Comment by Ultimatt

Comment by Ultimatt 5 days ago

3 replies

The word you're looking for is cryptobiosis/anabiosis no need to invent a new one. Something thats later alive almost by definition is not dead. The entire living system has been alive since abiogenesis.

IAmBroom 5 days ago

We have to agree on the basic definition of ultra-basic terms.

You just proposed a definition. Good. It's not complete, but necessary, conditionally.

Basically, we shouldn't use "alive" and "dead" as dualities. There's at least three states: "dead/inert/never gonna get there", "meets a definition of life (see next category) when supplemented by a host cell or something else complex and exterior", "can self-replicate and grow on its own, in a friendly environment with sufficient food/fuel/inputs available = life".

Maybe more. But let's stop pretending biology is dead versus alive, because viruses definitely ruin that.

  • mabster 4 days ago

    "Alive / dead / iffy" still seems to hold up.