Similarly, neither cellular nor viral individual genes or proteins are bythemselves alive. The enucleated cell is similar to the state of being brain dead, in that it lacks a full critical complexity. A virus, too, fails to reach a critical complexity. So life itself is anemergent, complex ...
observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream, for example, often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older, John started to wonder if this process could be...
The pandemic has not been kind to most of us, with all the enforced isolation and loneliness. I've been coping better than some, as my job is considered to be "essential services", and so I still haven't gotten to the point where I've emptied my Netflix queue yet. But as a longt...
Are viruses alive? This is a question scientists continue to discuss as definitions of life and ecology change. Current thinking suggests viruses should be considered part of a complex living system, one that extends between all organisms.
Viruses What is a virus? Are viruses alive? Read Discovery of Viruses pgs and Fig Virus Structure Capsid - protein shell –Capsomere – protein subunits Viral envelopes - Membranous envelope –Host phospholipids and membrane proteins –Viral proteins & glycoproteins 2 Fig. 19.3 ...
The stereotype of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth. He was—and still is—inclined to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house as a top priority, but he also considered the education of his children as extremely important. ...
Although they have genes, they do not have cellular structure – which is the basic unit of life. To be considered alive, a form of life will use cell division to reproduce, whereas viruses spontaneously assemble within cells. The virus will be able to stay alive only by replicating...
Most biologists argue viruses aren’t alive because they can’t replicate by themselves. Credit: Tom Thai/Flikr It may seem like a fairly fundamental question, but there is still debate over whether viruses should be considered a form of life. ...
Influenza viruses are presumed, but not conclusively known, to spread among humans by several possible routes. We provide evidence of a mode of transmission seldom considered for influenza: airborne virus transport on microscopic particles called “aerosolized fomites.” In the guinea pig model of inf...
Paxton1,2,5 Bees are considered to be threatened globally, with severe overwinter losses of the most important commercial pollinator, the Western honeybee, a major concern in the Northern Hemisphere. Emerging infectious diseases have risen to prominence due to their temporal correlation with colony ...