It's not about whether they exist or not. They definitely exist.
It's about "what is life?" which is a much, much harder question to answer.
The truth is, it's a separate question. It's easy to define what a virus is, but you can debate all day about what exactly is life, and whether viruses fit into the definition that you land on.
If you're asking what a virus is, it is genetic material, wrapped in protein, that infects other cells, usually very specific cells, repurposing the cell to create copies of the genetic material, wrapped in protein.
Milocobo t1_ixxzmhh wrote
Reply to comment by Whyevenbotherbeing in ELI5: What exactly are viruses? by viktorepo
It's not about whether they exist or not. They definitely exist.
It's about "what is life?" which is a much, much harder question to answer.
The truth is, it's a separate question. It's easy to define what a virus is, but you can debate all day about what exactly is life, and whether viruses fit into the definition that you land on.
If you're asking what a virus is, it is genetic material, wrapped in protein, that infects other cells, usually very specific cells, repurposing the cell to create copies of the genetic material, wrapped in protein.