[fr_freak]

Again... scientists have assembled viable virii from simpler chemicals.

I'm going to regret keeping this thread going, but what the hell.

Even if scientists managed to duplicate the exact conditions on Earth as when life first appeared, which would be a miracle in itself, and created viruses, one must realize that the appearance of a virus is not enough to begin life on Earth.

In order for the entire chain of life on Earth to have begun, there would have to be an organism that erupted spontaneously with the following qualities: (1) it can replicate itself, (2) it wants to replicate itself. By this I mean there has to be hard-wired into the organism a trigger that causes it to put into motion the reproductive mechanisms that it has. Simply having the mechanisms available is insufficient to cause reproduction. Considering those necessities, the likelihood of such an organism spontaneously erupting decreases by a significant order of magnitude. Viruses, by the way, cannot replicate themselves.

[orionblamblam]

> By this I mean there has to be hard-wired into the organism a trigger that causes it to put into motion the reproductive mechanisms that it has.

Considering that the precursor molecules to the very simplest things maybe called life are themselves self-replicating, and not due to any desire on their part, but just part of the mechanism... it would not be surprisign if early life was equally as prolific and yet as disinterested.

> Viruses, by the way, cannot replicate themselves.

They seem to be quite capable of it.