Most Interest Image: Bacteriophages (APOD 21 Apr 2008)

[harry]

G'day

Bystander said

Viruses do not have a cell structure (regarded as the basic unit of life), although they do have genes. Additionally, although they reproduce, they do not self-metabolize and require a host cell to replicate and synthesize new products. However, bacterial species such as Rickettsia and Chlamydia are considered living organisms but are unable to reproduce outside a host cell.

Thats right.

But! Bacteria is a more complex living organsim. You cannot evolve such a complex organsim without going through the simple stages.

The process of duplication during the early years must have been different.

How could they have done it?
Than form more complex structures.

Its been many years since I studied the subject on cytology and evolution.


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Sputnick

Lucky I corrected your name I had D instead of N.

Viruses do not have a cell structure (regarded as the basic unit of life), although they do have genes. Additionally, although they reproduce, they do not self-metabolize and require a host cell to replicate and synthesize new products. However, bacterial species such as Rickettsia and Chlamydia are considered living organisms but are unable to reproduce outside a host cell.

Sound very logical

[Sputnick]

Well Bystander - Sputdick is about all there is that way these days - and even in the good days that kind of thing was always vastly over valued.

[bystander]

Sputnick Lucky I corrected your name I had D instead of N.

Well Bystander - Sputdick is about all there is that way these days - and even in the good days that kind of thing was always vastly over valued.

Hey! Leave me out of this. Harry did it (or not)

[Sputnick]

Oops.

My apologies, Bystander.

[kovil]

"The comparison is drawn between viral self-assembly and the autonomous growth of non-living crystals."

So why are we so quick to say that crystals are not a lifeform? They can change kinetic energy in to electrical energy and we still can't explain how they do that !

"Virus self-assembly within host cells has implications for the study of the origin of life, as it lends credence to the hypothesis that life could have started as self-assembling organic molecules."

By 'organic molecules' they mean it has a carbon atom in there?

If I was the one to determine the definition of what defines Life, I would define it as ;
'any place where chemical and electrical changes are occurring'.
Of course some places have vastly more complex changes than others, so this would simply mean that the level of 'consciousness' of connections to the universe by awareness was greater or lesser. Automobiles have chemical and electrical activity, but a much lower awareness than humans have of the world.

Now a star has huge chemical and electrical activity and in a very complex order of magnitudes.

What could a star possibly be thinking when it goes Nova ?

[astrolabe]

Hello kovil,

Maybe something like: "Uh-oh!".

[Sputnick]

I agree, Kovil - I've though many times that crystals are a life form .. and when I visited the Museum of Nature in Ottawa, and saw those fuzzy little baby rocks inside the fuzzy mother rock's womb the idea came to me that rock and crystal both are life forms. Can we say that a turtle's shell is alive? Am Armadillo's armour plate?

Astro - perhaps when a star goes Nova it's thinking, "I'll be a beautiful nubula soon.' Kind of like a bride just before stepping down the aisle.

[harry]

G'day


Harry did, did what?

Make my day?

Do you feel lucky?

Well do ya! ?

and than there is a 4 letter word.

[Sputnick]

Harry - and there is also a word with many more letters than four - Letter to the Ephesians - Letter to the Galatians - hey, Galacians .. maybe they were from the Galaxy.

[harry]

G'day spudnick

Or maybe from a milk run.