So far, scientists have not agreed on the question of whether a virus is considered a living thing. Some scientists believe that viruses are not living organisms. The reason is that viruses cannot exhibit life phenomena on their own and can only rely on living cells in order to carry out life activities.
The living body has the following main characteristics:
1. The living body has a strict structure and is composed of cells except viruses.
2. Living body can perform metabolism: Living body can exchange energy materials with the external environment, which is simply to take in nutrients and excrete.
3. Reproduction and development of life body: On the basis of metabolism, life can develop and grow, and reproduce offspring, so that life can be continued.
4. Living body is stressful: Living body can respond to external stimuli.
5. Life has the characteristics of heredity and mutation: heredity and mutation complement each other, and heredity and mutation are the driving force of life evolution.
6. Life body can adapt to and affect the environment to a certain extent.
Therefore, in all living organisms in nature, viruses are out of place, not only because the virus does not have the cell structure , but the important thing is that the virus has no metabolic function and cannot even do the most basic reproduction. Only by parasitizing in living cells can the virus use the material and energy in the cell to survive and multiply. After being separated from living cells, the virus no longer shows any signs of life activity, and its behavior is between living and non-living bodies, neither being living nor non-living.
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