Abiogenesis (Origins)

by David Turell , Saturday, August 13, 2011, 03:26 (4634 days ago) @ broken_cynic

Viruses are living parasites that enter a living cell and use the genetic material in that cell to reproduce itself. If one claims that the full definition of life requires the organism to be totally self-sustaining and self-reproducing, then viruses are not truly 'fully' live.
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> Ok... so who/what says that the first steps to life as we know it had to be 'fully' live on our terms?
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> > > So how do you draw a line between living and not? What is your definition for life?
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> > There are conflicting definitions; mine is simple. Grow to a certain size, maintain that structure, reproduce itself, using a chemical digestive system for protein production and energy consumption.
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> As above, what if the process that led to a living thing/population (by your definition) were simpler than that... but still got there in the end? (Or the beginning as it were.)-You are simply raising the same issues we all have. We know many of the secrets of life today. No one knows how we got to this point. Starting in a less complex fashion is a reasonable proposition, but it hasn't worked so far in the labs, starting in the mid-1950's.