Viruses, alive or not alive....that is the question

Let’s first define life. According to the online Webster's dictionary, life is “an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction.”
Grrr....So I guess I was wrong, viruses are not living things. Viruses are complicated assemblies of molecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates, but on their own they can do nothing until they enter a living cell. Without cells, viruses would not be able to multiply. Therefore, viruses are not living things.
But viruses are stilling of the fence of the definition of life. They lie somewhere between complex molecules and very simple biological units. Viruses contain some of the structures and exhibit some of the activities that are common to organic life, but they are missing many of the others. So in a nut-shell, viruses are entirely composed of a single strand of genetic information encased in a protein capsule. Viruses lack most of the internal structure which define 'life', including the organ structures that are necessary for reproduction. In order for a virus to replicate or multiply, it must first infect a suitable host cell.

So I stand corrected...or do I??

There is still a debate that flip flops in the scientific world, that viruses are thought of as being in a gray area between living and nonliving, so it really depends on who you ask!!!
Jeremy and I had a nice little conversation about this today so I thought it was fitting to address in this weeks blog.

And, for your viewing pleasure, here are two hand drawn (by me of course) examples of viruses.