Arguments Against Mimi Virus

One thing that classifies and makes an organism be considered living is possessing the ability to respond to their surroundings and environment. Their response to the environment is limited, but viruses are capable of doing so. One example is that viruses do not have a cell wall to protect them. As a

Cell theory explains that cells are the smallest units of life as well as being the primary structure of all living things. This theory also describes that cells reproduce or come from previously existing cells. On the other hand, viruses cannot reproduce on their own, because they require

Personally, I believe that there cannot be a present scientific answer, but a philosophical answer. First, there are a few things I would like to point out on which the author of the article is wrong. According to Science Line , viruses are considered to be non living. It says that, “Primarily, they lack the ability to reproduce without the aid of a host cell, and don't use the typical cell- division approach to replication.” That means that there is no present gray area, and the main consensus says that they are non living. In the article, it says that, “[Viruses] May be destroyed… viruses resemble seeds more than the do living cells.(103)” That entire statement is false. According to Dr. Mikhail Grinberg, viruses are, “Generally incurable, but

Collins (1997) stated that Viruses are not true living cells and are much smaller than bacteria. Viruses are composed of a protein coating around genetic material (DNA or RNA) and are unable to reproduce unless they are inside a living cell. Viruses do not multiply in food. They do multiply in cells in various organs or tissues of the body. For example, Hepatitis A virus replicates in cells of the liver. It is quite difficult to isolate viruses on or in food. Normally, the best treatment for viral infections is allowing time (bed rest) for each individual's functioning immune system to combat the virus Viruses are much smaller in size. The viruses differ from bacteria are they cannot live outside without living host human or animals. The two important viruses are Hepatitis A virus and nor viruses

Although viruses are inert without a host cell, they do perform as a form of life while infecting a host cell. The many structural differences between cells and virons support that viruses cannot be considered alive, on the grounds that’s cells are considered alive as a result of their functions. Since a virus does not contain these functions originally, they cannot possibly be alive. Viruses can be considered alive after they infect a cell host, after transcription they are capable of performing all of a cells metabolic capabilities. This defines a virus as present inside the living metabolic system of a host cell although only as a non-living parasite. This makes it difficult to distinguish whether or not a cell is alive as the arguments for both possibilities are persistent and supported.

The debate on whether viruses are living organisms or not is very complicated and requires a large amount of thinking. This is caused by their complicated structure and the fact that it shares some qualities of life and some qualities that don't show life. This makes it very difficult to categorize viruses as living or not. Since they have chemistry set like structure and they are missing a cell we conclude they are not living organisms. But I think we should stop ignoring the difficulties of this question and analyze this even more. Doing so I disagree that viruses are nonliving due to their many abilities and other attributes which make them very active.

Are virus alive? The big debate is are virus alive or do they lack the mechanism necessary to function on their own. If we look at what defines life we will see that a virus mimics every function that is consider necessary to be alive. But some people still do not believe that virus are alive. If we look at all the characteristic of life a virus fulfills and meets each characteristics one may argue that a virus could not exist without a host but neither can the cells that make up the human body, one organ cannot exist without the others. A good example would be to look at the seed of a tree if it never gets water and soil it will never be a tree a living organism right, but once it is watered and planted it becomes a tree and we all recognize

A lot of biologists don't buy that. A virus is basically a chunk of DNA or RNA (or computer code, for that matter) that succeeds in reproducing itself. But it's not a cell, which many consider the fundamental unit of life, and it doesn't do the things cells do, such as metabolize, react to the environment,

Based on the description provided and the biologist's definition of life, I believe a virus should not be considered a living organism. To me, a virus does not meet the requirements needed that make up a living organism. A living organism must have the ability to reproduce to carry on for the future. While living organisms are made up of cells, viruses are made up of molecules. The complex levels of organization that living organisms go through go pass the level of just being made up of atoms and molecules. Organisms have cells, tissue, and organs which all function to become living. Reproducing is a key characteristic in anything that wants to live. Viruses are not able to reproduce naturally on their own and would not be able to grow or develop.

Viruses have adapted a dependency on the cells of another organism, termed a host, to provide both shelter and a metabolic means of reproduction. Different viruses have evolved

Viruses are smallacellular particles that infect the body and replicates itself inside of living cells only. It is capable of infecting plants, animals and smaller microorganisms as well. Scientists are not exactly sure how the virus came to be but some think it evolved

Though viruses fit some of the characteristics of life they do not fit of all of them. The traits of viruses are much different from other types of living beings. For example, viruses have different structures than other things like bacteria. As stated on an article on wikipedia

Viruses have the capabilities and functionalities of a living organism, therefore they are living. Like all other living organisms, viruses are made of DNA and RNA, the simple building blocks of life. Living things can’t function without DNA because they wouldn’t be able to grow or reproduce. Viruses can also reproduce and have a functional/life span, both of which are necessities of life and are needed to create new life. A virus’s ability to function in this way gives it the characteristics of a living organism. Although, viruses need a host they should still be considered living, due to the fact that many living things need a host. Parasites, ticks, and mosquitoes are considered living even though they need a host to survive as well. Human

A large group of submicroscopic infective agents. It is considered as nonliving extremely complex molecules, it contains a protein coat which is surrounding an RNA or DNA core of genetic material but no semipermeable membrane, virus is capable of growth and multiply itself but only in living cells, and they cause many diseases in humans, animals, and plants.

In order to fully understand these articles, one must have background information regarding the topic. Not only do you need to have a basic understanding of disease and infection, you have to understand what a viruses is. The Campbell Biology in Focus textbook describes a virus as “an infectious particle consisting of little more than genes packaged in a protein coat” (Campbell). We must understand that a virus consists