Note that human stem cells and cancer cells do not have a limit on how many times they can divide. This is because they possess the enzyme telomerase.
Also, note that in human reproduction, there is an unbroken lineage of cell divisions through generations (egg and sperm are produced by specialized cell divisions called meiosis, and combine in sexual reproduction to develop a new human who can eventually produce more egg or sperm).
However, it is true that differentiated somatic cells (most of the cells in your body) cannot divide indefinitely.
A virus, unlike a differentiated somatic cell, does not have an intrinsic limit to how many times it can replicate. It hijacks cellular machinery to make an exact replica of itself (+/- any replication errors a.k.a. mutations that occur).
However, a virus that becomes evolutionarily unfit could go extinct. If you look at phylogenetic trees of viruses, there are many branches that go extinct (become a dead end). But there are other branches that continue succeeding. All of this is driven by evolutionary dynamics rather than by a lack of telomerase leading to a hard limit on the number of times the virus can replicate.
Now, just to blow your mind, oncogenic viruses like certain strains of HPV can induce human cells to produce telomerase and become able to divide indefinitely! Wowww this is so confusing!
Note that human stem cells and cancer cells do not have a limit on how many times they can divide. This is because they possess the enzyme telomerase.
Also, note that in human reproduction, there is an unbroken lineage of cell divisions through generations (egg and sperm are produced by specialized cell divisions called meiosis, and combine in sexual reproduction to develop a new human who can eventually produce more egg or sperm).
However, it is true that differentiated somatic cells (most of the cells in your body) cannot divide indefinitely.
A virus, unlike a differentiated somatic cell, does not have an intrinsic limit to how many times it can replicate. It hijacks cellular machinery to make an exact replica of itself (+/- any replication errors a.k.a. mutations that occur).
However, a virus that becomes evolutionarily unfit could go extinct. If you look at phylogenetic trees of viruses, there are many branches that go extinct (become a dead end). But there are other branches that continue succeeding. All of this is driven by evolutionary dynamics rather than by a lack of telomerase leading to a hard limit on the number of times the virus can replicate.
Now, just to blow your mind, oncogenic viruses like certain strains of HPV can induce human cells to produce telomerase and become able to divide indefinitely! Wowww this is so confusing!