An inanimate virus is playing chess while Trump is... whining that his queen isn't a "perfect 10"

[ck4829]

I think that about sums it up.

[aikoaiko]

1. Technically, I think the virus animate. But still your point is valid.

[ck4829]

2. It's a gray area

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-viruses-alive-2004/

[world wide wally]

3. I taught a unit on health when I was teaching middle school.

We learned that "living" is defined by having the ability to reproduce.
A virus exhibits no signs of being a "living' organism as long as it is dormant. Upon finding a host, it assumes all the traits of a living organism.
We read about a group of archeologists who discovered a cave filled with a herd of dead elephants that apparently died from a virus 10,000 years ago. A virus attached itself to one of the archeologists and infected him, rejuvenating the virus to "living organism" status again.

[ck4829]

4. I love how this is the thing people are discussing

The gray area of where a virus is biologically and not, you know, the latter part.