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From: dmoore@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Douglas K. Moore)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: extinctions
Message-ID: <1677@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Date: 28 Jul 89 23:25:25 GMT
References: <351@aeras.UUCP> <2983@helios.ee.lbl.gov> <23692@prls.UUCP> <1566@bucket.UUCP> <7310@bunny.GTE.COM> <24043@prls.UUCP> <1989Jul23.070623.3848@utzoo.uucp> <1167@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Reply-To: dmoore@jarthur.UUCP (Douglas K. Moore)
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA
Lines: 34

In article <1167@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccoprmd@prism.gatech.EDU (Matthew DeLuca) writes:
>In article <1989Jul23.070623.3848@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>>In article <24043@prls.UUCP> gordon@prls.UUCP (Gordon Vickers) writes:
>>>Every extinction, whether animal, mineral, or vegetable, hastens our own demise.
>>
>>Including that of the species known as "variola major"?
>>Good riddance, too.  It caused smallpox.
>>-- 
>Three things:
>
>(3) Why is this in sci.space.shuttle?  

This is an exclent question but as long as it is here I'll add my two cents 
worth of info.

I have a little problem thinking of minerals as becoming extinct but when we 
start talking about Vriuses we almost have to use that definition.  As by 
most definitions of life, vrius arnt alive.  I know this may seem odd but
it is true.  Most definitions of life call for auto-reproduction, and 
some type of metabolic activity.  vrius do niether.  they are totaly 
dependant on the infected cells to provide the mechimisms for reproduction
and the metabolic energy for the job.  (this usualy is fatel to the cell
hence the problem with vriuses.)  This begs the questions if vriuses arn't
alive what are they? .... basicly they are little balls of protine with 
some nuclaic acid in the middle ... they have no life span other than that
of other chemical compounds, and death is not the cesation of some activity
but the destruction of the molucles.

-- Douglas K. Moore
   Harvey Mudd College, Biology Dept.

The opinions expresed here do not necessarily represent the students staff
or facality of Harvey Mudd College, in whole or in part, the Claremont 
Colleges the US commision on civil rights, or myself