NanoViricides Inc. (NNVC)

[BonelessCat]

Yep, chicken or egg is the right way to phrase the origins of viruses. Now, I'm no "doctor" but here is what I have gathered from extensive research:

There are three primary theories for virus origins:

1)Viruses are little-changed descendants of very early organisms
2)Viruses are degenerate cellular organisms
3)Viruses are mobile genetic elements that detach themselves from their host cells

My guess that the truth is in some combination of all three theories.

RNA Virus-like organisms are thought to be the oldest of living things dating back a billion years or so. However, a virus is actually something that exploits other larger cells in order to replicate and complete its life-cycle. There is little doubt that viruses cause host cellular material to "turn maverick" and reform into new virions and exit the host cell. So, it seems that as organisms became more complex, certain virus-like organisms adapted to exploit a new source of nutrition and genetic base material for replication. So, probably, a proto-virus existed first, then came larger more complex organisms and then finally infectious viruses in the modern sense.

As some geneticists put it, all organisms, including humans, live long enough to replicate and continue their germ lines. Once the germ line is ensured, the parent organism is no longer necessary. Applying this to viruses, the capsid remains viable until it contacts a host cell and is admitted. It then breaks down into genetic material and begins replicating RNA at the expense of host material. This replication continues until the host material is expended. The original parent capsid no longer exists once the virion breaks apart. That implies that the host organism had to evolve first in order for the proto-virus to evolve into a virus in the modern sense.

But what do I know. I'm an alias based on a character developed by WC Fields, Dr. Feelgood, DDS.