Oct 2, 2020
There are ten million
viruses in one single drop of seawater, and many more viruses
than stars in the universe. How does this understanding shape how
we perceive them, us, and life in general?
Press play to discover:
Viruses have affected every organism on the planet since the start of life. Most of them infect their host in a persistent way, which means they don’t kill the host, but try to invade the genome of the host where they will remain. But are they alive? According to Guenther Witzany, they absolutely are. His reasoning is based on the fact that viruses depend on the genetic code. Furthermore, they cooperate, compete, and communicate with one another, which means they exhibit biotic behavior.
Witzany is an accomplished author and philosopher of science,
language and communication, and biology. In the late 1980s, he
proposed a concept of life as a communicative structure. His work
revolves largely around understanding the association between
language and communication and the genetic code, and how the cells
of an organism and
viruses coordinate their behavior and interactions to reach a
common goal.
He discusses his view on the dividing line between living and
nonliving entities, provides examples of specific forms of
communication used by plants, the idea of communication as a
prerequisite to coordination between cells, toxin-antitoxin systems
in biology, what might dictate whether a virus is lytic, lysogenic,
or endogenizing, and more.
Check out Witzany’s authoritative books and research on the
topics of communication and coordination in cellular organisms, and
the abundance and significance of the role of
viruses on the planet. Follow the link here: http://www.biocommunication.at/.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK