From: John Beckett 

Gene McAloon  wrote in message
news::
> This is not even a controversial subject. Those who argue that viruses are
not
> alive do so only as a result of having locked themselves into the
straightjacket
> of conventional  definitions of life based essentially on plant or animal
life
> forms. Again, that doesn't begin to be good enough. Viruses are alive and
there
> can be and is no doubt of that.

It's not controversial in the sense that it is essentially a semantic
issue, and has no practical consequence.

However, I posted two good references that clearly disagree with you. The
sources are hardly authoritative, but unless you are hiding something from
us, they strike me as more likely to be "true" than your version.

John

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-4