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Give one big reason why viruses are not alive

2 Answers

7 votes

Final answer:

Viruses are not considered living because they cannot reproduce autonomously, lack cellular structures, and do not maintain metabolism or homeostasis.

Step-by-step explanation:

The main reason why viruses are not considered to be alive is that they cannot reproduce on their own. A virus must infect a host cell and hijack the cell's machinery to make copies of itself, a process that is fundamentally different from how all living organisms reproduce. Furthermore, viruses do not possess cellular components such as a plasma membrane, cytoplasm, and ribosomes, nor do they show signs of metabolism or maintain homeostasis, which are essential characteristics of life.

User Andrii Starusiev
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6 votes

Answer: Viruses are not made out of cells, they can't keep themselves in a stable state, they don't grow, and they can't make their own energy. Even though they definitely replicate and adapt to their environment, viruses are more like androids than real living organisms.

Explanation: I think

User Vrnithinkumar
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