Viral Intelligence?

If you think about it, Humans are much like a virus, comsuming and destorying until it is drained of all viable resource then moving on to the next. Now I figure that comes will intelligence, sentient life.

In the world of bacteria, would the virus be the sentient life? Or for that matter, actually have an intelligence persay? I know a virus is programed to do its job, but what if it actually had an intelligence?

Possible?

if your talking about a computer virus then no it doesn't have intelligence rather then just to do what its programed to, if your talking about a virus like diese and stuff it might have a small intellegence but not very much their not even as big as cells (well when seperated)

I am talking about virus', but virus' are not disease. So your saying, just because it is very very small, it cannot possibly have a brain/intelligence?

There could be a planet orbiting our sun the size of a tennisball with sentient life, much like humans only infinately small.

Size is really irrelevant. It is only small on this planet, to another planet with sentient life we could be the size of bacteria, while they tower over us.

The size of life is directly connected to the size of the planet I beleive.

ya but scientist's say that if someting's smaller then a cell its not technecly alive. also how your saying about other planet a virus thing could be normal size and were just on a big planet or w/e that sounds resonable i guess but if it cant be considerd alive here i dont think it could be there either

How can a virus have intelligence? Its a clump of genetic code inside a barely functional shell.

Many don't even consider viruses to be alive. They are incapable of reproducing on their own. They don't do anything that isn't a dircet result of their chemicals.

blind
but virus' are not disease

Viruses cause disease.

Size is really irrelevant

Intelligence is based upon nerve cells communicating. Single celled organisms don't have brains and aren't intelligent. A virus is even less than that. Some multi celled organisms that have primitive 'neural nets' can't be said to be intelligent either, certainly nothing like human intelligence. These things are just reacting, like when a rubber hammer taps your knee, a reaction. The stuff that doesn't have even primitive nerve nets, or like say single celled organisms, they have a property called 'irritability', and can perform 'phototaxis'or 'chemotaxis'; meaning they can move torwards light or follow a chemical gradient. But there isn't a 'minds eye' that considers all this.

The size of life is directly connected to the size of the planet I beleive.

Why do you beleive that?

Originally posted by _BLiND_
I am talking about virus', but virus' are not disease. So your saying, just because it is very very small, it cannot possibly have a brain/intelligence?

This is not the point. Viral 'life' is nucleic acid and protein based. Our current understanding of such life doesn't permit a mechanism by which minimal particles such as viruses can have anything resembling intelligence or sentience.

There could be a planet orbiting our sun the size of a tennisball with sentient life, much like humans only infinately small.

I suppose there 'could' exist this possibility, however, this life would NOT resemble life on this planet in it's molecular structure.. ie: No DNA, no proteins. The thermodynamics of this planet are such that Carbon based life using nucleic acids and proteins "makes the most sense."

Size is really irrelevant. It is only small on this planet, to another planet with sentient life we could be the size of bacteria, while they tower over us.

Size is absolutely relevant. Life is limited by size on MANY levels. Insects can only grow as large as oxygen diffusion through their bodies will permit, mammals can only grow as small as it is realistic for their heart to beat. I can't remember what the record for bpm by any heart is, but I was astonished when I heard it. It could be argued that the chemotaxic and phototaxic behavior of certain microorganisms is a sort of intelligence or sentience, but certainly does not equate to rational, problem solving or critical thinking abilities.

The size of life is directly connected to the size of the planet I beleive.

I'm not sure what exactly this means, but IMO, the size of life is based on the chemistry of said life. It appears that life based on nucleic acid and protein has an absolute limit for intelligent behavior. Where that limit is, is highly debatable, but I am willing to bet that most don't believe it to exist on the single cell level, and certainly not on the level of a virus, which can't even perform its own cellular work.

A virus has the most fundamental aspects of life. A will to live and reproduce. A single virus can kill the entire planet. They do exist.

Originally posted by DrHoracid
A virus has the most fundamental aspects of life. A will to live and reproduce. A single virus can kill the entire planet. They do exist.

"Dr." I would respectfully disagree with a virus having the most fundamental aspects of life. A virus has nucleic acid and protein. These are certainly necessary for life as we know it, but are NOT sufficient. In addition to a nucleic acid genome and protein coat, life requires the ability to activate the components of the genome. Viruses do not retain this ability in themselves. The require the machinery of a host cell to do their work... much like outsourcing; the virus has outsourced all of the functions of life, hence the classification of obligate intracellular parasite.

I don't know that I would agree a single virus can kill the entire planet. A single virus can significantly reduce the population of it's host species, but there is no evidence to suggest that "a single virus can kill the whole planet." Viruses have very specific host ranges. What does that mean anyway? The planet will be fine no matter what viruses proliferate. If humans, or any other organism are wiped out, the planet will still be here. It would appear that life can and does persist in even the most harsh of circumstances. I highly doubt that a single virus is capable of wiping out all life on the planet.

I don't think anyone is disputing whether or not they exist. I believe this thread is about the intelligence or sentience of viruses, not whether or not they exist. Certainly viruses exist. I don't know of any viewpoints that say otherwise.

[edit on 23-12-2004 by mattison0922]

Originally posted by DrHoracid
A will to live and reproduce.

One the other hand, it cannot live and reproduce on its own tho, it requires the machinery of living cells to do this. But how does it have 'will'? Are prions exercising this will when they induce deformation of normal proteins, thus 'replicating' themselves? Is iron exerting its will when it causes haemoglobin molecules to conform?Is it by will that crystals gather and organize their consituent elements?

There is alimit to how big life can be due to the fact that everything is made of atoms, there is also a difference in size to how big it would need to be to be inteligent life.