Are Viruses Truly Alive?

This assignment examines the controversial question of whether viruses are alive. It presents arguments from various researchers, highlighting the lack of essential biological features in viruses such as metabolism, growth, and independent reproduction. The text emphasizes that while viruses exhibit some life-like activities, they ultimately fall short of meeting the criteria for being classified as living entities.

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Running head: BIOLOGY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Biology Scientific Research
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BIOLOGY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Are viruses alive?
To answer, whether viruses are alive or dead is challenging, and this certain topic has
given rise to a considerable debate in the research field. The definition of ‘living’ and ‘dead’
makes the answer to the question “are viruses alive?” more controversial, entailing rigorous
research into the biology of viruses. The accurate answer holds much value theoretically and
in outlining solutions to a wide range of practical problems in relation to medical treatment
and vaccination for viral diseases. Of greater interest is the matter that analyses are emerging
in the contemporary era that supports viruses as living entities sharing an evolutionary history
with cells. These findings have been appearing in different journals that are constantly
reviewed by eminent researchers across the globe. Against this background an analysis is put
forward that takes a closer look at whether viruses are alive or dead. Based on opposing
views, it is hereby discussed how viruses do not get into the concept of being ‘alive’.
What are viruses?
The term ‘viruses’ came into existence when researchers were successful in
discovering agents acting like bacteria but smaller in size. Going by the simple definition for
viruses, these are infectious agents that are made up of nucleic acid molecule surrounded by a
coat of protein. These particles are not visible with a naked eye, and the most striking feature
of viruses is that can only copy themselves when they are inside the host cells wherein they
cause detrimental effects (1). Since viruses were detected to cause a wide range of human
diseases such as rabies and foot-and-mouth diseases, these agents came to be known as
biologically active. However, there came a change in perception, and immense controversy
emerged when the world of science referred viruses as complex organisms with a
biomechanical mechanism that is more complicated than living organisms (2).

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Figure: Fundamental structure of a virus (2)
The host range for viruses is wide since the cell types viruses infect diverse. By the
term host cell, one is to understand the cells that the virus is infecting. A virus might be
infecting a bacteria, or a plant cell, or an animal cell. At times, a virus might be able to grow
in both a plant cell and an animal cell at different times. The particular host range might
suffer restriction to a certain number of cell types due to the fact that the surface receptors are
inappropriate to get attached to. Viral infection to a host cell starts at the time when the
proteins present on the virus’s surface engages in a binding with the particular receptor
proteins presented by the particular host cell.
What is meant by being ‘alive’
There exists no precise single definition of ‘life’ that is undisputed. Some of the
aspects that distinguish between living and non-living things are biological machinery to
replicate, multiplication through cell division and metabolism. Answers to these questions
indicate whether the agent is living or nonliving (3). While some scholars support that life is
that point when the agent is self-aware, others state that it is the ability to move into future
generations (4).

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Why do we say viruses are alive
“Viruses are certainly alive” – this is what a large pool of researchers demand.
Considering viruses to be alive or not hinges on the definition of life. From the very basic
perspective of science, the actual definition of life might seem to have negligible practical
value. Viruses can be said to be alive since they can reproduce, though only within the host
cell, and lead to future generations. Reproduction is probably the most basic criteria for an
agent to be called as living. Viruses are also known to rely on the energy of the host cell for
its optimal functioning and looking into scientific explanation would reveal that such a
process is known as adaptation, a strategy used for survival. Such an adaptation strategy is a
sign of life. As the definition of adaptation goes, it is the capability of the organism to
increase the chances of reproduction and survival. This is simply what the viruses tend to do.
Viruses replicate through six distinct stages: attachment, penetration, uncoating, replication,
assembly, and release. In the initial stages of attachment and penetration, the virus is found to
get attached to the host cell and injecting the genetic material into it. Thereafter, through the
process of uncoating, replication and assembly, the genetic material is incorporated into the
host cell’s genetic material. This causes induction of the viral material to replicate the
genome. In the later process of release, the virus particle that has been newly created come
out of the host cell through one of the two supported mechanisms (5).

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Figure: Replication of viruss in host cell (3)
One of the most praiseworthy explanations for viruses being alive is based on the
virtue of having genetic information. Though the basic structure of the cell is not exhibited by
a virus particle, one must not forget that it has genetic materials. This refers to the nucleonic
acid DNA or RNA strand present within the protein shell, carrying genetic information. No
other ‘nonliving’ agent has been found that carried genetic information (6).
Life is diverse, and organisms have their own way of responding to the environment.
They adapt to mechanisms that are suitable for them, enabling them to survive as per the
requirements of the vicinity. Further, they only engage in those activities that are very basic
for a living, avoiding complex mechanisms unnecessarily. Organisms depend on the available
resources, both abiotic and biotic, and adapt to those that are less restrictive. Through this
process they find their niche in the environment. Organisms failing at this system struggle to
exist and viruses are not different. It can be affirmatively stated that the niche of viruses is
minimalist. For instance, since they do not have any requirement for glucose, they do not
demonstrate photosynthesis. Further, they do not need water molecules to diffuse them. The

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simplicity shown by viruses is the secret behind their longevity. Some might opine that
presence of genetic material and ability to be passed on to the next generations are to be
considered as the sufficient traits that qualify them as living (7).
Why argue that viruses are not alive
Looking deep into the characteristics demonstrated by viruses one would find that the
arguments opining that viruses are not alive are probably not substantial and rigorous.
Though it might seem that the argument regarding whether viruses are alive or not is
philosophical, there lies a rich pool of scientific evidence to support the arguments.
A virus can be defined as a ‘gift wrapped nucleic acid’ that is virtually encoded
protein capsid and might be having a lips coat at times. The nucleic acid replicates, and the
proteins are therefore synthesised with the help of the processes of the host cell into which
the virus has entered. In most of the cases, viruses are also responsible for encoding a host of
enzymes much needed for proper replication. Such instances are seen in RNA viruses having
reverse transcriptase. Extensive research in the last one decade has made the picture of
viruses much complicated from a simple form. The crucial point that comes up while
discussing why viruses are nonliving is that they are not able to replicate in an independent
manner. For replicating, viruses need to take help of the host cell by using or usurping the
machinery of the same. They do not possess the complete range of metabolic processes
required by a living cell. In this regard, the differences between a virus and a parasite are to
be highlighted. In case of the virus, the machinery for replication is completely taken from
the host cell while in case of parasites they use the host environment to supplement their on
reproductive capability and replication capability (8).
A group of researchers examining the established phylogenomic relationships existing
between viruses and living organisms on the basis of viral proteomes concluded that viruses

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have originated in ‘proto-virocells’. These cells have been cellular in nature, and this implies
that both bacteria and viruses at the modern times have common ancestors. However, a
substantial argument has been put forward against this concept. If one refers a virus to be
living, then a DNA is also to be referred to as living which is not feasible. Plasmids have
been found to be transferred as conjugative molecules. They can further be passively
transferred between cells, carrying genes from the host cell. Plasmids are nothing but
molecules of DNA though they might be essential for the survival of the host in particularly
challenging environments (9).
Why viruses do not fit the bill of being alive has been well explained in the research
paper published recently. For being a living entity, one must be able to self-divide and split
into two cells of the same characteristics. However, viruses are capable of only assembling
themselves which is done by taking control of the host cell. Through this process, the viruses
manufacture and assemble the components of the virus structure. Furthermore, the virus can
never be considered as a living entity since there is no requirement for a virus to consume
energy, unlike living entities. In addition, they are also not able to control own temperature
(10). Homeostasis is the maintenance of balance controlling the internal content, including
temperature. Since viruses are not presented with cytoplasm, organelles and nuclei, they care
not able to monitor changes in the environment and adapt to the contents. Virion refers to the
single virus particle that consists of a set of genes that remain in a bundled fashion inside a
shell made of protein. An additional protective membrane might be present called as the
envelope that is made of lipid. A virion might not be capable of maintaining an internal
environment which is steady on its own. Some researchers ave argued that a virion is able to
show resistance to the changes in the immediate environment with the help of the envelope
and capsid. However, a consensus remains that the other criteria of life are not met,
highlighting that viruses are non-living.

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There are other more complicated theories suggesting that viruses are non-living (11).
Living organisms meet the needs of energy consumption through metabolic processes. These
metabolic processes are responsible for supplying units of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that
are rich in energy. ATP is known as the energy currency of life. Put in a simple manner
viruses live on nothing. Viruses can be considered as an entity drifting around until it comes
in contact with the appropriate cell which it can infect, thereby creating multiple copies of it.
It is to be remembered that viruses, like other non-living things, can be crystalised and
can also be precipitated. Crystallization refers to the process of bringing about a
transformation in the viral components in a manner that they turn into solid particles.
Precipitation refers to the process of creating a solid from a solution. Since viruses are open
to both of these processes, they can be given the title of being non-living (12).
The final judgment
Though it might seem that there is no particular resolution to the question of whether
viruses are alive, taking a standpoint in this regard is justified. Viruses straddle the commonly
used definition of life. Many researchers have pointed out that viruses lie between simple
biological entities and supra molecular complexes. These entities have structures exhibiting
some of the activities common to organic life while som other functions of life are missing.
In general, these lack the internal structure as well as machinery that characterise ‘life’ which
encompasses the biosynthetic machinery utmost essential for reproduction. Summarising the
main findings and arguments, it is to be stated that viruses are not living and the reasons are
many. Firstly, they have no emergy metabolism. Further, they are not capable of growing. In
addition, they do not produce waste products or have responses to stimuli. Lastly, viruses do
not reproduce in an independent manner and need to replicate through the invasion of living
cells. It is thus concluded that for every question regarding what is meant by ‘alive’, viruses

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fail to receive a confirmatory answer. Though it might sound complicated viruses are not
alive it seems.

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