Why Are Viruses Alive

When you say that an organism is a living thing, what things do you consider? Can it move? Does it make its own food? Are there others like it? When you think of a virus, do you say that it is alive or dead? I believe that viruses are nonliving things, for they do not obtain all 8 characteristics of life.

Viruses are microscopic parasites that can only replicate inside of a living host cell. Scientists created a set of requirements that need to be obtained to be considered alive. Those requirements are the 8 characteristics of life needed which are: made of cells, growth and development, reproduction, obtaining and using energy, homeostasis, possessing genetic material, responding to the environment, and the ability to evolve.

The first thing

Until introduced to a host cell, the virus sits in an immobile state, but once it is introduced to a host cell it begins to germinate. This is another characteristic which is needed to be considered alive. Therefore, viruses are not alive, leaving the virus only 6 characteristics of life.

Possessing genetic material is the first characteristic of life a virus obtains. Viruses have either RNA or DNA with a protective coat of protein. DNA viruses are more stable and will not form mutations, because they have a self-checking mechanism. However, RNA viruses are less stable and do not have the self-checking mechanism to prevent

Humans sweat to cool down incase their body temperature goes above 98.6° F. Viruses have no ability to maintain their internal balance, which is another characteristic needed to be alive (ASU).

To use the metabolic capacities of organisms to convert some combinations of light, biomass, organic compounds, gases and water into useful-bond is to have energy (BEInG). Living things have metabolism which means they have the ability to use energy. Viruses however are too small and too simple to use or collect their own energy, so they steal it from other cells (ASU). By stealing the energy from the host cell, the virus ultimately takes over the entire cell and makes it infected. The virus then feeds off of the cell until it uses up everything inside of the cell.

Viruses can only thrive and replicate inside the environment of a living cell of another organism. They develop and disperse by attaching its protein to a receptor site on the host cell then injecting its genetic material into the host cell. If the virus was to exit the host cell it would die. They do not respond to stimuli, they do not grow, they do not grow, they do not do any of the things we normally associate with life. Viruses have no response to the environment without a living host cell, which makes this another characteristic that viruses do not