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34 votes
34 votes
Which of the following is a property of life that viruses lack?The manufacture and use of complex carbon containing moleculesThe potential to grow and expand their populationsThe potential to pass hereditary material to offspringEngages in self-sustaining biological processes such as homeostasis and metabolism

User Meisam
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1 Answer

17 votes
17 votes

Viruses are generally composed of a capsid that holds the genetic material. Viruses replicate using the biochemical machinery of the cells they infect. Viruses by themselves do not possess organelles such as mitochondria, nucleus, ribosomes, among others, so they cannot carry out metabolic processes or replicate on their own. Similarly, since they do not have enzymes to perform metabolic pathways, they cannot produce or transform complex molecules such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins that have carbon. What they can do is to increase their population by replicating with the help of the cell and pass on their genetic material to the next generation. It should be noted that this is also with the help of the cell, since the cell produces the capsids and the genetic material. In this case, options 1 and 4 are possible answers. But since you are only allowed one, I recommend you to place option 4, since the cell does produce complex carbon molecules to create new viruses (the virus does not produce the molecules), but the virus has nothing to do with the processes of homeostasis or metabolism of the cell.

User GoodGets
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