Final answer:
Viruses are considered non-living things because they lack the necessary cellular machinery to carry out essential life functions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on the current evidence of the composition of viruses shown in the table, the macromolecule that most accurately provides reasons to believe that viruses are non-living things is nucleic acids. Viruses consist of genetic material, such as DNA or RNA, surrounded by a protein coat called a capsid. They lack the necessary cellular machinery to carry out essential life functions, such as metabolism and reproduction, which are characteristic of living organisms. While they rely on host cells to replicate, they themselves do not possess the properties necessary to be classified as living organisms.
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