EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Viruses are microscopic, acellular organisms that are not considered living or not living. In the surrounding environment, the viruses are considered dead as they do not possess any characteristics of a cell.

Detailed explanation-2: -Most biologists say no. Viruses are not made out of cells, they can’t keep themselves in a stable state, they don’t grow, and they can’t make their own energy. Even though they definitely replicate and adapt to their environment, viruses are more like androids than real living organisms.

Detailed explanation-3: -Living things use energy. Outside of a host cell, viruses do not use any energy. They only become active when they come into contact with a host cell. Once activated, they use the host cell’s energy and tools to make more viruses. Because they do not use their own energy, some scientists do not consider them alive.

Detailed explanation-4: -Still, viruses have many traits of living things. They are made of the same building blocks. They replicate and evolve. Once inside a cell, viruses engineer their environment to suit their needs-constructing organelles and dictating which genes and proteins the cell makes.

Detailed explanation-5: -No. Viruses are not cells. The cell theory statements do not apply to viruses as viruses are not cells.