Are Viruses Alive

Are viruses alive? This question has been discussed for over a decade, but no one really knows yet whether a virus is alive or whether it is non-living.

Firstly, lets establish what a virus even is. Viruses are a complicated group of molecules including proteins nucleic acids and lipids and carbohydrates. Viruses are organisms that have to latch on to a host cell for them to multiply.

An example of a harmful virus is the HIV virus. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is a special virus as it can’t be removed from the human immune system even with medlots of treatment. Though once a HIV virus dies then it is completely harmless to the human body and also the HIV virus cannot stand outside the Human body for very long, and it quickly die when all the bodily fluids of a human are dried out.

But some people can argue that it is non-living as it doesn’t complete the 7 life processes that is essential for all living things to have: Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition, viruses can’t reproduce without a host cell. Another reason why viruses are not considered alive is because it doesn’t need to consume energy to survive. Other organisms that meet their needs of energy, metabolic processes supply units of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), this is the energy currency of life. Also, viruses don’t have a set temperature. Finally, viruses can survive on nothing, this means that viruses can technically survive in the vacuum of space.

Though, in the last decade Scientists have found new evidence that supports the idea that even though that viruses don’t complete all 7 life processes they might actually be alive. For example, parasites need host cells to reproduce but they are alive, mules can’t reproduce because they are sterile, but they are alive. These animals are alive, but viruses are not. Another reason that viruses might be alive is that they can maintain homeostasis as they have something called a ‘capsid and envelope’ which help viruses maintain their surrounding temperature. The Final reason that viruses might be alive is because they adapt to their environment. Viruses can live in 2 phases: lytic phase, where the viruses actively replicate itself, and lysogenic phase, when the DNA fuses itself into a cell whenever it multiplies.

Overall, there are many reasons for viruses to be alive and there are also many arguments to say that they are also non-living.