Chapter 1.4, Problem 1CT

The Boundaries of Life

If viruses aren't a form of life, what are they? A virus by itself is an inert particle that doesn't approach the complexity of a cell. The simplest virus, such as that causing smallpox (FIG. 1.14), consists of a protein coat that surrounds genetic material. The uncomplicated structure of viruses, coupled with amazing advances in biotechnology, hat allowed researchers to synthesize viruses in the laboratory. They have accomplished this using the blueprint contained in viral genetic material and readily purchased chemicals. The first virus to be synthesized was the small, simple poliovirus. This feat was accomplished in 2002 by Eckard Wimmer and coworkers at Stony Brook University, who titled their work “The Test-Tube Synthesis of a Chemical Called Poliovirus.” Did these researchers create life in the laboratory? A few scientists would say ‘yes,’ defining life by its ability to copy itself and to evolve. Wimmer himself describes viruses as entities that switch between a nonliving phase outside the cell and a living phase inside. Although most scientists agree that viruses aren't alive and support the definition of life presented in this text, the controversy continues. As virologist Luis Villarreal puts it. “Viruses are parasites that skirt the boundaries between life and inert matter."