Ask HN: Do virus mutations break the laws of thermodynamics? How does a non-living thing like a virus mutate? I have heard virologists liken viruses to seeds but seeds have cells, metabolisms, water and other energy stores and active running processes — seeds are alive. |
The same way living things mutate.
> Do virus mutations break the laws of thermodynamics?
No, it doesn't violate the second law of thermodynamics, as far as we know, nothing does, that's why it is called a law :). Even if entropy decreases locally (like in a single organism) the process generates more external entropy that causes the total entropy of the universe to increase.
> but seeds have cells, metabolisms, water and other energy stores and active running processe
viruses just use the host cell's "metabolism, water and energy stores".