Is viruses a matter of controversy?

In early March 2006 the Texas Academy of Science (TAS) honored University of Texas biologist Eric Pianka as its 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist during its 109th Annual Meeting at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. In a March 3, 2006 lecture at this 109th Annual Meeting, Pianka argued that overpopulation since the onset of industrialisation was destroying the planet and that the Earth would not survive unless its population was reduced to one tenth of the present number. He suggested that the planet would be "better off" if the human population were to crash, and that a mutant strain of Ebola (which has up to a 90% mortality rate) would be the most efficient means. After he finished his address Pianka was given a standing ovation. According to science writer Forrest Mims "some even cheered. Dozens then mobbed the professor at the lectern.".

In response to Pianka's speech, Mims states in the Society for Amateur Scientists Ezine The Citizen Scientist that Pianka had "endorsed the elimination of 90 percent of the human population" through a disease such as an airborne strain of the Ebola virus. This report was also covered by Shawn Carlson, also in the The Citizen Scientist, and also widely propagated through blogs including William Dembski's "Uncommon Descent" and "Telic Thoughts" (another pro-intelligent design blog which has since recanted its original report), Drudge Report and the Discovery Institute—the hub of the intelligent design movement and at which both Mims and Dembski sit as fellows. Dembski has also said that he has reported Pianka to the United States Department of Homeland Security.

The March 3, 2006 talk given by Pianka is one that he calls his "doomsday talk". A recording was made of Pianka's delivery of his "doomsday talk" at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, and a transcript of this talk later was made public. Both Mim's original report and the TAS response statement of April 4, 2006 were based upon the March 3, 2006 instance of Pianka's "doomsday talk". The TAS statement said that "many of Dr. Pianka's statements have been severely misconstrued and sensationalized". No public record exists of Pianka's full March 3, 2006 lecture; Mims says that an academy official asked the video operator not to record Pianka's speech.

As a consequence of the controversy, Pianka and members of the Texas Academy of Science have received death threats. According to Pianka, "His daughters are now worried about his and their safety, and says his life has been turned upside-down by 'right-wing fools.'"

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I'm going to go with no...

You're being really vague.

If you mean computer viruses, it's just some people being jerks and dicking around with others and making their lives miserable by messing with their computers, or stealing accounts. Generally malicious stuff.

If you're talking about a sickness... Well, that's entirely different. Although I'm sure that it's possible to manufacture a virus, I don't see the benefit unless we're in biological warfare, and even then... That would not be considered a controversy. Most sicknesses, though, are just mutations of old viruses and the like.

In a sense, the biology of viruses is controversial. The biggest controversy is on the question whether viruses are living organisms or non-living. The hall mark of a living organism is that it should be able to produce its own energy (metabolism), be able to reproduce on its own and sustain itself. However, viruses are basically a DNA or RNA core with a protective protein envelope. They basically commandeer the resources of other living cells (host cells) to carry on its replication and propagation of its own species. In that respect, viruses are non-living parasites, but with an uncanny ability to utilize other cells' ability to support its destiny. But then they are able to mutate, evolve and adjust to changing situations suggesting that they carry an innate intelligence so to speak. Also the fact that more than 70% of DNA of most higher organisms are composed of viral DNA in itself speaks to the versatility of viruses in general. Then the most relevant question is the following - Are viruses free living (free existing) forms or do they come out of so called hibernation from the genome of higher organisms when the climate is ripe for them to replicate, get out and spread among members of its host species? Now you tell me if viruses are controversial or not.

That viruses exist is not a matter of controversy to anyone other than the few crazy germ theory denialists that still exist.

well when most people think of virus they think about the sickness and that is not true, the reason why its controversy because STUPID people don;t understand virus but they continue to talk about it

the virus is controversial in many way dunno which one you are talking about so, ill give you all of them

1. the cell theory, state that cell from cell, cell produce cell, cell perform fuction, cell is the basic unit, of life, but now you have virus, some scientist thinking about adding virus as a part of the living organism, because currently cells are not living, and so people said virus contain its own RNA or DNA depend on the type of virus they are, and they have ribsome and so they show be consider living, but some other scientist disagree because if we consider virus to be living then we have to change the entire cell theory, and that is pain in the *** of work.

2 the virus is controversial because we are manifcature so to be virus to use it for medical good, forexample we have retro virus, virus that use rna to make dna and use the dna through reverse transcritase, and then inject DNA into the host cell and put the dna into the host cell so more virus can be made (this is how HIV virus reproduce) but this can be use for medical good, because we can the virus make the DNA that make insulin, and then we inject the DNA that make by virus that can make insulin into the host cell, and instead of making virus, the host cell are making Insulin, which i awsome because tradtionally alot of people cant make insulin and they use the pig insulin, and so now they don;t ahve to use pig insulin, which is expensive and suxs, they can now use the human insulin which is better for their health

but if one of these virus got leak out or some mutation happens then it can creat a whole new set of virus that we have no idea of sorta like the killer bees, where people cross the african bee which is large and agressive with american bees small and no agress, and so instead of getting large peacefull bees that make alot of honey we get some thing that chase people arround and kill people, so people are affraid of virus get leak out of the lab, because its very deadly