Read one of the cool working definitions for living things.
Any living thing should have the following attributes:
1. Enough carbon for organic synthesis since our life is carbon-based.
2. Energy for metabolism and synthesis.
3. Catalysts for speeding up and channelizing reactions, otherwise energy will be quickly lost.
4. Elimination of waste, otherwise accumulation of waste will prevent life proceeding.
5. Compartmentalization - essentially having an interior and exterior
6. Hereditary material such as DNA or RNA for replication.
I think we cannot classify virus, retrotransposons or plasmid as life if we adhere by this definition.
Any living thing should have the following attributes:
1. Enough carbon for organic synthesis since our life is carbon-based.
2. Energy for metabolism and synthesis.
3. Catalysts for speeding up and channelizing reactions, otherwise energy will be quickly lost.
4. Elimination of waste, otherwise accumulation of waste will prevent life proceeding.
5. Compartmentalization - essentially having an interior and exterior
6. Hereditary material such as DNA or RNA for replication.
I think we cannot classify virus, retrotransposons or plasmid as life if we adhere by this definition.
