Are viruses alive?

Answer 1

It depends on what you consider "alive" to mean. If you define "alive" to mean being able to reproduce, then yes, viruses are alive. However, if you consider "alive" to having a complex biological system to respond to environmental stimuli and being able to live independently from another organism then no.

Biologists have been struggling to define what is alive and what is not for centuries. But for academic purposes, most textbooks classify viruses as nonliving organisms. This would be a good question to ask your teacher as when I have asked it in class, it brought about a great discussion.

Answer 2

Viruses are not living things. While they are a complex assembly of molecules, they can not carry out their functions until they enter a living cell. Viruses are agents that can infect any organism like animals and plants. However, they cannot replicate until they are inside the host cell.

Hope this helped! Please contact me if you have any more questions! :)