Question: State one characteristic of viruses that qualifies them as living things?
One of the most debated questions in biology is whether viruses are living or non-living entities. Viruses are microscopic particles that can infect the cells of living organisms and cause diseases. However, unlike other living things, viruses cannot reproduce on their own. They need a host cell to provide the machinery and materials for making new copies of themselves. So, are viruses alive or not?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as different criteria can be used to define what constitutes life. However, one possible characteristic of living things that viruses share is the ability to evolve. Evolution is the process of change in the genetic makeup of a population over time, resulting from natural selection and random mutations. Evolution allows living things to adapt to changing environments and survive.
Viruses also undergo evolution, as they mutate and recombine their genetic material when they infect new hosts. These changes can affect the properties of the viruses, such as their infectivity, virulence, and resistance to drugs. Some examples of viral evolution include the emergence of new strains of influenza, HIV, and coronavirus that pose challenges for public health.
Therefore, one could argue that viruses are living things based on their capacity to evolve. However, this argument is not conclusive, as some scientists may consider other aspects of life more important, such as metabolism, growth, or response to stimuli. Ultimately, the question of whether viruses are alive or not may depend on one's perspective and definition of life.
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