From: nuny@bid.nes   
      
   On Monday, May 23, 2016 at 8:31:22 AM UTC-7, Mikkel Haaheim wrote:   
   > As I understand it, viri actually ARE self replicating, but require an   
   > exterior host for the resources. That is, they have no interior metabolism,   
      
     They don't need the machinery of metabolism (e. g. mitochondria) because   
   they don't eat etc.   
      
     They cannot self-replicate because they don't have the machinery to   
   disassemble and make copies of their own DNA or external shell.   
      
   > but they create self replications using the energy and raw material from   
   other   
   > organisms.   
      
     They hijack the machinery of metabolism and self-replication that cells do   
   have. It's as if you walked into a robot-staffed car factory and reprogrammed   
   all of the robot workers to build airplanes instead, using the existing   
   machine tools. All you    
   bring to the party is the knowledge of how to build airplanes.   
      
     All viruses have is the knowledge of how to build viruses,and how to hijack   
   cells.   
      
   > This is rather like the concept of the self replicating moon base.   
      
    Only if there already exists on the Moon such tools as are needed to build   
   something else, tools that could be repurposed (hijacked) to build Moonbases.   
      
      
     Mark L. Fergerson   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)