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.

Question

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
False - viruses, like bacteria, do not have a cellular structure and yet, bacteria are considered living organisms.
c
False - viruses do have a clear cellular structure, including a cell membrane called an envelope.
d
True - if a living organism requires a cellular structure, even if they can reproduce - they are by definition non-living.

Answer 1

The answer is: False - viruses do not have the ability to carry out reproduction and metabolism without a host cell. This is one of the primary reasons why they are considered non-living infectious particles. While they can reproduce and use energy within a host cell, they are not able to do so independently.