does smallpox go bad?

[OrganizedChaos]

i remember friom freshman biology that viruses aren't alive, does this mean there good forever? could someone go and dig up a 40 year old corpse and scrape some off the remains?

 

[neonerd]

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
i remember friom freshman biology that viruses aren't alive, does this mean there good forever? could someone go and dig up a 40 year old corpse and scrape some off the remains?

/dials up fbi

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: neonerd

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
i remember friom freshman biology that viruses aren't alive, does this mean there good forever? could someone go and dig up a 40 year old corpse and scrape some off the remains?

/dials up fbi

Is there a reward for these now?

 

[neonerd]

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Originally posted by: neonerd

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
i remember friom freshman biology that viruses aren't alive, does this mean there good forever? could someone go and dig up a 40 year old corpse and scrape some off the remains?

/dials up fbi

Is there a reward for these now?

We'll see

 

[OrganizedChaos]

?

 

[dullard]

Viruses are simply fragments of RNA or DNA. So no, they aren't alive. However, anything that can harm RNA/DNA can also harm viruses. Time and temperature extremes included.

 

[FoBoT]

they aren't alive?
so a virus is just a glob of chemicals?

w0w

 

[TitanDiddly]

They aren't alive in the way that we think they are. They don't work like more lifeforms, but there are certain aspects to viruses that mimic life.

Their composition will still degrade with similar conditions that other organic material would, i.e. living cells.

 

[Phoenix86]

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
i remember friom freshman biology that viruses aren't alive, does this mean there good forever? could someone go and dig up a 40 year old corpse and scrape some off the remains?

Well the obvious question is where did you go to school?

 

[0]

only if you get it

 

[His Lord Uberdude]

Viruses aren't capable of reproducing themselves, so therefore aren't alive. They work by landing a given cell, injuecting chemicals, DNA, RNA (no idea what I'm talking about) and other cell junk which alters the cell so it produces more viruses. This continues until the cell ruptures and releases more viruses to infect. This process is called the lytic pathway.