About VIRUS

What purpose does a VIRUS serve in nature?

On the surface, viruses might seem like nothing more than tiny agents of destruction. However, in nature, viruses serve an important role in maintaining the balance of life and death. By wiping out microbes, viruses ensure that oxygen-producing plankton have enough nutrients to undertake high rates of photosynthesis. This, in turn, helps to sustain much of life on Earth. Without viruses, aerobic microbes would eventually monopolize all available resources, leading to a planet-wide collapse of ecosystems. In a way, then, we owe our very existence to these often vilified creatures.

What is the evolutionary purpose of viruses?.

A major role of viruses in cellular evolution is to facilitate the lateral gene transfers (LGT) of cellular genes between cellular lineages.

What is the natural purpose of a virus?.

Because a virus has no consciousness, it actually does not make choices, or have knowledge, or goals. They are relatively simple biological devices that just simply follow a program

PROGRAM: Part of a larger program (without awareness) viruses are a huge source of selective pressure in the evolution of a species. Integration of viral genes allows cellular organisms to explore new evolutionary paths.

FUNCTION: The primary role of the virus is to “deliver its DNA or RNA genome into the host cell so that the genome can be expressed (transcribed and translated) by the host cell.

CODE: DNA/RNA