Evolution has some very interesting ways to increase chances of survival. Still most of the species that ever lived are extinct today. Those alive have beaten great odds.
Viruses are the enigma of evolution. Are they just chemicals, or living?
Viruses are the enigma of evolution. Are they just chemicals, or living?
Biology is full of edge cases like this. For a few more examples, google "species problem". Human beings often like to classify things into discrete groups, but that doesn't necessarily map onto the natural world all that well.
Viruses are not an enigma, another parasitic genetic element are Inteins - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intein.
Viruses are not self-contained systems, they are more like organelles of cells, which transfer data between hosts.
edit: sorry I didn't been organelles I meant vesicles in cells
Depends on your view of the Ship of Theseus.