(2 points) Discuss the arguments for and against the classification of viruses as living organisms. For: viruses are classified as living organisms due to their possession of DNA or RNA in their systems. DNA and RNA are essential components of any living organism.…
The beginning of the virus history is much older. The very first implication for program acting like a “VIRUS” is “Self-Reproduction Automata” established in 1949 to produce a large amount of viruses. In 1966, an article wrote by the…
Abstract Smallpox is a highly infectious disease caused by the Variola virus. This report explores the taxonomic classification, “life cycle”, and mechanism of replication of this pathogen, as well as discusses the virulence and treatment options for an infected human host. This member of the Orthopoxvirus genus is extremely virulent, and has a fatality rate of nearly 30%. While this virus only attacks a human host, similar members of the Voxviridae family produce similar infections in animals.…
A “virus” is defined as: “an infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat, is too small to be seen by a light microscope, and is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host” (Document B). Originating from Uganda, the Zika virus was first discovered in 1947 in an infected money in the Zika forest, where its name originates. The Zika virus is a typical one-stranded RNA virus with nucleotide sequences relating it to other African and Asian virus strains. It is capable of infecting other species such as monkeys, elephants, lions, zebras, and rodents. Primates, like humans and monkeys, are known to be the primary hosts and reservoirs.…
A major aspect of the article is how the virus causes microcephaly. Microcephaly is a condition in relation to incomplete brain development. This causes developmental delays. Which is an example of the biological system. Another example of the system is societal.…
However, when left alone they can’t reproduce. Only when they infect other organisms can they make more of their own kind. Should viruses be considered living? Why or why not?…
1. The Next Big Plague Outbreak There are many different types of diseases. Viruses, bacteria and cancers are more specific forms of diseases. Some diseases are very harmful and others are not as harmful.…
Viruses are all around us in this world. They all vary in size, shape, genomic contents, and a variety of other characteristics. Some viruses are more deadly than other viruses and some viruses are very uncommon. There are some odd viruses that can cause a disease; be fought off by the immune system, but instead of dying retreat back into the host and lie dormant until another time. A common example of this type of virus is the Varicella Zoster virus.…
Viruses “rely on their hosts to carry them around and introduce them to new hosts” (Survival of the Sickest, paperback, p. 119). The cold virus knows that its host has to be relatively healthy so its ride can be mobile (Survival of the Sickest, paperback, p.119). The virus has evolved with humans to allow it to reproduce faster and survive more efficiently. If you take the host out of the picture, the cold virus could never survive or reproduce. The rabies virus is another manipulative virus.…
In World War Z, by Max Brooks, a zombie virus ravages the lands leaving all in its ways in ruins. Human society is on the break of collapse and a solution must be formed before the human race becomes extinct. Natural selection and genetic engineering are both front runners in theories of solution to the problem however natural selection move the human race further with less consequences in the future. The solution of the zombie virus is to allow natural selection to take its course and allow those who are less dependent on society to live and flourish through the chaos. Living through natural selection will require several conditions to be met for a human to survive.…
In The Kill Order, Earth has been hit by sun flares, which destroy vast amounts of land and creates intense radiation. The Earth’s population is cut in half, but resources are low, and the surviving population is large. Trying to prevent the rapid depletion of resources, the Population Control Committee (PCC) propose the release a deadly virus in an attempt to prevent extinction of the human race. VC321xb47 kills fast and efficiently, shutting down the brain, and causes severe hemorrhages, which spreads the disease. The original virus weakens itself with each new host, dieing out after a certain number.…
Brooks contends that the majority of microbiota are not even capable of existing in tissue that is infected with this virus (Brooks, 2003) This concept of what a zombie is and how it is created partially supports my views on zombies likely being caused…
Although this is a very arguable topic, and there are many reasonable explanations to defend each side, I believe that viruses are not alive. Viruses that are in a “non-living” state are called virions. In the research, it said that they are surrounded by a shell of protein, and they are made mostly of DNA and RNA (an acid present in all living cells) and it is proven that there is no biological activity inside of them when they are in that dormant state, or not living or active. As scientists have analyzed, they are more biochemical rather that alive or living. The virions don’t become “alive” unless it meets a host cell, but many say that they are not alive thanks to the reason that they cannot reproduce.…
The influenza virus has become so deadly, due to its ability to mutate seasonally, through a process called reassortment. This involves the recombination of large genetic segments from several viral strains, which causes small genetic changes to be passed on to create a new type of daughter virus (4). Influenza viruses can do this by antigenic drift, which is when” dominant strains from the previous year have changed its surface structure enough to make the effectiveness of the flu vaccine recently developed” (4), greatly diminished. All types of influenza viruses will mutate but unlike DNA viruses, this RNA virus lacks the capability to repair these errors because it does not have a self correcting mechanism (2). Because the influenza…
A virus is a non-living infectious agent that is too small to be seen by regular light…