(Solved) Do you think that viruses are alive?

Robinsonb

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11 years ago

For biology class I have to write two paragraphs on if viruses are alive. Any suggestions? Please give reasons for why you believe what you believe. Thanks!

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julielpn74

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11 years ago

No they are not alive. Living organisms mostly follow MRS GREN:
Movement; Respiration; Sensitivity; Growth; Reproduction; Excretion; Nutrition

The only things viruses are qualified for are: movement and reproduction.

They are simply on the boundary of living as they are not exactly similar to a living cell.

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$abood$

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11 years ago

Virsus are not "alive." Part of the definitions of being "alive" is reproduction is contained within the special unit. Viruses use host cell machinery to make copies of itself. Therefore, they are not alive.

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Datnigerian

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11 years ago

Viruses are on the border between life and non-life. They reproduce, like living organisms, and they have a certain amount of sensitivity, since they can sense when they are attached to a cell and attack it.

But they do not respire, they do not excrete, they do not grow, they do not feed; these characteristics are vital to be classed as living organisms.

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datheman

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11 years ago

Viruses are tiny geometric structures that can only reproduce inside a living cell. They range in size from 20 to 250 nanometers (one nanometer is one billionth of a meter).All viruses have genes made from either DNA or RNA. Outside of a living cell, a virus is dormant, but once inside, it takes over the resources of the host cell and begins the production of more virus particles. Viruses are more similar to mechanized bits of information, or robots, than to animal life.

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