Viruses are often referred to as non-living infectious particles as they lack many characteristics of living organisms like cellular structure. They do not have the ability to carry out reproduction and metabolism without a host cell.
True or False and why?
a
False - viruses are able to reproduce and use energy without a host cell.
b
True - if a living organism requires a cellular structure, even if they can reproduce - they are by definition non-living.
c
False - viruses, like bacteria, do not have a cellular structure and yet, bacteria are considered living organisms.
d
False - viruses do have a clear cellular structure, including a cell membrane called an envelope.
c
False - viruses, like bacteria, do not have a cellular structure and yet, bacteria are considered living organisms.
c
False - viruses, like bacteria, do not have a cellular structure and yet, bacteria are considered living organisms.
Viruses are considered non-living because they lack many characteristics of living organisms, such as the ability to carry out reproduction and metabolism without a host cell. Additionally, viruses do not have a cellular structure like bacteria. Bacteria, on the other hand, are considered living organisms because they have cellular structure and are capable of independent reproduction and metabolism.
The correct answer is c) False - viruses, like bacteria, do not have a cellular structure and yet, bacteria are considered living organisms.
Viruses are often considered non-living because they lack many of the characteristics associated with living organisms. They do not have a cellular structure like bacteria do. However, they are still able to reproduce and use energy, albeit with the help of a host cell.
Viruses cannot carry out reproduction and metabolism on their own. Instead, they rely on infecting host cells and using the cell's machinery to replicate themselves. This is why they are often classified as non-living infectious particles.
It is important to note that the classification of viruses as living or non-living is a subject of ongoing debate among scientists. Some argue that viruses should be considered a unique form of life, while others maintain that they are not living organisms.