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For nearly 20 years,\xa0G\xfcnther Witzany\xa0searched for agents that are able to edit genetic code in living organisms, and for 20 years, he couldn\u2019t find them. But in 2005 he read a book by\xa0Luis Villarreal called\xa0Viruses and the Evolution of Life, which is an account of how viruses do exactly this\u2014edit genetic code.\xa0\u201cThe main life motive for the life of viruses is not disease-causing; the most prominent motive of viruses is to infect organisms and install themselves in the genetic code of host organisms,\u201d explains Witzany. As opposed to the common conception of viruses as enemies,\xa0Witzany places viruses in a new light, under which they are seen as regulatory\xa0tools for host gene expression and replication, defenders against invading parasites, and adaptive agents that can actively change the genome when necessary.\xa0

Witzany also discusses his concept of life as a communicative structure, what his original expertise\u2014the philosophy of language\u2014has to say about the mechanistic use of certain terms often used in biology, the role of epigenetics in the production of proteins, and more. Press play to hear the full conversation, and visit\xa0biocommunication.at\xa0to learn more.\xa0