Which of the following statements, from the cell theory, best supports the idea that viruses are non-living?
a
All Living things are composed of cells.
b
All viruses are composed of one nucleic acid and protein.
c
All cells are produced from other cells.
The statement from the cell theory that best supports the idea that viruses are non-living is option c: "All cells are produced from other cells." This statement implies that cells are the fundamental units of life and that they arise from pre-existing cells.
To understand why this statement supports the idea that viruses are non-living, let's first consider what viruses are. Viruses are small infectious agents that are made up of genetic material (either DNA or RNA) enclosed in a protein coat. They are considered acellular because they lack the characteristics of living organisms such as independent metabolism, growth, and reproduction.
The cell theory states that all living things are composed of cells, which implies that living organisms are made up of the smallest functional units called cells. Since viruses do not have cells and are not composed of cells, they do not meet this criterion of the cell theory. This supports the idea that viruses are non-living entities.
Therefore, option c is the correct statement from the cell theory that best supports the idea that viruses are non-living.