Comment Re:Life vs. Non-life (Score 1) 271
It all depends on your own (ie subjective) view on what life "means".
One thing that is almost always a core criterion is the ability to reproduce. Viruses, themselves, cannot reproduce. They are, actually, incapable of reproducing. The only real question is whether or not you see "modify the genetic structure of an entity capable of reproduction so that it now only makes copies of the virus" as reproduction. I would say that this means it cannot reproduce. It can only cause something else to reproduce for it.
This is quite a different subject than that of symbiotic organisms. I don't know of any organisms that we *depend* on for reproduction. The most common I'm familiar with are the bacteria we "house" which aids in our digestion. Well, a developing fetus doesn't really need such a thing, since they get their neutrition already broken down from their mother.
So, yes. I say they don't "do enough stuff": reproduce. Some species of bird may trick other species into raising their young, however they are obviously quite capable of reproducing on their own (which they do every time).
One thing that is almost always a core criterion is the ability to reproduce. Viruses, themselves, cannot reproduce. They are, actually, incapable of reproducing. The only real question is whether or not you see "modify the genetic structure of an entity capable of reproduction so that it now only makes copies of the virus" as reproduction. I would say that this means it cannot reproduce. It can only cause something else to reproduce for it.
This is quite a different subject than that of symbiotic organisms. I don't know of any organisms that we *depend* on for reproduction. The most common I'm familiar with are the bacteria we "house" which aids in our digestion. Well, a developing fetus doesn't really need such a thing, since they get their neutrition already broken down from their mother.
So, yes. I say they don't "do enough stuff": reproduce. Some species of bird may trick other species into raising their young, however they are obviously quite capable of reproducing on their own (which they do every time).
