Definition of life

[Ed Rybicki]

In article <199402101319.FAA24939 at net.bio.net> SCHLOSSER at ciit.org (Paul Schlosser) writes:
>In <Pine.3.87.9402101041.B4865-0100000 at talbot>
>ray at talbot.epidem.uwa.edu.au (Raymond Kan) writes:

>>Life: a phenomenon of matter and energy sustained by the self-replicating 
>>and coding properties of nucleic acids.
>                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>Why must it be by nucleic acids?  What about hypothetical life from another
>planet that uses something else?

So: Life is the phenomenon sustained by the self-replicating activity of any 
informational system.

So: computer viruses live OK...!

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