[@Juillesim]

@Juillesim asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Are viruses intelligent life forms?

What do you think?

[thedoc]

We discussed this question on our  show
We put this question to Dr Stacey Efstathiou:
Stacey -  Well as a virologist, I’d say yes, very intelligent. I mean, they're elegant life entities that can reproduce themselves, that can cause persistent infections, reactivate. A different type of intelligence, no brain cells involved.
Chris -  Indeed, but it depends whether you believe a virus is alive or not. I mean, my own belief is a virus is not alive, it’s just an infectious bag of genes.
Stacey -  It is an infectious bag of genes and it undergoes evolution, so in some ways, you could say it is a life form.
Chris -  But not intelligently designed, I hasten to add...
Click to visit the show page for the podcast in which this question is answered. Alternatively, [chapter podcast=2824 track=10.11.07/Naked_Scientists_Show_10.11.07_7468.mp3] listen to the answer now[/chapter] or [download as MP3]