2007-09-02 09:08:13 · 10 answers · asked by Helpful2U 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
I am fascinated by the fact viruses can hide inthe body, manipulate their host,and reproduce using our cells. What does that tell us about the mysteries of life? Fascinating.
2007-09-02 09:11:25 · update #1
For example, they steal your genetic code,
know when to flare up or back off so as to not kill their host.
2007-09-02 09:14:08 · update #2
They aren't intelligent.
They are the result of a mindless process of self-replication.
Every thing living today is the descendent of living things that successfully reproduced; living things that didn't successfully reproduce died without leaving descendents.
Over generations, when there's variability (the replication isn't always exact, there are mutations), the better-adapted variety tends to replicate more succeessfully than the others, thus, leaving more descendents for the next round of replication.
Over time, successful replicators leave successful offspring; less successful don't.
There are a lot of books and websites that explain all this; if you're interested, you could learn to understand it better.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/
is a place to start.
2007-09-02 11:07:15 · answer #1 · answered by tehabwa 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
>How can viruses(pathogens) be intelligent They have no brain. How can that be? Do you have an answer?
Um...they aren't intelligent. In fact, viruses themselves do very little, mostly they just sit around until a cell knocks into them and then just get integrated and reproduced by the cell. However, over billions of years, evolution can take even this simple repertoire and build a highly successful organism.
2007-09-02 09:20:42 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your description says nothing about intelligence, only adaptability. To be adaptive, one must be able to react quickly. Viruses do that. They don't know enough to back off before killing their hosts, which is why influenza and AIDs are deadly to many. Most viruses are simple enough that they can adapt quickly to change, and by the process of elimination of non-adaptive strains, continue to grow. As far as intelligent goes, what is it? A score you get on a test? The ability to adapt? What's your criteria? Psychologists have been studying human intelligence for years, and are still discovering different types of intelligence. Give it some thought, then let me know your criteria.
2007-09-02 09:28:40 · answer #3 · answered by jelesais2000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
instinct drives alot less intelligent species of organisms and the drive to survive also
best examples are your bacteriophages that can copy genetic codes
and
viruses that can become resistanmt to anitbiiotics and other drugs
2007-09-02 09:41:20 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
do you accept "facts" without question?
viruses are not intelligent at all
In USA they/you are no longer taught Evolution
(Darwin's findings because of religion) :-(
but if a virus mutates into something that can "hide"
and a strain mutates into something that cannot hide
ask yourself which one will be around in 10 years time
and which will have disappeared?
2007-09-02 09:19:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There's no intelligence involved They just chemically replicate thmselves.
2007-09-02 09:41:35 · answer #6 · answered by Renaissance Man 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They aren't intelligent they just evolved extremely well.
2007-09-02 09:13:58 · answer #7 · answered by Woden501 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They're not intelligent. Where did you get the idea that they were?
2007-09-02 09:10:59 · answer #8 · answered by Nature Boy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they don't actually have intelligence, however they do have receptors that sense their conditions, changes, and other relevent things in the enviroment around them.
2007-09-02 11:53:43 · answer #9 · answered by toladawn2004 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
who told you they were 'intelligent'?...
2007-09-02 09:11:17 · answer #10 · answered by meanolmaw 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋