Some cleaning products today claim they kill some viruses. Is this possible? I recall how, in Biology (c. 1980’s), it was debateable if some/all viruses are even alive. IIRC, some are just a strnd of DNA (or just RNA!) in a protein coat.
At best, I believe you can strip away the protein coat, but can you kill a DNA or RNA moelcule? I think the ads are taking too much credit for killing bacteria which can be a host for a virus. (Don’t forget viruses are parasites, and they need to live inside their host.)
Debating the use of “kill” isn’t really relevant. Substitute “destroy” or “permanently incapacitate” if you wish. The point is the same. Yes, some products can do that.
If, by “kill it”, you mean “can we make it so the little bugger is too damaged to do anything” then sure we can. There are all sorts of nasty chemicals that will tear a virus apart.
In fact, don’t think of it as a virus, or of the RNA as RNA, that does not really make them all that special. Just think of them as any other little groupings of atoms that, if in the presence of certain other groupings of atoms and/or a sufficient amount of energy, will be turned into something unrecognizable from its previous form.
If you are really scared about such contaminants, I suggest that you scrub all of your possessions, and yourself, with pure fluorine. That’ll get the critters good.
Well, I’m no biologist, but I suppose the RNA and protein coat could be destroyed, turning the virus into a bunch of harmless chemicals. I suppose that could qualify as “killing” it. Although the word “kill” might not be correct here.
When I was taking virology in college I wrote the word “kill” in the answer to a test question, and when I got it back the professor had scribbled out the word “kill” and written “inactivate.”