way I've heard it described is, they are dead when outside a cell, alive when inside.

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screen317 t1_j5j4x7n wrote

There are tons of cellular obligate parasites that render the discussion moot

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LittleCreepy_ t1_j65t38v wrote

I try to put it into words like this:

A virus can be understood to undergo different developmental stages. Much like an insekt goes from egg to larvar to adult, a virus goes from virus particle, floating alone and, debatably, dead in their environment, to integrating itself into the host. It quite litteraly overlapes with their victim, the cell becomes, to an extend, two individuals rolled into one.

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