Abstract
The origin of living organisms is to a large extent a matter of coding and passing on information to future generations. This basic principle of genetics makes it possible to pass on information about connections and established processes to new generations in an identical manner and at the same time to be able to react to environmental changes through mutation and selection. The underlying mechanisms of molecular genetics have existed for almost four billion years and have always followed the same principle. They range from the first primitive forms of life to the emergence of mammals. In this context, the mechanisms of transcription (duplication of genetic information) and translation (reading of genetic information and assembly of physiological and structural products of the cell) serve as the basic genetic processes of life. At the same time, however, all viruses, which are not living organisms, precisely use this coding pattern, its structures, and processes. The emergence of life is therefore very closely connected with the development of these information-coding processes, if not even identical with them. At least, these information-based processes belong to the central criteria for the definition of life. In addition to the structures of the basic molecular genetic law, this chapter discusses questions about the origin of life and the evolution of viruses and provides a classification in the realm of the living.
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Notes
- 1.
Giga viruses up to 2000 nm.
- 2.
It would be more correct to speak of “hereditary data” here, since information, according to its definition, is action-relevant, while data in itself is still context- and action-less. However, due to practicability, I prefer to use “hereditary information”.
- 3.
Of course, it can be debated whether it is appropriate and corresponds to the actual genetic dimension if the “informational” terminology of molecular genetics is in large parts taken from the diction of another discipline.
- 4.
The species term is of course wrong here because it applies only to living beings and therefore means here different virus forms.
- 5.
Here lies a commonality with the computer viruses, whose “program sense” is initially “only” the self-replication.
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Ball, R. (2023). Viruses, Microorganisms and Molecular Genetics. In: Viruses in all Dimensions. Springer, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-38826-3_2
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