what is life?

[Jacob BROSTOFF]

first off, i'll have to paraphrase. i haven't figured out how to quote in
Jove yet ... so if anyone can help me out, pls email.

<Schlosser at beta.ciit.org> stated that chain letters are _not_ alive
according to his definition of life because they require some sort of action
from the host in order to replicate itself(get sent to 10 of your "friends".

I'm not sure if this counts, but in certain strains of _Paramecium_, there 
are endosymbiotic bacteria, Kappa, which require the host to have a certain
 genotype in 
order to live and reproduce. so in a way, the paramecium involved must
perform some sort of action (express the gene) in order for the kappa bacteria
to continue being happy (ie alive). 

I'm not sure if this is a legitimate objection, though, or if i've misunder-
stood what <schlosser at ....> has said

j