A Biology Essay on the Unique Characteristics of Viruses

This essay explores the unique and complex nature of viruses, examining their characteristics and the ongoing debate of whether they are living or non-living entities. It delves into the biological aspects of viruses, including their structure, genetic material, and replication processes, highlighting their dependence on host cells for survival and reproduction. The essay discusses the properties of life, such as the ability to replicate, grow, and possess genetic material, and how viruses either exhibit or lack these properties. It also provides examples of well-known viruses and references relevant scientific literature, ultimately concluding that viruses are unique organisms that require alternative methods of classification.

Virus- Why are they unique?
Introduction
The word “virus” is derived from a Latin word for “poison”. The initial interest was stemmed
from its association with various diseases like rabies, foot-and-mouth etc. (Villarreal, L, 2004)
Discussion
The characteristics of Life:
1. The living organisms are composed of cells.
2. The living organisms require energy for carrying out metabolic activities which produces
molecules that help the organization to sustain.
3. The living organisms have ability to replicate on their own and can also perform the same
function on a truly living organism affecting their host cells in the most profound manner.
4. The living organisms have ability to grow.
5. The Living organisms have a collection of integrated organs, for example in multicellular
organisms, various organs are present whereas unicellular organisms are composed of
several structures or molecular machines.
6. The living organisms have genetic material stored in their cells.
Viruses:
The parasites skirting a boundary between life and the inert matter are termed as viruses. Virus is
composed of the same nucleic acid molecules and proteins as other living cells but lack the
ability of replicating and spreading on their own. This assistance is provided to them via a host
cell. On replicating the viruses produce new genes. In case the produced gene is innovative and
as a useful function, it gets incorporated into the host cell’s genome becoming a permanent

fragment of that cell. Some of the well-known examples of viruses are: HIV/AIDS, Lunar
exploratory module (LEM), T4 bacteriophage, ATV (Acidianus-Tailed-Virus) etc.
Virus being considered to be non‐ living
All the bio molecular aspect of life in any virus has been parasitized as they depend on the host
cell for energy and raw material required for synthesis of proteins, nucleic acid, transport and
other processing etc. so as to help them replicate. The virus lack the ability to reproduce own
their own and can replicate using the host body. Therefore from this observation, it is has been
concluded by many scientists that the virus are non-living parasites getting energy from any
living metabolic systems and gets crystallized. Furthermore, the virus is not composed of cells
and therefore is termed as a molecular entity rather than being a cellular entity and do not
metabolize on their own. Furthermore, they lack a collection of integrated organs thereby failing
to reach a critical complexity. In the nut shell, the viruses can be considered as a fugitive host
gene having being degenerated into a parasite as they are unable to exhibit the properties of life
outside the host cells.
Virus being considered to be a living
The viruses are seen to possess genetic material and other proteins in their cell. Furthermore they
have the potential to replicate, multiply and even mutate albeit using a host body. The virus have
a double-stranded DNA as their genetic material. They have a tendency of behaving like an
intracellular obligate parasite due to the use of the replication machinery of the host.
Conclusion: The viruses are unique and complex organisms and cannot simply be characterized
as a living or non-living. Therefore alternative methods of classification is required for their
classification.

References
Villarreal, L, 2004, ‘Are Viruses Alive?’, Scientific American vol.291 pp. 100 ‐ 105
Forterre, P, 2010, ‘Defining Life: The Virus Viewpoint’, Orig.Life Evol Biosph, vol. 40 pp. 151‐
160