Rashid 1

Imran Rashid

University of Michigan

Prompt #3

Gone Viral

The contrast between living organisms and inanimate objects has always seemed concrete

and easily discernable. Yet, viruses have blurred this line and confused the obvious. The virus is

diverse, highly evolved, and is able to thrive as an aggressor in the modern biosphere. Typically,

philosophers are the ones to question what it means to be alive; however, viruses have prompted

this discussion among scientists. While viruses exhibit behavior incredibly similar to living

organisms, they lack key characteristics as well. As of today, viruses are not officially classified

as living organisms or not (khanacademy.org).

Viruses evolve rapidly and are well suited to survive and exist competitively. This

evolution can be largely attributed to natural selection and the extremely large population size

(khanacademy.org). This large population corresponds with the immense and diverse gene

pool of the viruses which facilitates vast mutations and potential advantages in survival

(khanacademy.org). Despite this, viruses still exist in a gray area in which they can not be

convincingly classified as alive or not. The simple truth that a virus is unable to reproduce and

function without infecting a host organism elicits the conflict. However, viruses do contain

genetic material in the form of DNA or RNA which is under the same genetic code as all living

organisms (khanacademy.org).

Scientists have agreed upon a list of seven characteristics that all living things have in

common. However, viruses may serve as a catalyst for reevaluation of this once widely accepted

notion. Of the characteristics on this list, viruses exhibit only two of them clearly. The rest are
 Rashid 2

either questionable or proven to not be met by viruses. Unlike all other living organisms, viruses

do not grow in mass or maintain homeostasis. Viruses are only alive, or active, for a very short

period of time, usually about 52 hours (khanacademy.org). Once they have been replicated they

do not change and grow in mass and remain rather stagnant. Homeostasis is the ability of an

organisms to self-regulate and moderate its internal state. This is a function which viruses have

no means to do with their incredibly simple anatomy. While viruses do not meet these criteria,

certain aspects of viral qualities do align with some of these standard living characteristics.

Viruses have adapted to their environment over time and also have levels of organization, as is

expected of living organisms (khanacademy.org). As aforementioned, viruses are highly adaptive

and efficient in evolution. Adaptivity is believed to be something all living things must possess,

and viruses certainly do. Viruses are also organized in levels as they are composed of simply a

protein capsid, nucleic acid, and occasionally a viral envelope surrounding the capsid

(khanacademy.org).

The absence of clarity on certain characteristics of viruses is due largely in part to the

lack of knowledge on viruses. Continued research on the viruses we encounter is important for

humanity as we are greatly affected by them. The Great Influenza, also known as the Spanish

Flu, killed roughly 100 million people in 1918, over 5% of the worlds population (Mandal).

While we have learned much in the almost full century since that pandemic, about 38.6 million

individuals are infected with HIV today (Mandal). Furthermore, strong links have also been

drawn between the genetic manipulations caused by viruses and tumors associated with cancer

(Mandal). As our technology and information rapidly grows, the resources we acquire should be

put towards the research of viruses. There is a great deal still unclear, and there is a great deal to

be reaped from such knowledge.

 Rashid 3

Beyond modern times, viruses have played an important role in shaping the current

biosphere of Earth. The monumental effect of viruses on the evolution of organisms is well

recognized. Whether and not viruses truly are alive, their extensive impact on life is undeniable.

Human DNA has been discovered to be comprised 13% of viral DNA (khanacademy.com). This

DNA is made of genetic sequences that have been altered by a virus and the genes were passed

down to the offspring of the organism. Being that DNA essentially defines us, it seems that

humans have gone viral. Perhaps in discovering more about what viruses are, we can learn more

of our own existence as well.

Works Cited

"Khan Academy." Khan Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.

 Rashid 4

<https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/biology-of-viruses/virus-biology/a/intro-

to-viruses>.

"Khan Academy." Khan Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.

<https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/biology-of-viruses/virus-

biology/a/evolution-of-viruses>

"Khan Academy." Khan Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.

<https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/cells/viruses/a/are-viruses-dead-or-alive>

Mandal, MD Dr Ananya. "Human Diseases Caused by Viruses." News-Medical.net. N.p., 18

June 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

<http://www.news-medical.net/health/Human-Diseases-Caused-by-Viruses.aspx>.