Origin of viruses

I came across an interesting article that talks about the origin of viruses. I found this article when I suddenly had the urge of knowing more about viruses; I know that all types of life have DNA in them but then I thought, "viruses have DNA as well." After I had that idea I immediately went online and learned that viruses do not only carry DNA but RNA as well, there is a big mystery behind their origin and not only do they harm humans but they might had a big role to play in the evolution of the three major domains of life, (Archea, Prokaryote and Eukaryote).

Viruses are not living organisms and yet they play a big role in life. The origin of viruses is still being debated today, although three major theories have come to exist. There is a possibility that a virus is the evolution of genetic material moving within a cell, to later on move from one cell to another. Perhaps viruses are descendants of living organisms that opted to become something more simple, purely on the basis of transferring genetic material. There is also the possibility that viruses were first in the big scheme of life; that somehow cellular life evolved thanks to viruses.

Scientists have not come to an agreement as to which theory is correct, if any. Many have come up with different rationalizations to back up their theories but nothing is decisive. Viruses are still a big mystery in the world of science and the more we learned about them the more questions arise. Even after reading this article I still find myself asking "where did viruses come from?" "How can something have the drive to move and replicate without being alive?" I'm not sure if the answers will be revealed during my lifetime but I keep my fingers crossed.

David R. Wessner, P. D. (2010).http://www.nature.com/scitable. Retrieved from 

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/the-origins-of-viruses-14398218