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Viruses, definitions and reality.

Libia Herrero-Uribe¹

¹Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Facultad de Microbiologá, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica. libia.herrero@ucr.ac.cr

Revista De Biologia Tropical

|October 25, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This review examines if viruses fit current life definitions and proposes redefining them based on new discoveries. It highlights viral factories and complex viral interactions, urging a broader, trans-disciplinary view of life.

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Area of Science:

Virology
Origin of Life Studies
Cell Biology

Background:

Viruses are abundant and influential in organism evolution.
Traditionally, viruses are viewed as separate from life, acting as gene exchange vectors.
Existing definitions of life may not fully encompass viral complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate current life definitions in the context of viruses.
To explore new discoveries challenging the conventional definition of viruses.
To advocate for a revised, integrated understanding of viruses within the scope of life.

Main Methods:

Review of established definitions of life.
Analysis of recent viral discoveries (e.g., Mimivirus, virophages).
Examination of viral factories as complex cellular reorganizers.

Main Results:

Viruses exhibit complex interactions and cellular modifications, exemplified by viral factories.
New viral discoveries challenge the simplistic, mechanical view of viral activity.
Current definitions, rooted in mid-20th-century knowledge, are inadequate.

Conclusions:

Viruses may fit within revised definitions of life, demonstrating complex biological processes.
A trans-disciplinary and complexity-based perspective is needed to redefine viruses.
Future research should embrace an integrated view to understand viral roles in life's evolution.