Biology 101 Essay: The Living and Non-Living Nature of Viruses

This essay delves into the complex nature of viruses, exploring the ongoing debate of whether they should be classified as living or non-living organisms. The introduction defines viruses and their basic composition. The essay then contrasts the characteristics of living organisms, such as cellular organization, reproduction, and metabolism, with the characteristics of viruses. It discusses the parasitic nature of viruses, their dependence on host cells for replication, and their inability to independently generate energy or synthesize proteins. The essay highlights the factors that support the classification of viruses as non-living, such as their inability to reproduce independently and their tendency to crystallize. Conversely, it examines the arguments for considering viruses as living organisms, including the presence of genetic material, their ability to replicate, mutate, and derive energy within a host cell. The conclusion synthesizes these arguments, asserting that viruses occupy a unique taxonomic position, exhibiting life-like characteristics only when interacting with a host cell.

ESSAY PLAN
Viruses are small sized agent, infectious in nature. The essay aims towards providing some
insight on the viruses being a living as well as non-living organisms.
 The Introduction defines the term virus and also gives its meaning.
 The essay then presents the various characteristics of life which define the living
organisms separating them from non-living.
 The essay is then followed by giving further explanation on virus by explaining them
thoroughly.
 This is followed by the factors that define viruses as non-living things and finally various
factors that the viruses making them a living organisms.
 In the end, the whole study has been summed up in the conclusion.

Virus-Living or non-living?
Introduction
Virus is a small sized infectious agent and has a simple composition, deriving its name from a
Latin word for “poison”. The viruses can only multiply with an association of a host cell.
(Villarreal, L, 2004)
Discussion
There are some characteristics that divide living organisms from non-living organisms. Some of
these are as followed:
1. Cellular organization: The living things are composed of cells and have an assembly of
systematically arranged organs. In unicellular organisms, a single cell is self-sufficient to
perform all the necessary functions whereas in multicellular the cells are arranged to form
organs, tissues etc.
2. Reproduction: The living things have the ability to reproduce their progeny and is a vital
process for the organisms to survive. The living organisms have genetic material stored in
their reproductive cells so as to produce their progeny. (Forterre, P, 2010)
3. Metabolism: The living things required energy to perform the necessary functions and for
their maintenance and growth.
Viruses:
The viruses are considered as a parasite which are characterized as an organisms between life
and inert matter. These have proteins, genetic material, nucleic acids and all the other vital
components like a living organism but they require a host cell for them to replicate and multiply.
However, they cannot synthesize proteins and depend solely on their host for performing all the
life-sustaining functions. Furthermore they cannot derive energy on their own. Some of the most

popular viruses are ATV (Acidianus-Tailed-Virus), HIV-AIDS etc. In short, the viruses are
quintessential parasites. (Villarreal, L, 2004)
Virus are considered to be non‐ living because of the inability to exhibit many properties related
to the living organism. For example the inability to reproduce on their own and to acquire
assistance from the living organisms in order to replicate makes it a non-living organism. In
order to replicate they infect other cells and attach themselves to any of the living cell. Similarly
they are incapable of producing their own food and generate energy from the host cells. The
viruses are usually seen to crystallized, unlike any living organism (Forterre, P, 2010).
Furthermore, they do not have a cellular organization and do not metabolize on their own.
Therefore, the viruses are not but a parasite having activity only in the presence of a host cell.
Virus being considered to be a living due to presence of the genetic material and other related
proteins in them. Furthermore, a virus exhibits almost all the biological activities being exhibited
by the living organism when it comes in contact with a host cell. A virus is seen to replicate,
multiply, mutate and even it derives energy in the presence of the living host cell. (Villarreal, L,
2004)
Conclusion: The viruses are essentially non-living organisms with no biological activity when
they are crystallized. However on coming in contact with living cells, it exhibits all the
characteristics of life, thereby making themselves into a special category and hold a special
taxonomical position.

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