Question

Viruses are parasitic, having DNA/ RNA but they can be crystallized and lack respiration. Therefore, they are treated as.
A. Living beings
B. Non-living beings
C. Both living and non-living beings
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Non-living beings/ organisms can be defined as organisms that exist without any proper cellular structure at any point in their life. In the past, it was widely accepted that life or living beings can be identified only when the organism is composed of one or more cells but the definition has been changed now and it is not dependent upon cell structure anymore.

Complete answer:
Let’s talk about the virus for a bit. Viruses are microorganisms that are infectious and can replicate only inside some living cells or organisms. They can infect any living organism. They have either DNA or RNA as their genetic material but most of the viruses have RNA as their genetic material. Viruses infect a bacterial cell and send their genetic material into the bacteria. This RNA/ DNA combines with the bacterial genome and replicates every time the bacterial cell replicates (lysogenic cycle). Sometimes they transcribe and produce virus particles inside the bacteria and produce new viruses and destroy the bacterial cells when the virus production reaches maximum times (lytic cycle).
Due to these properties of the virus to reproduce inside the host cell, there has been always a debate as to whether to call them living beings or non-living beings. Viroids are viruses with single-stranded RNA without protein coats that do not code for any protein. But it uses the replication mechanism of the host cell by using the host’s RNA polymerase for transcription. Hence they are considered non-living things.

So the correct answer is B, non-living beings.

Note:
The origin of viruses or the history of viruses is unclear. Some scientists suggest that they may have evolved from plasmids (circular DNA, extrachromosomal DNA present in the bacteria), some suggest that they may have evolved from bacteria.