Which are the charasteristics of living things that a virus have & which is it lacking?

Question

SOME SCIENTISTS SAY THAT A VIRUS IS NOT A LIVING ORGANISM

Answer 1

Like cells, viruses have nucleic acids and proteins, reproduce using these nucleic acids (they most definitely reproduce themselves, it is done by viral proteins not host proteins), undergo transcription and translation. Some viruses have membranes too, but they don't serve the same biological functions that cell membranes do.

Unlike cells, viruses don't metabolize, don't have organelles, and have no cytoplasm

Most virologists will tell you viruses are very much alive. So will a lot of taxonomists (do your research at the link below). There are plenty of bacteria and fungi that exist in dormant spore form until they encouter their host, but we still consider them to be alive.

Answer 2

Viruses have: DNA or RNA, cytoplasm, and a protein coat.

What they have in common with living things: they have DNA or RNA, cytoplasm, and the ability to reproduce and be moble.

What they don't have in common with living things: they have a protein coat, they have no other organelles in their cell (no golgi bodies, no ribosomes etc), they don't eat (they often destroy living cells when they are done reproducing themselves but not for nutritional benefit) They have no nucleus, just an open strand of genetic material (DNA or RNA) and they need a host (living cell) to survive-meaning stick around long enough to reproduce. You could argue that some living parasites like worms and flukes have this in common but most worms and flukes there is some grey area on whether they can live and reproduce without the host. Some just need a host for food...etc. A virus WILL die and can not reproduce without a living cell. There is a lot of debate on whether or not a virus is living or not because it does the bare essentials to exist.

Answer 3

Viruses are like living things in that viruses have a nuceic acid (either DNA or RNA) and a protein coat.

Viruses are different than living things in that viruses have no plasma membrane or cytoplasm, they do not reproduce themselves any more than a piece of paper reproduces itself in a copy machine, they do not use energy, they do not exchange gases with the environment, etc.

Viruses are not included in any of the kingdoms of living things, so that tells us which side of the fence the taxonomists are on.

Answer 4

viruses are non-living when theyare in environment but when they come contact with other organism they behave like living such viruses are called obligate parasites

while an organism can live like animal without coming in contact.

i studied in 8th grade