Why are viruses considered to be non-living?
Viruses do not eat, breathe, sleep, or move. They do not grow, they do not obtain any energy nor do they use energy. They cant even reproduce on their own. They have to somehow come in contact with a living organism, when they get inside a host cell, their DNA changes the instructions inside the cell that it infected and causes the cell to reproduce the virus instead of doing what it is supposed to be doing. A virus is more like a package filled with very nasty instructions for your body, which the cells follow.
Unlike what several people said, having a nucleus is not a requirement to be living. Bacteria are prokaryotic cells which lack a nucleus and they ar living. Unlike what several other said, movement, respiration, perspiration, etc. are not requirements to live. Plants are alive and they cannot move by our definition of moving. Their leaves and stems can move but they are fixed to one spot. To be considered living, organisms must have ALL the following characteristics AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFECYCLE (not necessarily all at the same time): 1. use energy 2. reproduce 3. response to stimuli 4. growth and development 5. ability to maintain homestasis 6. cellular organization (made up of cells) 7. heredity – abiltity to evolve Viruses do have DNA or RNA, and DNA is the code for life. Having genetic material is an important step towards being classified as alive. DNA controls the evolution of the cell and the organism. Like living things, viruses evolve through time and thus can adapt to thei
