Controversies and Emerging Issues in Fundamental Virology

Virology stands at the intersection of biology, evolution, and molecular science, shaping our understanding of life’s most enigmatic entities. Despite decades of research, several foundational aspects of virology remain contentious. Questions such as whether viruses constitute living organisms, how quasispecies dynamics shape viral populations, and what molecular mechanisms govern non-lytic viral egress continue to provoke vigorous debate. Recent discoveries—including the identification of giant viruses with complex genomes and cell-like features—have further blurred the boundaries between the viral and the cellular world. These controversies underscore the dynamic and evolving nature of virology as a discipline striving to define its core principles.

To gather further insights into the conceptual and mechanistic foundations of viral biology, this Research Topic welcomes a wide range of experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches that advance our understanding of viral systems across scales. Studies employing molecular, structural, and cellular experimental models; data-driven analyses using genomic, metagenomic, or evolutionary datasets; and bioinformatics or computational simulations exploring viral dynamics are particularly encouraged. Submissions that integrate conceptual debates with concrete empirical or modeling work are especially valuable, as they provide a bridge between philosophical inquiry and mechanistic insight.

We welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
o Philosophical and biological definitions of viral ‘life’, informed by molecular and genomic evidence
o Quasispecies theory, population-level evolution, and mutational robustness explored through experimental evolution or computational modeling
o Mechanisms and regulation of non-lytic viral egress studied using advanced imaging, structural biology, or cell culture systems
o Evolutionary origins and classification of giant viruses derived from comparative genomics and phylogenetic analyses
o Structural and functional innovations in viral replication cycles revealed through cryo-EM, single-molecule, or live-cell approaches
o Experimental and computational models redefining viral identity and dynamics within host or ecological contexts
o Intersections between viral evolution, ecology, and cellular evolution, including large-scale data-driven studies of virus–host interactions

We encourage contributions in the form of Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Perspectives, and Opinions to foster a constructive and integrative debate on the evolving understanding of viral biology.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Fundamental virology, Viral biology, Controversies in virology, Emerging issues in virology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.