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AromaticIce9 t1_irne1y8 wrote

Reply to comment by willywalloo in What lifeform has the shortest genetic sequence? by teafuck

A new suggestion is that the cell that is infected by the virus is the actual living virus.

The virus itself is more like a spore.

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willywalloo t1_irqh4r5 wrote

Viruses and spores are similar in that they move to provoke replication. But a spores goal (ones seeking replication) will move to produce not more spores but a lifeform that is bigger than itself. A virus generally is replicating itself millions of times with no larger structures in mind. Spores that protect and fight can have similar outcomes to destructive viruses.

With viruses, for myself: The replication environment would be the cell, the cell is the food.

This and your argument are interesting ways of looking at it.

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