theSPOOKYnegus t1_jboxtqq wrote on March 10, 2023 at 4:40 PM 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 Permalink Parent 6
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