Hey... is a virus alive?

Question

like could you help me...

is a virus alive, and could you tell me why

please... mainly using the 7 things of life or whatever to help the answer... thank you bunches!! =)

Answer 1

"The question of whether viruses are living organisms has an ambiguous answer. Life can be defined as a complex set of processes resulting from the action of proteins specified by nucleic acids.  The nucleic acids of living cells are in action all the time.  Because viruses are inert outside living host cells, in this sense they are not considered to be living organisms  However, once viruses enter a host cell, the viral nucleic acids become active, and viral multiplication results.  In this sense, viruses are alive when they multiply in the host cells they infect.  From a clinical point of view, viruses can be considered alive because they cause infection and disease, just as pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and protozoa do.  Depending on one's viewpoint, a virus may be regarded as an exceptionally complex aggregation of nonliving chemicals, or as an exceptionally simple living microorganism."

The current standing by the scientific community is that viruses are living microorganisms that are inert outside of a living host.

Answer 2

No, viruses are not alive.  They are basically just a strand of RNA, sometime wrapped in a protective protein coating called a capsid.  When exposed to cells, the RNA incorporates itself into the cells genome and basically hijacks the cell, causing it to make copies of the virus.

Though they do reproduce, they cannot do so on their own, they must use a living cell.  They do not exhibit the other qualities of life:

They do not respirate.  They do not move or respond to their environment.  They do not eat.  They do not grow or change in any way.